Three months before starting gun, TD Beach to Beacon raises $48K for Portland nonprofit

Runner crossing finish line checking watch on wrist

File Photo / Jim Neuger Matthew Kimeli of Kenya won the men's division of the 2022 TD Beach to Beacon 10K race with a time of 28:38.

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By Renee Cordes

With a little more than three months to go until the TD Beach to Beacon 10K charity race in Cape Elizabeth, runners have already raised nearly $50,000 for this year's beneficiary.

Some 600 race slots open to Cape Elizabeth residents were filled in the first hour of registration last Thursday, while all but 500 general-entry slots out of 6,000 made available on Friday have been filled.

During registration, runners donated a combined $48,816.65 to this year’s beneficiary, Preble Street Teen Services.

Based in Portland, the nonprofit shelter serves more than 300 young people each year, including teens who have been forced to leave home because of physical or sexual abuse and young adults struggling with substance use or mental illness.

Preble Street Teen Services will also receive $30,000 directly from TD Bank and benefit from fundraising activities, including the race’s charity bib program, as well as increased public awareness through association with the event.

For some athletes, the race starts with registration. This year, the first to sign up during Cape Elizabeth registration was Kira Wigoda, in 1 minute and 40 seconds, while the first to register in the general entry on Friday was Tom Dils, in 1 minute and 35 seconds.

The highest percentage of registrants by age group is 35-39 followed by 30-34, and the oldest registrant is 92. Athletes will represent several states and foreign countries, including Canada, Japan, England and Sweden.

Scenic route

Scheduled to take place on Saturday, Aug. 3, the race begins on Route 77 near the Crescent Beach State Park entrance, winds along tree-lined streets and past ocean vistas and ends in Fort Williams Park at Portland Head Light.

The race, which debuted in 1998 with 2,408 runners crossing the finish line, was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and held virtually in 2021 before making a comeback in 2022.

The Beach to Beacon was launched by Cape Elizabeth native Joan Benoit Samuelson, the gold medalist in the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984.

The iconic event is managed by DMSE Sports of Woburn, Mass., which also helps manage the Boston Marathon and other sports events.

TD Bank is ranked No. 1 among banks with the largest market share in Maine in the 2024 Mainebiz Book of Lists. The bank is a subsidiary of Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank.