TD Beach to Beacon will feature 10 wheelchair athletes

Photo / Jim Neuger Yen Hoang of Vancouver, Wash., was last year's top female wheelchair finisher in the TD Beach to Beacon 10K race, and will return for this year's edition.

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By Renee Cordes

Ten wheelchair athletes — five women and five men — will compete in the 25th edition of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K charity race on Saturday, Aug. 5, in Cape Elizabeth.

This year's race will benefit Valo, a Yarmouth-based nonprofit that aims to cultivate emotional well-being for teens through retreats and school programs. The hilly, scenic course goes from Crescent Beach to Fort Williams Park, home of Portland Head Light lighthouse.

Last year’s wheelchair winner, Hermin Garic of Utica, N.Y., is registered for this year's edition, along with 2022's top female finisher in the division, Yen Hoang of Vancouver, Wash.

Returning to the race after a few years’ hiatus are: James Senbeta of Philadelphia; Tony Noguiera of Glen Ridge, N.J.; Michael Olsen of New York; and Christina Kourous of Cape Elizabeth.

Mainer Sidney Knox, Jason Robinson of New York, Hannah Babalola of Newark, N.J.,, and Helen Newman of Connecticut, who is making her TD Beach to Beacon debut, round out the division for wheelchair athletes. In addition, one handcyclist and one duoteam, Team Rusty Rolls, will be competing.

Prize money for wheelchair athletes has also increased this year, with a $2,000 prize for first place in the division, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place.

“We are really excited to see a full, balanced field for the first time during this milestone year for the TD Beach to Beacon,” said Deb Maxfield, who heads up the push rim division. “These are incredible athletes, and it should be an exciting competition.”

Beach 2 Beacon was launched in in 1998 by Cape Elizabeth native Joan Benoit Samuelson, the gold medalist in the first women's Olympic marathon in 1984. The event, cancelled in 2020 during COVID and held virtually in 2021, made it comeback in 2022 with 5,326 athletes from nine countries, 42 states and almost 260 Maine municipalities.

'Supporting inclusion'

In its effort to make the TD Beach to Beacon inclusive for athletes of all abilities, title sponsor TD Bank will sponsor registration spots in this year's10K for a team of five Achilles International athletes and their guides to participate. Achilles is an adaptive running nonprofit that aims to transform the lives of young people, adults and veterans with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection.

"Supporting inclusion within the communities where we live and work is a core component of who we are at TD," said Tyrrell Schmidt, chief marketing officer for the TD Bank Group. "I'm so proud to see athletes of all abilities participating in the most diverse and inclusive race in the 25 years of the TD Beach to Beacon. I very much look forward to having athletes from Achilles International, an organization near and dear to my heart, participate in this year's race."

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 the designated beneficiary by TD Bank.

In keeping with tradition, the TD Beach to Beacon race weekend will also feature the Beacon Walk, Run and Roll, a scenic three-quarters of a mile course that starts at the TD Beach to Beacon 10K finish line. The Beacon Walk, Run and Roll, introduced in 2022, will take place on Friday, Aug. 4.

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

TD Bank, led in Maine by Larry Wold, tops a list of banks with the largest market share in Maine, in the 2023 edition of the Mainebiz Book of Lists. Rankings are based on Maine deposits as of June 30, 2022.

"Now I'm done, I feel great," Wold told Mainebiz last year after crossing the finish line, pleased that spectators had "turned out in full force."