Race founder and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson will run in the iconic TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race when it rolls through Cape Elizabeth on Saturday.
The race, now in its 25th year, was founded in 1998 by Benoit Samuelson to bring a world-class road race to Maine and raise money to support Maine children. The race attracts top athletes from around the globe and features 6,500 runners, more than 800 volunteers and draws thousands of spectators. This year, the 4,500 slots open to the general public were filled two days after registration opened in April.
Benoit Samuelson, who won the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984 and is two-time Boston Marathon champion, runs in the Beach to Beacon every five years.
The 10K race begins in Cape Elizabeth near Crescent Beach State Park on Route 77 and follows Old Ocean House Road, Route 77, passing through Smugglers Cove before finishing in Fort Williams Park with views of Casco Bay at Portland Head Light.
This year’s field of women runners includes two-time Olympic gold medalists Derartu Tulu and Meseret Defar, both of Ethiopia, and numerous other world-champion runners. Top American women include Keira D’Amato of Oakton, Virginia, who set an American marathon record (2:19:12) last year in Houston.
The men’s field includes world U20 champions Addisu Yihune and Muktar Edris of Ethiopia, and Amedework Walelegn, also of Ethiopia, who won the 2023 Seoul Marathon has run the half-marathon in under 60 minutes seven times in the last five years.
The professional athletes will compete for more than $90,000 in prize money, with categories including Open, American-only, Masters, Maine, and wheelchair.
