CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — The TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race returned to Cape Elizabeth on Saturday, August 6, for the first time since 2019. After two years away because of the pandemic, participants were clearly excited to be back in person for this iconic race.
More than 7,500 people, ranging from five to 88 years old, laced up their sneakers for the 10K. They included Mainers, out-of-staters, and even people from 12 different countries. They all took on the course from Crescent Beach State Park to the historic Portland Head Light in heat and humidity while keeping a good attitude.
"I honestly was hoping to break the record, the course record for the men's wheelchair division. I was a bit short of it!" Hermi Garic from New York said. He was the first person to cross the finish line in his category.
"It was kind of humid, and we had a little of that headwind at the start and throughout the course, but it was awesome! [It was] awesome to be back!" Garic said.
Maine native Emily Durgin also returned to the course.
"My goal was just to be competitive, to be in the front group," Durgin said. "I didn't think I was going to be leading the race. I thought there were going to be some other ladies that took it out fast, but it was a really hot day, so I think everyone was like, 'Let's conserve the energy,' so I was kind of pushing the pace from the beginning."
Durgin crossed the finish line in second place for the women's elite division.
"Second place at Beach to Beacon? First American? [I'm] pretty happy with it!" Durgin said.
21-year-old Sam Mills of Biddeford took part in the elite runners' category for the first time. He was the top Mainer in the race.
"I run for the University of Maine, so I always come into this race at the end of a long summer of training," Mills said. "[I] get to see where I'm at and kind of join the rest of the Maine running community."
You can view an entire list of race results here. The TD Beach to Beacon 10K top finishers are as follows:
Top Finishers: Men
- Matthew Kimeli (28:39)
- Athanas Kioko (28:59)
- Abbabiya Simbassa (29:01)
- Emmanuel Bor (29:21)
- Zouhair Talbi (29:25)
- Jerrel Mock (29:33)
- Colin Bennie (29:38)
- Brian Shrader (30:05)
- Noah Droddy (30:23)
- Leakey Karoney (30:36)
Top Finishers: Women
- Fentyea Belayneh (32:07)
- Emily Durgin (32:16)
- Biruktayit Degefa (32:39)
- Amy Davis (32:53)
- Rachel Smith (32:56)
- Zenahjemutai Jemtai Yego (33:18)
- Marielle Hall (33:19)
- Nell Rojas (33:36)
- Miki Hirai (34:16)
- Erika Kemp (34:17)
Top Finishers: Wheelchairs (men)
- Hermin Garic (23:11)
- Jason Robinson (28:17)
Top Finishers: Wheelchairs (women)
- Yen Hoang (26:51)
- Hannah Babalola (32:41)
- Sidney Knox (1:06:23)
The road race was made possible thanks to more than 800 general volunteers and 100 medical volunteers.
This year's beneficiary was the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness which focuses on providing disabilities awareness programs in Maine schools. The center is getting more than $70,000 as a result of this event. That money will help almost 20 percent of Maine students with a disability.