Story Ideas - Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race - 2001

Story Ideas

Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race - 2001

Top Bank Officials and families running in the race

As the lead sponsor and the founder of the race, Peoples Heritage Bank has taken a very active role in making the race what it is today. It's Chief Banking Officer, David Ott, will run the race with his grown children, and the family of Bill Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Banknorth Group, will also run. Call Beryl Wolfe at 775-5115 for more info, or Meg Dempsey at Peoples, 828-7055.


Sir Roger Bannister

The honorary guest for this year's Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race is Sir Roger Bannister, 72, the legendary British runner who on May 6, 1954, ran the world's first recorded sub-four-minute mile. The then-25-year-old native of Harrow on the Hill, England, completed the distance in 3:59.4 at Oxford. Bannister retired from running soon afterward to pursue his medical studies full time, later becoming a neurologist. Named the Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1955, he described the art of record breaking as the "ability to take more out of yourself than you've got." Sir Roger will arrive in Cape Elizabeth Friday evening. Call Beryl Wolfe at 775-5115 for more info.


Host Family Program for the Elites

Possible feature story for news pages. Families in Cape Elizabeth and other nearby towns serve as host families for elite runners from throughout the world. The families relish the cultural experience. Some even learn to cook native dishes to make the brief stay more comfortable for the athletes. Contact Janet McLaughlin, coordinator of host families, at 207-799-6190 or JMcL1147@aol.com, for names and numbers of host families. The runners begin arriving late in the afternoon and into the evening on Thursday by van from Logan Airport.



Peoples Beach to Beacon a Family Affair for Cape's Takach Clan

Cape Elizabeth's Michael and Mary Takach and their three children, 10-year-old twins Mike and Katie and 8-year-old Timmy, have made the Peoples Beach to Beacon a family affair this year. The entire family is entered to run the race. At 8, Timmy is one of the youngest among 4,000 runners. FMI, call Mike or Mary at 207-767-4924.



Beach to Beacon Showcase Event for Maine Runners

The elite distance runners from around the world who converge on Cape Elizabeth for the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race each year attract much of the attention from the media and the public. But the competitiveness of the race among Maine's top runners is also a worthwhile story. Maine runners consider the race the jewel of the racing season. The winner of this showcase event wears the unofficial title as the state road race champion. Race President Dave Weatherbie (207-781-5970), himself an avid, top-flight runner, could provide valuable insights into the stature of the race among Maine runners. Also available as sources about what makes the race special are Byrne Decker of Yarmouth (207-846-4461) and Michael Payson of Falmouth (207-781-4617), the second- and third-place finishers respectively last year among Maine men; and Julia Kirtland of South Harpswell (207-729-7191) and Christine Snow-Reaser of Dayton (207-499-2198), the Maine women's top two finishers in 2000. The men's winner from Maine last year, Todd Coffin of Freeport, will not be competing in the 2001 race due to an ankle injury.



Race Director Dave McGillivray Named 'Race Director of the Year'

Race Director Dave McGillivray has been named the world's outstanding race director for 2000 for his direction of the third Peoples Beach to Beach 10K Road Race last August. The prestigious Race Director of the Year award is presented by Road Race Management, Inc. and sponsored by Running Times Magazine. McGillivray, 46, who is also the Race Director of the BAA Boston Marathon, is known throughout the running world as a technical wizard with a keen ability to balance the needs of the runners, spectators, sponsors and volunteers, and to anticipate critical issues. He is one of the reasons the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race has risen to the level it has today. From his own running career and 3,452-mile run across the U.S. in 1978 to raise money for charity, to founding his own special-event management company 18 years ago, McGillivray has a rich personal history that would make a strong profile.



Returning Runners

Both of last year's champions, including three-time champion Catherine Ndereba, are returning, leading a list that includes some of the world's top road racers.

Joseph Kimani of Kenya is currently ranked 5th in the world. Last year, he overpowered the Peoples Beach to Beacon field in a time of 28:07. Other elite athletes include John Kagwe of Kenya, a two-time New York Marathon champion and the winner of the recent Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego and German Silva of Mexico, a former Olympian and two-time winner of the New York Marathon.

