Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race Entry Forms Available Online at www.peoplesheritage.com

Printed Entry Forms Also Available at Peoples Heritage Branches in Mid-April

Runner registration for the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race set for August 5 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, is available online this year at the Peoples Heritage Bank website, www.peoplesheritage.com. Printed entry forms also will be available at Peoples Heritage branches in mid-April.

The field size for the popular race will again be capped at 4,000, according to race organizer Meg Dempsey, vice president and director of public affairs at Peoples Heritage Bank. 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 Headlight lighthouse at Fort Williams Park. The event also features a wheelchair division of the race and a children's 1K race.

Organizers already are busy making arrangements for the race, which draws some 6,000 spectators as well as elite runners from throughout the world. Last year, more than 600 volunteers from Cape Elizabeth and surrounding communities pitched in to make the race a premier tourist destination and favorite among locals as well. This year, organizers are planning to make improvements to traffic, parking and signage, and will again develop lists of host families and volunteers to help in a number of key areas, from course set up to running the water stops along the course.

Now in its third year, the race was founded by Peoples Heritage Bank and bank spokesperson Joan Benoit Samuelson, a Mainer and running legend who in 1984 won the gold medal in the first Olympic marathon for women.

In addition to Peoples, other major sponsors this year include Nike, Poland Spring, MBNA, American Airlines and WCSH TV-6, which will air a half hour special on the night of the race.

The youth organization chosen by the bank this year to be the race beneficiary is Turning Point Farm, a long-term home for children ages six to 11 that will open later this spring. Set on an idyllic 12- acre, 16-room farmhouse off Route 100 in New Gloucester, Turning Point Farm will be a home for young boys and girls who have been abused or neglected and are in the care of the Maine Department of Human Services. It was founded by Nancy Rochat, who will serve as the director. As this year's race beneficiary, the farm will receive $30,000. Last year, the race beneficiary was Camp Sunshine and the first year of the race it was Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

"We chose the farm because it's a great cause, and its founder, Nancy Rochat, clearly shows vision, compassion and the ability to provide a solid, stable environment for these kids in need," said David J. Ott, president and CEO of Peoples Heritage Bank, a Maine-based bank with 71 branches throughout the state.

For additional information on the race, or to find out more about volunteer opportunities, call the race hotline toll free at 1-888-480-6940.

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