Alex Korio and Joyciline Jepkosgei, both of Kenya, swept the men’s and women’s divisions,respectively,in the 22ndannual TD Beach to Beacon. Clear skies and low humiditycreated favorablerunning conditions for Maine’s largest road race, which included 6,500+runners.The field included more than 30elite athletes, some of whom are Olympic hopefuls.
Alex Korio, 28, of Kenya (27:34) dominated the race from the start, staying with a lead pack that included elites Jairus Kipchoge-Birech, 26,of Kenya (28:28), Bashir Abdi, 30, of Belgium (28:35), and Brett Robinson, 28, of Australia (28:43) – a group that ran about 50 meters ahead of the rest of the pack at times. Korio broke away early on and cruised to a strong finish, nearly one minute ahead of runner-up Kipchoge-Birech. 2020 Olympic hopefuls Abdi and Robinson finished third and fourth, respectively.
Joyciline Jepkosgei, 25,of Kenya (31:05) was the women’s elite champion, running even with fellow Kenyan and defending women’s champion Sandrafelis Chebet-Tuei, 21, (31:37) early in the raceuntil the turn on Old Ocean House Road, where Jepkosgei took the lead.She cameclose to beating the current course record of 30:41.Charlotte Purdue, 28, of the UK (32:17) finished third.
The top American woman finisher overall was Emily Infield, 29, of Portland, Oregon, with a time of 32:39, who recently recovered from hip surgery and had not run a 10K since 2017. Olympic favorite Scott Fauble, 27, (28:58) was the top American men’s finisher.
In a race that draws Maine’s top road racers, theMaine Resident men’s and women’s division featured new champions this year. Among the men, Dan Curts, 23, of Ellsworth(29:26)finished first, followed by 2018 champion Ryan Smith, 24,of Farmington (30:27), and Will Geoghegan, 27,of Brunswick (30:47).
Sofie Matson, 16,of Falmouth, the top high school runner in Maine, was Maine’s first women’s finisher with a time of 36:01. Corey Dowe, 26, of Farmington (36:34) and Heather Gallant, 38,of Wayne (36:58) finished second and third, respectively.
In the Wheelchair Division, 12-time winner Tony Nogueira, 51, from Glen Ridge, New Jersey, was the 2019 men’s championwith a time of 22:51. Michelle Wheeler, 32, of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania(30:25), claimed the women’s title.
Other winners included Masters Division men’s champion Abdi Abdirahman,40, of the US, (29:20) and women’s champion Dawn Grunnagle, 41, of Dallas, TX, 35:10; and senior division top finisher Robert Ashby, 51, of Brunswick (35:19) and Karolyn Bowley, 50, from Middletown, RI (36:43).
In the Maine Masters men’s division, Michael Gordon, 40 of Portland (32:29). Sheri Piers, 48, of Falmouth is the Maine Masters women’s division champion (36:59).
An Iconic Maine Road Race: Maine native and running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984, founded the TD Beach to Beacon to realize her vision of creating a major international road race in her home state. The route follows the same coastal roads that the unassuming Samuelson trained on in Cape Elizabeth. With her reputation, plus top-notch organization and strong community support, the TD Beach to Beach is known and appreciated as a world-class event with small-town charm.
In 2018, 6,526 runners from 19 countries, 43states and more than 270 Maine cities and towns finished the race. Thousands of spectators cheered runners along the route and at the finish. The race debuted in 1998 with 2,408 finishers.
The elite athletes competed for more than $90,000 in prize money, with $10,000 awarded tothe winners in the men’s and women’s open races and payouts to the top 10 runners overall, courtesy of title sponsor TD Bank. Also included is a $23,000 purse for American men and women, sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts, split evenly among the top five American men and women with a $5,000 top prize.
Local Support Makes TD Beach to Beacon 10K a Success: The TD Beach to Beacon10K is overseen by its 60-member volunteer Organizing Committee, led by Race President David Backer. Local residents from all walks of life, plus police, fire, medical and municipal officials serve on the committee to plan the event. Maya Cohen of Cape Elizabeth coordinates themore than 800volunteers who are central to the success of the race.
Local residents also open up their homes for the elite athletes as part of a “home-stay” program that is second to none. In addition, the Town of Cape Elizabeth is especially helpful – providing police, fire and emergency services and staff to help ensure the event runs smoothly.
The TD Beach to Beacon also has a long history of commitment to the environment with a focus on recycling, reuse and eco-friendly activities. In 2016, the race achieved Evergreen Certification, becoming the first major road race of its size in North America – and only the sixth event ever worldwide – to earn the distinction from the Council for Responsible Sport, which conducted a rigorous review of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K environmental and social sustainability programs. The TD Beach to Beacon is aiming to secure Evergreen status again in 2019.
The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77, winds along tree-lined streets and past breathtaking ocean vistas and ends in Fort Williams Park at the historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.
Along with the $90,000 in prize money awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women, a separate $30,000 donation is provided each year by the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, to a local charity. This year the race beneficiary is The Telling Room.
The Telling Room, a nonprofit organization that believes the power of creative expression can change communities and prepare youth for future success by building confidence, strengthening literacy skills, and providing real audiences for their students. The Telling Room (www.tellingroom.org) will receive a $30,000 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, and also benefit from fundraising and publicity connected to the race.
In addition to TD Bank, the title and lead prize money sponsor, other corporate partners who help make theTD Beach to Beacon possible areNike, Hannaford, Poland Spring, MaineHealth, IDEXX, Northeast Delta Dental, L.L.Bean, NEWS CENTER Maine, Olympia Sports, ON Semiconductor, Spectrum Health Partners and Unum.
For additional information about the race, visit www.beach2beacon.org,
and find the TD Beach to Beacon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the TD Charitable Foundation: The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $199 million and more than 19,400 grants through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including the online grant application, is available at TDBank.com.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®: TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In management services through TD Wealth ®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBankand on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD BankGroup and a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.
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