By Bill Stewart Staff Writer

Temperatures are rising, spring is (finally) here and that can only mean one thing for outdoor enthusiasts.

"It's time to get the running shoes out," said Gary Zane, who is dean of students at Unity College. "If you're not a 12-month runner, it's a way to pull out the sneakers and get back into running shape."

Indeed, the running season, like warmer weather, is here.

Zane is preparing for the 28th annual Unity College Spring 5k, which is scheduled for April 17 at the school's gymnasium at 9:30 a.m.

Registration, which costs $10, begins at 8 a.m.

Zane said he's organized the race since 1995.

"It's low-cost and no frills," he said. "It's also a very fast course. It's mostly downhill or flat."

The race draws an average of 80 runners a year and offers prizes that are often tied in to Earth Day, which is April 22.

"We get a number of students if we can get them out of bed by 9:30," Zane said. "We sometimes give out field guides, and we used to give out a 12-pound salmon but I lost my connection there."

To register contact Gary Zane at gzane@unity.edu, or (207) 948-3131, ext. 241.

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When Patricia Hross formed the Papa's 5k four years ago to honor her late husband Michael, she had one date in mind.

"The first year we tried to do it on St. Patrick's Day because we were both Irish," she said. "And then we had 18 inches of snow on the ground. So the next we put it out a week, then two weeks. We kind of settled into the end of April before all the sports teams get up and running. This seems to work out pretty well for us."

The Papa's 5k is April 24 at Messalonskee High School. The race, which starts at 10 a.m., is run in honor of Michael Hross, a Vietnam veteran and former Oakland police officer who died in August 2005 from a kidney disease.

The proceeds of the race benefit the National Kidney Foundation.

"We get a little bigger every year," Patricia Hross said. "We raised $1,500 last year. It's not a lot, but it's a little something."

The entry fee is $15 before April 20; $20 after that. The race begins and ends at Messalonskee.

"It has a few hills that most people curse about," Hross said with a laugh.

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The second annual Rail Trail half marathon is June 26.

Race coordinator Sarah Dunckel said already 40 people have signed up, meaning the field should top the 82 who ran it last year.

"We had a great response last year," she said. "The general area doesn't have a half marathon and so we put it together."

The race begins at Old Fort Western at 7:30 a.m. and continues down the rail trail into Gardiner. Runners turn around in the Hannaford parking lot before returning to the finish line at the Maine State Housing Authority.

The Friends of the Kennebec Rail Trail added a 5k race this year as well. That race will start at 7:30, too.

"We'll start both races at the same time with chipped starts," Dunckel said. "The expectation last year was that this was going to be an annual race, but we didn't set it in stone. We wanted to make sure we limited it to 100 runners. By limiting to 100 we could do it well. We feel very confident about it being annually now."

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Changes, albeit subtle ones, are coming to the eighth annual Friends on the Fourth 5k, which is July 4 at 8 a.m. at Norcross Point in Winthrop.

For starters, runners will be able to see their times this year for the first time.

"We've added electric timing at the finish line," coordinator Bob Moore said. "We'll display that for the runners."

The race will also feature a national anthem prior to the start. Furthermore, Moore said the race will feature different age splits this year.

"We're going every five years," he said. "We're going 16-19, 20-24, 25-29 and so on. We've almost doubled our categories."

The race last year drew 541 runners. Moore said more than 600 are expected this year.

"We think we can accommodate up to 750-800 before we'd have to think about shuttling," he said. We're in pretty good shape for awhile. I'd love to see us get to 1,000. We hit 500 so it's on to 1,000 now."