On the women's side, Kenyan Catherine Ndereba is returning to defend the title she has not relinquished in the three-year history of the Peoples Beach to eacon. But this may be the strongest women's field yet, with each of the world's top four ranked road racers entered. Challengers to Ndereba, who is currently ranked #1 in the world, include fellow Kenyans Lornah Kiplagat, ranked second, and Jane Ngotho, ranked third, as well as South African Elana Meyer, a two-time Olympian who won a silver medal in the 10K at the Barcelona Games in 1992 and is currently ranked fourth in the world. Other elite women already confirmed 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; and Kayoko Obata of Japan, a top marathoner who finished 10th in the 1999 Peoples Beach to Beacon race.

For more information on the elite field, contact Larry Barthlow, the elite athlete director, at (617) 536-7030 or larry@globalathletics.com. or Jason Wolfe at Wolfe PR, 775-5115. Also, for elite runner bios and to monitor the latest entries, go to the peoples beach to beacon page at http://www.wolfenews.com.



Finish Line Camera Added This Year in Response to Exciting Finishes

Finish line cameras are a must for track and field meets, where a handful of sprinters are often separated by less than one-hundredth of a second. But the cameras are less common at road races, where the battle is usually fought and won before the finish line. The Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race has proven itself an exception. The race has been noted for a number of close finishes in its three-year history, including last year's dramatic finish as Catherine Ndereba of Kenya barely edged Libbie Hickman of the U.S. in the women's race. In anticipation of future razor-close finishes, race organizers have decided to add a finish line camera for 2001, bringing another level of technological sophistication to the race. Lynx System Developers, Inc., based in Woburn, Mass., is providing a FinishLynx, the world's most popular and versatile digital photofinish and timing system. A FinishLynx line-scan camera only sees a very narrow piece of the world: the finish line. It looks at the finish line many times a second and stores each of these images. In case of a close finish, the images become a vital tool for the race judge to use in determining the winner. For more information about FinishLynx, contact Giles Norton at (781)935-6959 or visit www.finishlynx.com.



ChampionChip

Once again this year the race committee is using advanced technology to make the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race a premier event. Computer chips made by ChampionChip attached to each runner's shoes will be used to determine each finisher's exact time for the race. (The chips are not intended to be effective in assisting judges in close finishes, though. See above.) 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 5. More information on ChampionChip is available online at http://www.championchip.com.



Race Beneficiary: Kids First Center

This year's 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. Now in its fourth year, the center provides children with a safe haven to talk about their feelings and frustrations and help them cope. Just as the name implies, Portland-based Kids First Center focuses on parents too, providing them with the tools necessary to put the needs of their children first during and after a divorce or separation. The Kids First Program, a co-parenting class, is offered in locations throughout Maine, from York to Norway to Skowhegan to Belfast. Founded as a partnership between Resources for Divorced Families and the Junior League of Portland Maine, Inc., the Kids First Center fills a much-needed gap in the social services available to children and parents. Each year, more than 6,000 Mainers - children, parents, professionals - use the range of services provided by the center, located at 222 St. John Street in Portland. Through support groups for four different age groups, children are provided with a safe and neutral place to share their experiences and talk about what's happening to their families. Trained facilitators, who are mental help professionals, design activities that focus on helping children build self-confidence. For more information, call Peg Libby, executive director, at 207-761-2709 or visit online at http://www.kidsfirstcenter.org.



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 Director Carolyn Smith of Cape Elizabeth (207-799-7505 or csmith03@maine.rr.com) 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 (207-799-6768) and Joan Ellen Hurley who staffed the information booth, Donna Lu Holden (207-799-6031) whose boys run the race, and Margie Adams (207-781-2167).



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 3 press conference and on race day. Samuelson, who in 1984 won the gold medal in the first women's Olympic marathon, continues to be active in running races and other athletic endeavors with her children and husband. Call Beryl Wolfe or Dana Slone of Wolfe PR at 207-775-5115 to arrange an interview.



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 US Airways, the race would not be the first-class event it is today. Peoples Heritage Bank's Bill Ryan met with Olympic Gold Medallist 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 information, contact Meg Dempsey at 207-828-7055, or visit online at the race web site at http://www.beach2beacon.org or the bank's web site at http://www.peoplesheritage.com.



Town of Cape Elizabeth

The Town of Cape Elizabeth really comes through for this event. Town officials serve on the 50-plus-member organizing committee and are involved from the time they begin meeting in January to the day when 4,000 runners and 10,000 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. For more information, call Town Manager Mike McGovern at Cape Elizabeth Town Hall at 207-767-3323.

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