Surging up the hills, Mike Leduc wins Lobster Loop for third time

Runners take off at the start of the 32nd annual Lobster Loop road race in Canton. Former Canton All-State runner Mike Leduce won for the third time. More photos from the race

CANTON, Aug. 25, 2024 – Simsbury’s Solomon Davis and his younger brother, Caleb, got an assist while racing in Sunday’s 32nd annual Lobster Loop road race. The two brothers were racing down Allen Place, well aware of Mike Leduc closing in on them.

The Davis brothers were so focused that they didn’t immediately take the left turn up Hill Street, the steepest portion of the 3.1 mile course.

“Left! Left!,” Leduc yelled and the two brothers immediately veered up Hill Street.

And then Leduc, 32, zipped past the Davis brothers as they worked their way up the hill on the way to his third victory in the Lobster Loop. Leduc won the race for the first time in 11 years (2012) with a time of 15:59, the first runners to break 16 minutes on the course since 2010.

Caleb Davis was second in 16:43 with Solomon Davis taking third in 17:11.

In the women’s race, Canton’s Lauren Longley, 35, won the Lobster Loop for the first time with a time of 20:04, good enough for 10^th place overall. She beat Avon’s Sarah Saindon by 22 seconds.

Solomon Davis didn’t know Leduc before the race but quickly identified him as a former collegiate runner. “You could tell by his form,” Solomon said. “He was so comfortable, so efficient, so smooth.”

An All-State runner who won the 2009 Class S title in cross country at Canton High, Leduc won three Division III national championships in cross country and steeplechase at Connecticut College and was a nine-time All-American.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I had not run anything this fast in a while at a shorter distance like this,” Leduc said. “I tried to go by feel. I saw a few take off pretty hard so I tried to keep an uncomfortable pace comfortable.

“Going up Hill Street, they came back to me a bit so I thought I would go for it,” he said.

Runners seldom fall back. They are usually caught from behind. Leduc was just being nice. He ran down both Davis’ on Hill Street. In the last mile, he kept up the pace to earn his third win. Leduc previously won this race in 2011 and 2012.

Mike Leduc races toward the finish line at Sunday’s Lobster Loop road race in Canton. More photos from the race

Today, Leduc lives in Westport and teaches science at New Canaan High. Over the last few years, he has been getting back on the road again. He is training to run in his first marathon, inspired by his younger brother, Peter, who has already completed two marathons. Mike hopes to race in Philadelphia this November.

Mike and his wife were in town this weekend to celebrate his niece’s second birthday. The Leduc family was at the early-morning race at the Canton Green, home of the town’s bandstand.

“It’s fun to be back,” Mike Leduc said. “I saw some friendly faces I know on the course, people I went to school with. (I saw) parents of people I went to school with and that was pretty neat. It’s fun to be up here with my family this weekend along with my brother.”

The race was a challenge for Longley, who finished second here in 2022. She took the lead midway through the race before the big run up Hill Street. The runners have completed two miles once they get up Hill Street.

“It’s a hard one. There are a couple of really big hills in it. It’s warm. It’s the end of the summer but it’s always a fun race,” she said.

It was the third time she had run in the race since her family moved to Collinsville three years ago. “It’s a great race,” she said. “It’s a great community. We love it every year and the kids love cheering.”

Longley’s husband and two daughters, ages 6 and 3, were up early to cheer her on.

Canton’s Lauren Longley won the Lobster Loop for the first time on Sunday. More photos from the race

Longley is the fifth woman from Canton to win the race. Kasey Charron was the most recent winner from Canton in 2021.

The first Canton runner to cross the line was Greg Vincent, who finished fifth in 18:59. The last Canton runner to win the race was Matt DeMarco in 2018.

Leduc is just the fifth runner to win the race three or more times. Marc Robaczynski won the race eight times, most recently in 2014, while Mary-Lynn Currier won the woman’s race eight times. Sue (Richardson) Mantie won the women’s race three times while Farmington’s Chris Chisholm won the overall race three times which his last win in 2013.

32nd annual Lobster Loop
At Canton
Overall: Mike Leduc, Westport, 15:59 for 3.1 miles, 2. Caleb Davis, Simsbury 16:43, 3. Solomon Davis, Simsbury, 17:11, 4. Andrew Raymond, Simsbury, 17:51, 5. Greg Vincent, Canton, 18:59, 6. Tim Brodeur, 19:02, 7. Ethan Lindquist, Canton, 19:37, 8. Jeffrey McDermott, Farmington, 19:45, 9. Trevor Kryzek, Canton, 19:45, 10. Lauren Longley, Canton, 20:04, 11. Derek Dobosz, Chicopee, Mass., 20:08, 12. David Grabowski, Canton, 20:08, 13. Dan Podelsa, Stamford, 20:20, 14. Will Vincent, Canton 20:20, 15. George Mastrogiannis, Canton, 20:22
Top 10 women: 1. Lauren Longley (10th overall), Canton 20:04 for 3.1 miles, 2. Sarah Saindon (17), Avon, 20:26, 3. Lindsay Willig (26), Canton, 21:01, 4. Abby Van Hoof (31), Avon, 21:39, 5. Juliana Cavanaugh (32), Canton, 21:42, 6. Laura Funderburk (34), Avon, 22:02, 7. Ella Godbout (42), Avon 22:44, 8. Ying Ying Cheng (43), Avon, 22:45, 9. Kristen Vaughan (50), East Hartford, 23:04, 10. Christie Kania (56), Avon, 23:21
There were 453 finishers in the race
2024 Lobster Loop road race results

More than 450 runners finished the 32nd annual Lobster Loop road race Sunday in Canton. More photos from the race