Volunteers for Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race Now Able to Register Online at www.beach2beacon.org

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine – For the first time ever, volunteers for this year’s Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race can register online, just as runners now do.

Those wishing to volunteer for the Sunday, August 1 race in Cape Elizabeth are encouraged to register at the race web site at www.beach2beacon.org. About 830 volunteers are needed this year to ensure the smooth operation of Maine’s premiere sporting event. The race attracts 5,000 runners, including some of the world’s finest, and as many as 10,000 spectators who line the course to cheer the runners.

“The commitment and enthusiasm of the volunteers really has been key in making this event the showcase that it is,” said Maya Cohen, the volunteer coordinator for the race. “We are offering online registration as a way to continue to make it easier for those who want to volunteer to sign up and get involved.”

Online registration has streamlined volunteer coordination by cutting back on paperwork and postage costs, Cohen said. In past years, applications and stamped return envelopes were sent to prospective volunteers. And those who went to the web site needed to print out the application and send it in.

Volunteers can now go directly to the web site and follow instructions to sign up using the same process as runners. Those without Internet access are asked to call (207) 838-8816 to request a volunteer application, or pick up a form at a Peoples Heritage Bank branch statewide. Also, minors (under age 18) cannot register online and need to obtain a volunteer form by contacting Cohen at (207) 838-8816 or mmcohen@maine.rr.com.

Volunteers are utilized in all aspects of the event, including registration, course set up and break down, water stations, baggage assistance, recycling and parking. Volunteers receive a commemorative T-shirt and are treated to a post-race celebration/picnic at Fort Williams Park following the awards ceremony.

The Peoples Beach to Beacon, now in its seventh year, has become one of the marquee events in the international road race circuit, attracting elite athletes from throughout the world to Maine.

Peoples sponsors the race founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic gold medallist and Maine’s most recognizable athlete. The race begins at Crescent Beach along Route 77 and ends 6.2 miles later in Fort Williams at the Portland Head lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse in America.

The Sunday running of the 2004 race marks a break from the race’s traditional first Saturday in August schedule, which has been in place since its inception in 1998.

The race beneficiary for this year’s race is Riding To The Top (RTT), a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding services to children and adults with physical, emotional and/or learning disabilities. Peoples, through the Banknorth Charitable Foundation, will provide a cash donation of $30,000 to Riding To The Top. Visit the organization’s web site at www.ridingtothetop.org.

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