PRESS KIT: Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Story Ideas

Story Ideas

Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race


Host Family Program for the Elites

Families in Cape Elizabeth and other nearby towns serve as host families for elite runners from throughout the world, cooking for the elites and making sure they're comfortable during their brief stay in Maine. Jennifer and Dan DeSena 799-0480 have hosted Catherine Ndereba of Kenya the past two years and have learned cooking tips from her. And Phyllis and Bruce Coggeshall have hosted Johnny Kelley, a legend in the running world - now in his 90's. Or, call Janet Mclaughlin at 799-6190, coordinator of host families, for other names and numbers of host families.

Expo and Registration

This year's Peoples Beach to Beacon registration at the Cape Elizabeth Middle School will feature an Expo of products and services, interactive displays, and a sock exchange/giveaway by Smartwool Socks. Runners who donate the socks they wear to registration will receive a new pair of Smartwool socks for free. Goodwill of Maine (will receive the thousands of pairs of donated socks. Other vendors include CoolShades and National Sporting Goods Running Center. Colorful and visual, the Expo is new this year and the result of months of planning and coordination. Call Margie Adams at 781-2167 or Meg Dempsey at 828-7055 for more info on registration or this effort. And for more info on Smartwool Socks, call Lori Ostrom at (307) 733- 1514 or Gardiner Flanigan at (970) 879-2913.


Returning runners

Khalid Khannouchi, who holds the world marathon record and won last year's Peoples Beach to Beacon race in 27:48 minutes, has confirmed he will race again this year, his first as a U.S. citizen. Also returning is the women's winner, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya and both the top men's and women's Maine 1999 winners, Bob Winn of Ogunquit and Julia Kirtland of South Harpswell. And Joseph Kimani of Kenya, who came in a close second and holds the world 10K record at 27:04, will return as will Abel Ondeyo, also of Kenya, who finished fifth in last year's race. Call Larry Barthlow at (617) 536-7030 for more info on elite runners.

ChampionChip / Online Registration

Once again this year the race committee is using technology to make the 10K a premier event. Computer chips attached to each runner's shoes made by ChampionChip will be used to determine each finisher's exact time for the race. Runners will pick up their chip at registration at the Cape Elizabeth Middle School and turn them in at the finish. The chips are processed by Granite State Race Services to compile a list of finishers and their times, which are then published in the Maine Sunday Telegram the day after the race on Sunday, August 6. For more info on ChampionChip, check them out at championchip.com. This year, online registrationthrough the Peoples Heritage Bank website at www.peoplesheritage.com also brought in some 1,500 registrations, giving people a quick and easy way to be a part of the event, now in its third year.
Volunteer Effort

More than 600 persons from Cape Elizabeth and surrounding towns helped out last year, from passing out water to directing traffic to setting up and breaking down the start and finish lines. Volunteer coordinator Sarah MacColl (799-2424) heads up the daunting task of bringing all those volunteers together for an organized event. Some volunteers who have interesting stories to tell include Marry Miller (799-6768) and Joan Ellen Hurley who staffed the info booth, Donna Lu Holden (799-6031) whose boys run the race, and Mary Dulac, who throws a party for the volunteers when it's all done (767-3785).

Town of Cape Elizabeth

The Town of Cape Elizabeth really comes through for this event. Town officials serve on the 50+-member organizing committee and are involved from the time they begin meeting in January to the day when 4,000 runners and 6,000 spectators line the streets of this coastal town. From milemarkers being placed, to police and traffic flow, to using town buildings for registration, the town is involved in making the event a success each year. Call Town Manager Mike McGovern at Cape Elizabeth Town Hall for more info.

Joan Benoit Samuelson

Founder of the race with lead sponsor Peoples Heritage Bank, for which she also serves as spokesperson for the "Peoples Promise: Shining the Light for Maine Youth"program, Joan Benoit Samuelson will be available for interviews in mid-July and then again at the August 4 press conference and on race day. Samuelson, who in 1984 won the gold medal in the Olympic's first women's marathon, continues to be active in running races and other athletic endeavors with her children and husband. Call Beryl Wolfe to arrange at 775-5115.

Dave McGillivray, Race Director

Race Director Dave McGillivray is one of the reasons the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race has risen to the level it has today. McGillivray has a long career of race organizing and also serves as the technical director of the BAA Boston Marathon. From his own running career and cross-country run across the U.S. in 1978 to raise money for charity, to founding his own special event management company 18 years ago, McGillivray is a top notch leader who brings hundreds of runners and people together each year to make the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race a success.

Peoples Heritage Bank and other sponsors

Without the help of primary sponsor Peoples Heritage Bank and others such as Nike, Poland Spring, MBNA, WCSH and American Airlines, the race would not be the first class event it is today. Peoples Heritage Bank's Bill Ryan met with Olympic Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson four years ago to create a premier running event in her home state. Bank officials such as David Ott run in the race and assign staff to see the race from beginning to end each year. Meg Dempsey, for example, who is a vice president and the bank's director of public affairs, spends 90 percent of her time in the spring and summer months on the race. For more info, contact Meg Dempsey at 828-7055.

Race Beneficiary: Turning Point Farm

This year's race beneficiary is Turning Point Farm, a farm and long-term home for six children ages six to 11, which opened this month. Set on an idyllic 12-acre, 16-room farmhouse off Route 100 in New Gloucester, Turning Point Farm is for young boys and girls who have been abused or neglected and are in the care of the Maine Department of Human Services. The program is designed to allow for healing and growth while nurturing attachments with others, including animals. It will be a long-term home for the children, who will spend their days feeding and grooming cows, goats and sheep, collecting eggs, exercising animals and tending a garden as well as attending school and counseling sessions. Director and founder Nancy Rochat, a licensed clinical social worker and resident of Portland who worked for Sweetser Children's Services before embarking on her dream to provide a farm for children in need, She can be reached at the farm, can be reached at 926-5171. According to Rochat, there are more than 3,000 children in state custody at present, 30 percent of whom are between the ages of six and 11.