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

Lottery registration ongoing for 1,500 remaining slots in popular TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K, one of the top races on U.S. circuit

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (March 13, 2010) – 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, visit http://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 N.A., which operates as TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, and is one of the 15 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation's mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Bank operates, having made over $56 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The efforts of the Foundation are coordinated locally through TD Bank's community relations departments and are focused on the areas of affordable housing, education and financial literacy, and the environment. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including an online grant application, is available at www.tdbank.com.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the United States with $152 billion in assets, and provides customers with a full range of financial products and services at more than 1,000 convenient locations from Maine to Florida. TD Bank, N.A., is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. TD Bank is a trade name of TD Bank, N.A. For more information, visit www.tdbank.com.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: TD) of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America and one of the few banks in the world rated Aaa by Moody's.

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Here is more information about the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race