Brittany Hyde (Spark Cycling Studio), Kelsey Bisson (Coastal Performance), Annemarie Albiston (Adaptive Outdoor Education Center), Lisa Guerette (The Brent + Lisa Team at Portside Real Estate Group), Jamie Dorr (Midcoast Youth Center) and Brent Sawyer (The Brent + Lisa Team at Portside Real Estate Group) show off the funds raised from a joint event on Sept. 29. Courtesy of Spark Cycling Studio

Spark Cycling Studio, Coastal Performance Training Center and the Brent + Lisa Real Estate Team partnered on Sept. 29 for the fourth annual U-PICK 5K or Spin, a twist on the classic road race. The event raised over $11,000 for the Midcoast Youth Center and the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center.

The unique event allowed participants to choose either the 5K road race hosted by Coastal Performance or an outside spin class led by Spark Cycling. The events happened simultaneously, creating an atmosphere that was both fun and different than a typical road race.

“Having run 5Ks and 10Ks in the past, I knew that I liked to be a part of that experience. The energy is so high, it’s just a great feeling,” Brittany Hyde, owner and founder of Spark Cycling, said in a prepared release. “But I’ve never enjoyed running and thought there was a way to make an event that gave participants additional ways to be involved that were still athletic but not necessarily running.”

When Hyde, a longtime client at Coastal Performance, and Kelsey Bisson, head performance coach of the facility, were approached by Brent Sawyer of Portside Real Estate Group in 2021, the joint fundraiser event was born.

Over four years, the event has grown with fundraising efforts totaling over $26,000.

The beneficiaries serve their direct communities and beyond. The Midcoast Youth Center, located in Bath, focuses on fostering supportive and safe spaces, running programming for teens and adults that includes meal trains, group dinners, homework help and, at its core, a space for people to go and find community. In 2021, the center opened an indoor skate park, the largest in the state at 6,000 feet.

Founded by Bruce and Annemarie Albiston, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center, located in Brunswick and Carrabassett Valley, works “to enhance the quality of life for all people with disabilities through adaptive recreation and education programs.” Its programming includes everything from downhill skiing and sailing, to art and music. With locations in two parts of the state and programming up and down the coast, the center’s presence is strong within the physically and intellectually disabled community. One of the two Albistons attend the event each year with the other running programming up north. In 2022, a tradition was born with AOEC participants creating handmade medals for the runners and riders.

“Our folks have greatly benefited from this event and the generosity from all of [the organizers] and the sponsors and the participants,” Annemarie said. “We are so grateful! [AOEC participants] love making the medals. It brought me to tears (happy tears) when one of the riders said that she still had her medal from last year.”

“Outside of raising money for these amazing organizations, our goal is to bring the community together,” Bisson said. “Between the other hosts, our local sponsors and the participants, I am humbled by our outcome year after year. It has been such a treat to see this event grow!”