Maine’s crown jewel of road racing will welcome back its defending champions this summer.
The TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K is bringing back reigning champs Ed Muge and Edith Masai, both of Kenya, for the Aug. 1 race in Cape Elizabeth.
Muge won his first Beach to Beacon title in dramatic fashion last summer, using a final sprint to win in 27 minutes, 52 seconds.
He’ll likely need a faster time to keep his title, however, with a talented field hungry to knock him off his pedestal.
That field includes Evans Cheryiout of Kenya, who finished second in the 2007 Beach to Beacon. Cheryiout has been testing marathons of late, and the 2008 Chicago Marathon champ has developed into one of the world’s best at the 26.2-mile distance.
Another favorite is James Kwambai, also of Kenya, who clocked the third fastest marathon of all time at 2:04.26.7 earlier this year in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, overtaking Duncan Kibet.
Other men’s contenders for the Beach to Beacon include Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya, who has a 10K personal-best of 27:46 and finished fourth at the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta over the weekend, and Gashu Ibrahinm Jelian of Ethiopia, a world junior champion at 10,000 meters who has run 27:02 on the track.
On the women’s side, the 42-year-old Masai proved last year that age has no boundaries in the sport of running, by beating a number of elite women half her age.
She’ll be challenged by Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya, the world’s sixth-ranked female runner, who already has five major road racing victories this season.
Chepkurui, 21, has wins at Peachtree in 31:31, the fifth fastest 10K time in the world so far this year, along with the Lilac Bloomsday 12K, Bay to Breakers 12K, Cherry Blossom 10K and Crescent City 10K.
Other challengers include Ukrainian Nataliya Berkut, a two-time Olympian who ran to second at the 2007 Beach to Beacon; Jane Gathoni of Kenya, who was fifth here last summer, and Tatyana Arasova of Russia, a 10K finalist at the Beijing Olympics.
Elite Athlete coordinator Larry Barthlow is also hoping to add Mariya Konovolava of Russia to the field. She was fifth in the 10K in Beijing.
The 30 or so elite runners will be joined by Maine’s top road racers and thousands of recreational runners who were fortunate enough to gain entry into the 6,000-runner field, which filled in one hour, 45 minutes.
Changes abound in track
When the high school track and field season comes running next winter, there will be some notable rules changes.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, several rule changes affecting a few events will go into effect starting next season.
The most notable is in the hurdles, as officials will no longer have to interpret the intent of hurdlers who knock over a hurdle during a race.
Athletes must still attempt to clear the hurdle, but won’t be penalized for knocking the hurdle down with his or her foot.
In the past, knocking down hurdles could result in disqualification, but won’t any more with Rule 5-13-2b changing.
A couple of changes will be implemented in the vertical jumping events, the pole vault and high jump.
In the high jump, a modification to Rule 7-2-11 now allows the use of previously prohibited bungee cords in place of the bar during warm-ups.
Bungee cords are traditionally used in practice for training purposes.
The bungee cords, however, must be approved by the games committee and must be manufactured specifically for track and field purposes.
Additionally, they may only be used if the high jump’s standards are able to accommodate them.
A change which affects pole vaulters is a modification to Rule 7-5-29g regarding fouls. In the past, an athlete was given a foul even when the uprights on the standards were positioned incorrectly by officials, but that will no longer be the case.
Run for the Sun on tap
The second annual Run for the Sun 5K race is scheduled for next July 18 in Brunswick.
The race, which benefits the Cathance River Education Alliance, goes off at 9 a.m. on the Brunswick Town Mall.
The race’s beneficiary is a nonprofit organization that manages the 235-acre Cathance River Preserve in Tospham. Last year’s race raised more than $1,000 to help sponsor environmental education in local schools and multiple student-led sustainability initiatives.
Runners wanting to register may do so online at www.active.com or contact race director Maddie Purcell at runforthesun5K@gmail.com.
rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net
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