March 13, 2010 | Jason Wolfe | Wolfe PR

Online Registration for 2010 TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Closes Saturday, New Lottery Phase Underway

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine – Online registration for the Aug. 7 TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race quickly filled Saturday morning, and those still looking for a spot in the race began registering for a new lottery system.

Runners now have until midnight on Sunday, March 21 to register for one of the 1,500 remaining slots available through a lottery, which will be drawn on March 22. Runners can sign up for the lottery at the race website, http://beach2beacon.org.

Race organizers implemented a new, three-phase registration process for the 2010 race. The new format combined the previous first-come/first-serve only online process with a bib lottery system and an accommodation for runners in the host community of Cape Elizabeth as well as runners who have participated in each of the previous 12 races.

Cape Elizabeth residents, given a 24-hour window to fill 600 slots online, reached the cap within 21 minutes on Friday morning. The remaining 4,000 spaces were allotted to the general public beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. By 8:32 a.m., all 4,000 slots had been filled and the traditional phase of online registration ended. Race organizers planned to notify persons who got into the race by e-mail Saturday afternoon and post their names at the race website by Monday afternoon. Those who did not get in were re-directed to the lottery registration process.

Lottery entrants are limited to one online entry, but can include up to two registrants in that entry. Entrants will be charged a per-registrant lottery fee of $5. The lottery drawing will occur on Monday, March 22. Runners who get into the race via the lottery will be notified by e-mail and their names will be posted on the race website on March 22.

Race beneficiaries, sponsors, elite athletes and runners who have taken part in all 12 past races will register online beginning March 23.

Race organizers will accept 7,000 registrations in all, again targeting a race day field of 6,000. The race has doubled in size since it debuted in 1998 with a race day field of 3,000.

The new process was developed after all 6,840 entrants in the 2009 race were sent an e-mail inviting them to take part in a survey. Race organizers also received input from the community and persons visiting the website in August were also invited to participate in the survey.

The TD Bank Beach to Beacon is one of Maine’s premiere sporting events and one of the most popular events on the U.S. road race circuit. The race draws runners from throughout the region and the world to the picturesque coastal community of Cape Elizabeth. Thousands of spectators cheer on the runners along the scenic course and at the finish, and more than 800 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth, winds past breathtaking ocean vistas, and ends in Fort Williams Park at the historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

More than $60,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. For more information, visithttp://beach2beacon.org.

TD Bank is the title sponsor of the race founded by Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, considered Maine’s most admired athlete. The beneficiary of this year’s race is Junior Achievement of Maine, Inc. (JA) ( http://maine.ja.org ), a non-profit organization providing economic education programs that help inspire Maine children to develop the skills, attitudes and behaviors of success in a global economy. Offered in more than 100 schools across the state, JA programs reached almost 9,000 Maine students in 2009.

TD Bank, through the TD Charitable Foundation, will provide a cash donation of $30,000 to JA of Maine. The organization also will benefit from fundraising activities and publicity through its association with one of Maine’s premiere sporting events


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.