CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — A man from Cape Elizabeth is ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K by continuing his streak of both running and volunteering in every race since its inception.
Brent Graham is considered a legacy runner and legacy volunteer, and had some of the same school teachers as race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson.
"I love it. It's my favorite week of the year," Graham said.
The Cape native said it's a chance to welcome old friends and runners of all skill levels from around the world to his hometown.
"The fact that it's my hometown race, I wanted to see it succeed so badly. And I wanted to say, 'I'm a part of this,'" Graham said.
He said his passion for running came from watching the New York City Marathon in the late '90s. His passion for volunteering came from his love of his hometown.
"Without them, we wouldn't have the race. And it's a lot of people doing little things to make the race happen each year. I think we should be thankful for that," Graham said. "We couldn't do it without them."
Legacy runners and volunteers have an unofficial title of "streakers."
"Well, it's a streak, right? Gotta keep it going. Twenty-five years have gone by quickly, and before you know it, we'll be at 50," Graham said.
"That's an incredible feat. That's more than multitasking," said race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson.
He said his quarter century of memories involve much more than the 6.2-mile course.
"It's a legacy for the town and everyone who participates in it. And my kids know it's important to me. And you hope that it'll be important to them down the road to continue that," Samuelson said.