July 14, 2017 | Jason Wolfe | Wolfe PR

Oakhurst Dairy Expands Role by Sponsoring Both the B2B High School Mile and Kids Fun Run on the Eve of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (July 13, 2017) – Longtime TD Beach to Beacon 10K sponsor Oakhurst Dairy is expanding its role this year by presenting both youth-focused events – the B2B High School Mile and the Kids Fun Run – in Fort Williams on the eve of the 10K race, race organizers announced Thursday.

Oakhurst Logo Natural

“With last year’s successful launch of the B2B High School Mile, pre-race Friday at the Fort has become a showcase for promoting the health and achievements of Maine youth of all ages,” said Race President Mike Stone. “ Oakhurst Dairy has long supported the Kids Fun Run, so seeing them add the high school mile this year is so gratifying as it’s a natural fit and will take the level of excitement and enthusiasm for both events even higher. Oakie the Oakhurst Acorn is going to have a busy day!”

Over the last 25 years, Oakhurst has been recognized as a state leader in sustainability initiatives, many of which have been adopted by other dairies and related industries. To bring new life to its company sustainability efforts, Oakhurst has renamed its program Small Footprints and is sharing it with families for the first time at the TD Beach to Beacon.

“We are excited to have a much bigger role at the TD Beach to Beacon this year and have the opportunity to engage in a new way with young families and all the amazing high school milers in our state” said John Bennett, Oakhurst President. “As a company that represents ‘The Natural Goodness of Maine’, we are concerned about what the world will look like for our children and for future generations. We want to lead by example and actively support healthy active kids while reinforcing our commitment to leave the planet a healthier, happier place for them.”

Maine’s beloved local milk company is planning a range of fun activities for families participating in the youth-focused race events. Oakhurst will have an “I Run with Small Footprints” booth set up both at the pre-race Expo located at Cape Elizabeth High School and at Fort Williams. In addition to picking up their race bibs, Oakhurst will encourage children and their families to join them in doing good for the environment. Every child who makes the Small Footprints pledge will receive a limited-edition Oakhurst Small Footprints T-shirt.

Besides running the Kids Fun Run alongside Oakie, the little racers will also use their feet to create a large-scale art project designed to illustrate that all who run with small footprints can make a big difference. Following the Kids Fun Run, racers and their siblings will paint their feet and run across the enormous Oakhurst I Run with Small Footprints canvas, which will hang at the dairy’s Forest Avenue headquarters and be used at family-focused events throughout the year. Oakhurst also will be passing out thousands of half pints of free chocolate milk – one of nature’s best exercise refueling beverages – at both youth events on Friday as well as to all 10K runners on Saturday.

Race organizers also announced that outdoor retailer L.L.Bean , the longtime sponsor of race awards, will again provide a $10 gift card to all TD Beach to Beacon runners during the bib and t-shirt pickup at the Expo.

In addition, Maine Magazine , one of the race’s new Corporate Partners, is producing a special full-length edition dedicated solely to the 20 th running of the TD Beach to Beacon. The magazine, complete with stories, photos and information tracing the history of the event, will be offered free to all registered runners and volunteers as a keepsake.

L.L. Bean and Maine Magazine are part of a group of Corporate Partners responsible for the ongoing success of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, which is set for Saturday, Aug. 5, along the picturesque shoreline of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Corporate Partners who have been with the TD Beach to Beacon over its entire 20-year history include title sponsor TD Bank as well as Nike Hannaford Poland Spring andMaineHealth . Other long-time Corporate Partners include IDEXX WCSH6 Northeast Delta Dental and Olympia Sports . Maine Magazine is new this year.

“The generosity and commitment from these companies has enabled us to continue to stage a world-class road race in the state of Maine,” said Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic Gold Medalist who founded the TD Beach to Beacon. “Like the elite athletes we attract each year, our sponsors include some of the most recognizable and trusted names in Maine, the region and around the world. The stature of our race would not be maintained without the continued support we receive from each one of them. We can’t thank them enough.”

Other sponsor initiatives related to the 2017 race include:

  • Shipyard Brewing has released a limited-edition, commemorative Export Ale can that celebrates the 20 th running of the race, the athletes, visitors, volunteers and the state of Maine.
  • WCSH6 will look back at the TD Beach to Beacon in a special 30-minute broadcast on the eve of the 20 th running on Friday night (Aug. 4).
  • Dunkin’ Donuts , in partnership with their local franchise owners, will again provide the prize money for the American-only runner category, which debuted in 2015. The lure of a $23,000 purse each year now attracts many of the top American distance runners to the international road race. Dunkin’ Donuts also will give $3 gift cards to all volunteers and registered runners again this year.
  • TD Bank has created a special car magnet commemorating the 20 th running.
  • For the first time in race history, Nike will provide all runners with a tech shirt (made of recycled plastic) in a color other than white. Nike also is giving a hat with the race logo to all legacy runners, and a special pair of running shoes to each member of the race’s Organizing Committee.

