Parking and Logistics Outlined for Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race August 3 in Cape Elizabeth

Runner Registration and Expo Aug. 1 and 2 at Cape Elizabeth Middle School

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine - With 5,000 runners and more than 10,000 spectators, the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race is unlike any other Maine sporting event in size and scope. And that requires extraordinary attention to parking and logistics to ensure the event runs smoothly and safely.

As the throngs converge the morning of Aug. 3 in Cape Elizabeth for the fifth edition of the international race, they will be greeted by volunteers directing traffic, parking attendants filling up fields, and additional police and rescue personnel assisting with the event.

The following is information that spectators and runners may find useful as they prepare for race day:

On race day, Route 77 from Sprague Hall to Kettle Cove Road will close at 6 a.m. Fowler Road will close at 7:15 a.m. All other roads connected to the race course will close at 7:30 a.m. and remain closed until the race is completed around 10 a.m. Shore Road, from Key Bank to Fort Williams, will reopen at 11 a.m. All times are approximate.

Runners are required to be at the start line by 7:30 a.m. The race begins on Route 77, near Crescent Beach State Park, and heads into Cape Elizabeth. Runners eventually turn right onto Old Ocean House Road, and later return to Route 77 before turning right onto Shore Road, where the course winds more, passing scenic ocean vistas. Runners then enter Fort Williams Park at the Old Gate and reach the finish line with a panoramic view of Casco Bay and the stunning Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in America.

Runner parking near the start line will be provided at the Sprague Fields located at Fowler and Ram Island Farm roads. Parking for runners also is available at Cape Elizabeth's high school and middle school on a first-come basis. Runners will be shuttled from the parking lots there to the start between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Please look for signs providing directions. Carpooling and shuttling is recommended.

Race organizers also encourage runners to arrive by 6:30 a.m. to avoid heavy traffic. Roadside parking is not allowed. Also, the runner drop-off zone will be at the Spurwink Church parking lot at the intersection of Route 77 and Spurwink Avenue.

'My advice every year to runners and spectators alike is to come early," said Cape Elizabeth Police Chief Neil Williams. "Once a road closes, that's it. And with the increased number of runners, it's even more important to plan your time appropriately. I can't stress that enough."

There is no parking for runners at the finish line at Fort Williams, which will be restricted parking for media, sponsors, staff and a limited number of spectators, who are advised to carpool and to arrive prior to 7:30 a.m. Shuttle buses, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be provided to take runners back to the start area and to the school parking lots.

Also, packet pickup for confirmed runners will take place on August 1 (4-8 p.m.) and on August 2 (noon-8 p.m.) at the Cape Elizabeth Middle School. At registration, runners will receive their bib number and ChampionChip to time and score the race. The event also features an expo of products and services provided and presented by a variety of vendors.

This is the special fifth anniversary for the popular race, which attracts more than 800 volunteers and brings out an extraordinary effort on the part of the town of Cape Elizabeth. Peoples Heritage Bank, the state's largest bank, is the lead sponsor and coordinates the race founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson of Maine, a running legend who won the first Olympic women's marathon. She serves as a spokesperson for the bank's "Peoples Promise" program for youth in Maine.

This year's youth organization chosen by the bank as the 2002 race beneficiary is Opportunity Farm, a long-term, family-style facility in rural New Gloucester, Maine, for at-risk boys and girls. Opportunity Farm will receive a $30,000 cash donation from Peoples and will further benefit from fundraising and publicity valued at more than $40,000.

In addition to Peoples, other major corporate partners this year include US Airways, the official airline of the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K, UnumProvident Corp., Nike, Poland Spring, MBNA and WCSH TV-6, which will have live cut-ins of the start and finish and air a half-hour show on the night of the race.
# # #