Accomplished something no other Maine runner has done

The most successful woman runner ever to come out of northern Maine, many believe, is Michele Hallett Wakeman. Hallett not only did what no other woman in Maine has done, she did what no other male runner in Maine has done: She won two Big East cross country titles, in 1982 and 1985, while running for Boston College. Hallett was also 12th in the country on the track for 10-K in 1986 at the NCAA Division I nationals.

Hallett grew up in the small town of Mars Hill and ran for Central Aroostook High School. She started running cross country to get into shape for the ski season. "I found that I enjoyed the running so much that I eventually gave up the skiing to focus my energies on the running," she said.

From her freshman year on, Hallett was coached by road racer Andy Palmer, and by her sophomore year, 1979, she emerged as regional and state champion in cross country. In 1980 and 1981 she repeated as regional and state champ, then went on to win the National AAU Cross Country Championship in 1981 at Amarillo, Texas.

On the track, Hallett was regional and state champ in both the mile and two-mile in 1980 and 1981, and state champion in the 1600 in 1982. She ran times of: 5:00 for 1600 meters; 10:02 for two miles; and 9:35 for 3000 meters.

At Boston College, where she studied nursing, Hallett continued her success in running. Two Big East cross country titles and 12th on the track for 10K (34:38) in the NCAA Division 1 Nationals were the highlights of her collegiate running. Also, while in college, she ran: 34:08 for 10-K; 16:24 for 5-K; and 4:27 for 1500 meters. She was named BC's Eagle of the Year. Her stellar running would eventually earn her an induction into the Boston College Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. She was named Maine Runner of the Year in 1991 and 1992.

Hallett, who was 5-foot-6 and 105 pounds, says that those who influenced her running most were Andy Palmer, [BC coach] Jack McDonald, and her family. Palmer coached her through 1982, when she went to BC, and again in 1991.

Racing for a total of 13 years, Hallett belonged to the Aroostook Musterds and Nike Boston clubs. Her best racing distance may well have been 5-K and 10-K but Hallett adds, "I think the marathon might have been my best, but I only ran one marathon." That was in Toronto in 1991 when she finished 5th among women in 2 hours 46 minutes.

Among her best career races was a win in the Greater Boston Cross Country Championship, in 1982, where she clocked 16:26 over a three-mile course. Other top lifetime performances were a 34:08 clocking at the Penn Relays in 1986 and her 2:46 marathon at Toronto. She also had a career best of 27: 19 for five miles, and 16:24 for 5-K.

Her greatest moment in running, she said, was "being honored in my hometown at Mars Hill at my high school. 1 was awarded the ‘Alumni of the Year’ award. It was special to me to be surrounded by friends and family and have the opportunity to thank those who really made it possible for me to be successful at running."