Below is the complete list of 2017 sponsors who help make the TD Beach to Beacon possible:

Corporate Partners 
TD Bank – Title Sponsor (since year one)
Nike – Official Race and Volunteer Apparel Sponsor (since year one)
Hannaford – Official Training Sponsor (since year one)
Poland Spring – Official Water Sponsor (since year one)
MaineHealth – Official Medical Partner (since year one)
L.L. Bean – Title Sponsor of Race Awards (since year one)
IDEXX – Official Business to Business Challenge Sponsor (returning sponsor)
Northeast Delta Dental – Title Sponsor of Maine Challenge Division & Course Record Bonuses (returning sponsor)
WCSH6 TV – Official Media Sponsor (returning sponsor)
Olympia Sports – Official Sporting Goods Retailer (returning sponsor)
Maine Magazine (new sponsor)

Prize Money Sponsors 
TD Bank – Top 10 Men and Women (since year one)
UNUM – Title Sponsor of the Wheelchair Division (since year one)
Dunkin Donuts – American Prize Money (returning sponsor)
Northeast Delta Dental – Maine Resident Men and Women & Course Record Bonuses (returning sponsor)
Thos. Moser – Keepsake Beacon Boxes as Awards for Category Winners (returning sponsor)

Race Supporting Sponsors 
Courtyard Marriott Portland Downtown/Waterfront – Hospitality Sponsor (returning sponsor)
Oakhurst Dairy – Kids Fun Run, B2B High School Mile & Dairy Sponsor (since year one)
ON Semiconductor – Supporting Sponsor of Sustainability Program (returning sponsor)
Spectrum Medical Group – Volunteer Sponsor (returning sponsor)
MEMIC (Maine Employer’s Mutual Insurance Company) – Safety Sponsor (returning sponsor)
Shipyard Brewing Co. (since year one)
WEX (returning sponsor)
AAA Northern New England (returning sponsor)
Anthem BlueCross BlueShield (returning sponsor)
Norman Hanson & DeTroy (returning sponsor)
Barber Foods – AdvancePierre (returning sponsor)
Cabot Cheese (returning sponsor)
Clif Bar/Luna Bar (returning sponsor)
Holden Agency (returning sponsor)
Leavitt and Parris (returning sponsor)
MacPage (returning sponsor)
Moody’s Collision (new sponsor)
Ocean House Real Estate (returning sponsor)
Perkins Thompson (returning sponsor)
Pine State Beverage Company (returning sponsor)
Pizza Joint (returning sponsor)
Seafax (since year one)
Terra Cotta Pasta (returning sponsor)
University of New England (new sponsor)
Vessel Services, Inc. (returning sponsor)
Yankee Ford – Official Vehicle Sponsor (returning sponsor)

The 2017 beneficiary, Let’s Go!, is a nationally recognized program of The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center focused on increasing physical activity and healthy eating for children from birth to age 18. Let’s Go! ( www.letsgo.org ) will receive a $30,000 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, and further benefit from fundraising and publicity connected to the race.

The TD Beach to Beacon 10K was founded in 1998 by Joan Benoit Samuelson, an Olympic gold medalist and worldwide running icon who grew up in Cape Elizabeth. Today the race attracts a large contingent of world-class elite athletes in the U.S. and around the globe as well as top runners in Maine and New England to compete for more than $90,000 in prize money. In 2016, 6,336 runners from 15 countries, 43 states and more than 265 Maine cities and towns finished the winding, rolling, often breathtaking 6.2-mile coastal course.

The TD Beach to Beacon is directed by Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports , who also serves as race director of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon.
For additional information about the race, visit b2bdevelopment.wpengine.com, and find the TD Beach to Beacon on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

About Oakhurst 
Oakhurst is Northern New England’s leading dairy brand and has stood behind every glass of milk and product for 96 years. While the FDA states there is no significant difference between milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormone, Oakhurst made history in 2003 when it asked its milk producers to take America’s First Farmer’s pledge not to use artificial growth hormone. Today, Oakhurst remains committed to the wellbeing of its community by contributing to local organizations that support healthy active kids and a healthy environment. The company produces milk and other dairy and juice products from its headquarters on Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine. In January 2014, Oakhurst became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, a dairy farmer-owned cooperative based in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.oakhurstdairy.com .



About The TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $199 million and more than 19,400 grants through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including the online grant application, is available at TDBank.com.

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ®


   TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. 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.TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In management services through TD Wealth ®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.