March 16, 2007

Online Registration Now Available

CAPE ELZABETH, Maine – Online registration has opened for runners entering the popular TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race at b2bdevelopment.wpengine.com.

The special 10th anniversary race will be held Saturday Aug. 4 in coastal Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Race organizers are urging runners to register soon as the race is expected to fill up quickly. Printed entry forms also will be available at all TD Banknorth branches throughout the state of Maine in mid-April.

This year’s race beneficiary is STRIVE, a South Portland based non-profit organization that serves developmentally disabled youth. For more information about STRIVE, visit www.pslstrive.org.

TD Banknorth, through the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation, will provide a cash donation of $30,000. Also, STRIVE, as race beneficiary, will benefit from fundraising activities and publicity.

The field size for the event, one of New England’s marquee road races, is 5,500 runners. Now in its 10th year, race registration is closing earlier and earlier each year. Last year’s race filled in a record 46 days.

The TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon attracts runners from throughout the region and top elite runners from around the world. Last year’s field included runners from 16 countries and 43 states. Thousands of spectators line the course to cheer the runners, and more than 700 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77 in scenic, coastal Cape Elizabeth and ends at the historic and stunning Portland Head lighthouse at Fort Williams Park.

More than $60,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. The event also features a wheelchair division, and a children’s Fun Run with 550 kids participating.

“This is the 10th year for the race, which has grown in size and stature since it began in 1998. It’s a world-class event, thanks to the great volunteers, spectators, runners and elite athletes who come from all over the world to Maine to compete,” said Julie McQuillan, Public Affairs Manager at TD Banknorth, the state’s largest community-based bank. “With a founder like Joan Benoit Samuelson, a race president like Dave Weatherbie and a race director like Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports, who also directs the Boston Marathon, this truly is a special event. We’re happy to be part of it.”

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the race founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic gold medalist from Cape Elizabeth. Maine’s most recognizable athlete, she also serves as a spokesperson for the bank during the year to promote the race and the bank’s giving programs, which benefit Maine youth with scholarships, sponsorship programs and charitable gifts.

For additional info about the race, visit b2bdevelopment.wpengine.com or call the race hotline toll free at (888) 480-6940.