FACT SHEET: Sixth Annual Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race 2003

Date of Race:
Saturday, August 2, 2003

Title Sponsor:
Peoples Heritage Bank

Distance:
10 kilometers (6.2 miles)

Size of Field:
5,000

Mission of Race:
"Peoples Promise: Shining the Light for Maine Youth" is part of the bank's pledge to support and benefit young people in Maine. As a result, proceeds from the race go to a different children's charity each year. Opportunity Farm was the 2002 beneficiary.

2003 Youth Beneficiary:
Seeds of Peace brings together youth from troubled regions of the world ö Israelis and Arabs, Turks and Greeks ö to co-exist in a summer camp in western Maine as a way to dispel the hatred and misconceptions that divide them. For the past three years, Seeds of Peace has included sessions for local and immigrant teens from Portland ö the organization's first effort to apply its methods of conflict resolution directly to an American contingent.

History:
Peoples Heritage Bank and Joan Benoit Samuelson, a 1984 Olympic Gold Medallist marathoner from Maine, founded the race in 1998 as a way to support Maine children by creating a world-class event for the state. The race draws elite athletes from all over the world, as well as top Maine and New England runners. About 900 local volunteers help run the race, and more than 10,000 spectators line the course.

Races:
10K Wheelchair division at 8 a.m.; runners at 8:05 a.m.; and children's 1K race begins at 9:30 a.m.

Purse:
More than $50,000 in prize money


Race Director:
Dave McGillivray, Sports Enterprises, Inc. (DMSE)

Start/Finish:
Picturesque 6.2-mile course from Crescent Beach to the lighthouse at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth.

Registration:
Printed applications will be available in the spring at any Peoples Heritage Bank branch in Maine. Runners also can register online before then at the race's web site address, www.beach2beacon.org, the bank's site at www.peoplesheritage.com, or by calling 888-480-6940.