CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine, July 25, 2024 — An exciting field of world-class runners will headline the 26th running of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K on Saturday, August 3.
The professional athletes will compete for more than $90,000 in prize money. The winners in the men’s and women’s open races each receive $10,000 and there are awards for the top 10 runners overall, courtesy of title sponsor TD Bank.
Note: List of professional athletes scheduled to participate is accurate as of July 25, 2024, but is subject to change up until race day.
Women’s race stacked with talent
Among the women to watch this year is Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, a six-time Olympic medalist, including three gold medals, and five-time world champion. After taking some time off to raise her family, she is back and ready to contend for the win. Two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya finished third at the 2024 Boston Marathon this year and is expected to be a contender again after running the TD Beach to Beacon 10K in 2023. She is joined by her countrywomen Cintia Chepngeno, who won the masters 10K at the Sixth African Cross-Country Championships in Tunisia in February and Faith Chepkoech, who won the 10K Facsa Castellon in Spain and placed second in the 10,000 meters at the Kenyan Championships earlier this year. Japan’s Miki Hirai, who ran her personal best 10K at the TD Beach to Beacon in 2022 (34:16), rounds out the international field.
Don’t count out the Americans, including Maine natives Emily Durgin and Rachel Smith. Durgin finished second at the 2022 TD Beach to Beacon 10K by nine seconds and has three top-10 finishes at the 10K distance this year. Smith, two-time NACAC and one-time national champion, represented Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Other American women running in their first TD Beach to Beacon 10K include Aubrey Frentheway, four-time All-American at BYU and WCC Women’s Cross Country individual champion; Jenny Simpson, Olympic bronze medalist and one-time world champion, who had a top 20 finish at this year’s Boston Marathon; and Laura Thweatt, who has four top-eight finishes at major marathons.
Men’s field includes former TD Beach to Beacon champion, several exciting newcomers
Mathew Kimeli of Kenya, who won the 2022 TD Beach to Beacon 10K in steamy conditions, returns to take another shot at the title. He’ll be challenged by a very competitive field, including fellow Kenyan Peter Mwaniki Aila, who has won two international 10K road races already this year and set a personal best (26:59) at the distance in Valencia, Spain in January. Gebresilase Tadese Worku of Ethiopia, a one-time World U20 champion and one-time national champion, has been running well this season and won the 10K Facsa Castellon in Spain earlier this year. Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco, one-time All-African Games silver medalist and World Military Games winner will also compete this year in the TDB2B10K.
American Drew Hunter looks to be a contender this year in his first TD Beach to Beacon 10K appearance. Hunter, one-time National Indoor champion, placed first in the 10,000 meters earlier this year in San Juan Capistrano, CA with a personal best (27:38) and fourth in the U.S. Olympic Team trials in June. Other Americans expected to compete for the first time include Parker Stinson, one-time Pan American U20 champion; and Joseph Trojan, who has had several top-10 finishes this year, including the Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree 10K Road Race. Rounding out the American field are Futsum Zienselassie, who has top-15 finishes at 5000m, 10,000m and marathon distances this year, Anthony Camerieri, who finished eighth at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Richmond, Virginia in January with a 10K time of 29:34.8.
Strong local field expected to compete for top Maine male and female finishers
The annual competition for top Maine finishers is going to be exciting this year, with a strong roster of men and women competing for local bragging rights. Defending champion Ruth White of Orono is the early favorite, but she will have some tough competition from high schooler Teanne Ewings, who was this year’s varsity Maine Girls’ Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and recently ran a 4:51 mile in Caribou. Other Maine women to watch include Alexis Wilbert of Cumberland, Veronica Graziano of Falmouth, and Michaela Spannaus of Portland.
The deep and talented Maine men’s field is led by defending champion and Cape Elizabeth’s own Matt Rand. He will be tested by Luke Marsanskis of Cumberland, who earlier this year broke the UMaine men’s outdoor track 5K record. Jesse Orach of Auburn, Aaron Willingham of Portland and Ryan Jara of Gorham will look to play spoiler on what should be an exciting race.
TD Beach to Beacon celebrates 40th anniversary of inaugural Olympic women’s marathon as Paris Olympics approach
Four decades ago, Maine native and running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson became the first woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in the women’s marathon, which debuted at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. This year, host city Paris plans to showcase the performance of women athletes by making the women’s marathon the final, culminating event of the 2024 Olympic Games, a spot of honor traditionally held by the men’s marathon.
Several runners competing in the Paris Olympics are alumni of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, including last year’s champion, Hellen Obiri of Kenya. Obiri is one of the sport’s most highly decorated women, with two world championships, two Olympic silver medals, and three first place marathon finishes, including back-to-back Boston Marathon titles in 2023 and 2024.
Fiona O’Keeffe, Connor Mantz, and Emily Sisson will all represent Team USA in Paris next month. O’Keeffe and Mantz both competed in the TD Beach to Beacon in 2023 and set personal bests in the 10K there, with Mantz placing second overall. Sisson ran TD Beach to Beacon in 2016, placing fourth overall, and 2018, earlier this year she placed second in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials marathon.
Bashir Abdi of Belgium, who finished second at the 2019 TD Beach to Beacon, has earned medals in the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships. Ethiopian runner Foyten Tesfay, who has posted several top-three performances at difference distances this year, took second place at the 2023 TD Beach to Beacon. Charlotte Purdue of Great Britain, a one-time European U20 Championships silver medalist, placed third when she ran the TD Beach to Beacon 10K in 2019.
Maine native and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson founded the TD Beach to Beacon 10K to realize her vision of creating a major international road race in her home state. The route follows the same coastal roads Samuelson trained on in Cape Elizabeth. Her reputation, combined with a top-notch organization and strong community support, have earned TD Beach to Beacon recognition as a world-class event with small-town charm.
***Press Conference to meet all the Pro Athletes will take place Friday, August 2nd at 11 a.m. at the Media Tent in Fort Williams Park***
***Celebration Film Night to celebrate Joan Benoit Samuelson’s 40th anniversary of her Olympic Gold victory to take place Thursday, August 1st at 5:30 at Fort Williams Park ***
About the TD Beach to Beacon 10K
The TD Beach to Beacon 10K draws runners from New England and throughout the world to picturesque Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The race begins on Route 77 near the Crescent Beach State Park entrance, winds along tree-lined streets and past breathtaking ocean vistas and ends in Fort Williams Park at historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.With its combined focus on sustainability and charitable donations, the race exemplifies TD Bank’s longstanding commitment to community enrichment through The Ready Commitment, a multi-year platform that actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality, environmental well-being, and health, and increases opportunities for people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Through this platform, TD Bank aspires to create a more inclusive tomorrow — helping people of all backgrounds feel more confident, not just about their finances, but about their ability to achieve their goals.
The iconic event is managed by DMSE Sports of Woburn, Massachusetts. Along with the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, DMSE works with the B.A.A. on managing the Boston Marathon and other high-profile sports events.
For additional information about the race, visit www.beach2beacon.org, and find the TD Beach to Beacon 10K on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10.0 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/TDBank_US/.
TD Bank is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.
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Media Contact:
Angie Helton
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