Peoples Beach to Beacon Returning Champion to Defend at Popular New England Race Aug. 4

Annual 10K race reaches the 4,000-runner cap

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine - Joseph Kimani of Kenya, the 2000 champion of the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race and the former world record holder in the 10K, will return to defend his title at New England's premier road race in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on August 4, Peoples Heritage Bank race organizers announced Tuesday.

As the elite field continues to take shape, race organizers said registration for the popular race has reached the 4,000-runner cap and is closed to new general entries.

In last year's race, Kimani overpowered a group of top elite runners from around the world with a time of 28:07. Other elite athletes who have committed so far to challenge Kimani in 2001 include John Kagwe of Kenya, a two-time New York Marathon champion and the winner of last week's Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego; William Kiptum of Kenya, the third-place finisher in each of the three previous Peoples Beach to Beacon events; and German Silva of Mexico, a former Olympian and two-time winner of the New York Marathon.

On the women's side, three-time defending champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya will also be returning to defend her title, according to the race's elite athlete coordinator, Larry Barthlow of Global Athletics and Marketing in Boston.

Ndereba, who also has won the last two Boston Marathons, was under consideration for a spot on the Kenyan national team in the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Ontario. Scheduling of the 10K world championships for both men and women conflicts with the Peoples Beach to Beacon. That means commitments will be delayed from other elite runners, including Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia, the 1996 Olympic marathon champion and a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon who wants to run the Peoples Beach to Beacon, Barthlow said.

Elite women already confirmed for the Peoples Beach to Beacon include Teresa Wanjiku of Kenya, who finished second in the 1999 race; South Africa-born Colleen De Reuck, an accomplished distance runner who won four major road races in 2000 and will be competing in only her third road race since obtaining her U.S. citizenship in December; Lornah Kiplagat of Kenya, who won the prestigious Peachtree 10K road race last year in record time and ran one of the fastest times in the world in the 2000 Chicago Marathon; and Kayoko Obata of Japan, a top marathoner who finished 10th in the 1999 Peoples Beach to Beacon race.

"In the running world among the top elite athletes, the Peoples Beach to Beacon is considered a must event," Barthlow said. "Runners who have been here once want to come back. And others who have heard about the excitement, the beautiful course, the fine hospitality they receive and the enthusiasm of the spectators, try to find a way to fit it in. That's why the field is always so deep. I expect another strong group this year."

Now in its fourth year, the race draws some 10,000 spectators and attracts elite runners worldwide as well as top runners locally and across New England. It was founded by Peoples Heritage Bank and bank spokesperson Joan Benoit Samuelson, a Mainer and running legend whom in 1984 won the gold medal in the first Olympic marathon for women.

More than $50,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. The event also features a children's 1K race. The scenic course will be the same as last year, beginning at Crescent Beach along Route 77 and ending 6.2 miles later at the Portland Head Light lighthouse at Fort Williams Park.

The race director is Dave McGillivray, who has organized the previous three years of the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race and has helped transform the event into New England's premier road race. He also serves as the race director of the BAA Boston Marathon.

In addition to Peoples, other major race sponsors this year include Nike, Poland Spring, US Airways, MBNA and WCSH TV-6, which will have live cut-ins of the start and finish and air a half hour show statewide on the night of the race.

The youth organization chosen by the bank to be the 2001 race beneficiary is the Kids First Center, a statewide program dedicated to supporting Maine parents and children who are going through the often-difficult transition of divorce or separation. The Kids First Center will receive $30,000 in race proceeds.

For additional information or to find out more about volunteer opportunities, persons may call the toll-free hotline at (888) 480-6940 or visit the race web site at http://www.beach2beacon.org or the bank's web site at http://www.peoplesheritage.com.
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