TD Beach to Beacon 10K names nonprofit beneficiary for first in-person race since 2019

Courtesy / TD Bank Alex Korio of Kenya, shown here crossing the finish line, won the TD Beach to Beacon 10K race in 2019. The 28-year-old dominated the race from the start, and finished with a time of 27 minutes 34 seconds.

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By Renee Cordes

As the TD Beach to Beacon 10K running race prepares to return to an in-person format for the first time since 2019, organizers on Thursday named this year's nonprofit beneficiary.

The charity donation from this year's race will go to the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, a Portland-based provider of disabilities awareness, sensitivity, inclusion and anti-bullying programs in Maine schools. The race is set to take place in Cape Elizabeth on Saturday, Aug. 6.

The event, which begins on Route 77 near Crescent Beach State Park and finishes in Fort Williams Park at Portland Head Light, debuted in 1998 as the People's Beach to Beacon, founded by Cape Elizabeth native and Olympic marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson to benefit children's charities. That first year, 2,408 runners crossed the finish line.

The live event in 2019 drew 6,417 runners from nine countries, 42 states and almost 260 Maine cities and towns.

The Beach to Beacon was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. A virtual version in 2021 attracted more than 2,000 runners. Organizers announced last August that the event would go back to a live format in 2022.

To register this year, participants are required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19, a spokesperson for the event confirmed on Friday.

More than $90,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in various categories for men and women, and a separate $30,000 donation is provided to a designated beneficiary each year by TD Bank.

The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, founded in 2003, promotes safe, respectful, and inclusive schools and communities through school-based programs for students in first through sixth grades as well as resources for parents and educators.

Noting the center's positive impact on the lives of children and families statewide, TD Bank Maine Market President Larry Wold said, “This organization's focus on the inclusivity and respect of people of all abilities and backgrounds directly aligns with TD's values, and we couldn't be more pleased to name them this year’s beneficiary of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K.”

'Enormous help'

The center will further benefit from fundraising activities, including the race’s charity bib program, as well as increased awareness through an association with one of Maine’s highest-profile sporting events.

“We are grateful to TD Bank and the TD Beach to Beacon 10K organizing committee for selecting us as their beneficiary for 2022,” said Susan Greenwood, the Cromwell center's executive director. "This will be an enormous help as we expand our programs geographically to serve schools in all Maine counties, and it will raise awareness of the importance of youth inclusion programs among the general public in Maine and beyond.”

With close to $5.7 billion in Maine deposits as of June 30, 2021, TD Bank was ranked No. 1 among banks with the largest market share in Maine in the 2022 Mainebiz Book of Lists published late last year. That puts the TD ahead of Bangor Savings Bank, Camden National Bank and KeyBank, ranked No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively.