CAPE ELIZABETH – For those not running in the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, the best way to experience the goodwill the race generates is to volunteer at the event.
Volunteers are needed on race day – Saturday, Aug. 3 – as well as in the days leading up to the event. New and returning volunteers are encouraged to sign up soon at www.beach2beacon.org/VOLUNTEER to have access to the widest selection of openings.
Race organizers are quick to point out that the TD Beach to Beacon 10K’s success over its history is directly attributable to the generosity of the volunteers, many of whom return year after year.
“Our volunteers are a loyal and dedicated group, and they play a key role in making this race the prestigious, well-run and fun event that it is, year after year,” said volunteer coordinator Maya Cohen of Cape Elizabeth. “And we’re always looking for and appreciative of new faces joining the ranks.”
In return for their efforts, volunteers receive a commemorative tech T-shirt and are invited to a party during race week in a coastal Cape Elizabeth locale, organized exclusively for them.
The TD Beach to Beacon 10K needs about 800 volunteers to ensure a smooth operation and help create the safe, festive atmosphere that makes the event so special for the 6,000 recreational runners and elite athletes alike who will wind their way from Route 77 near Crescent Beach State Park to Fort Williams Park and the Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.
“A list of available jobs is available on the race website and is updated daily,” Cohen said. “Additionally, if groups are interested in volunteering together, please contact us for details.”
Helping out also brings many volunteers close to the action and excitement, such as providing water to the elite runners, helping runners get on shuttle buses at the three satellite lots or working on the Kid’s Fun Run the night before the race.
“The shuttle and satellite parking program has worked quite well since we introduced that program three years ago,” said Mike Giallongo, the race’s parking coordinator from DMSE Sports. “About two-thirds of the cars that used to park at the start now use the satellites, which has cut the start area traffic down tremendously. Our volunteers help make that happen.”
This year’s satellite lots – where runners can park and take shuttle buses to the start line – will be located at SMCC in South Portland, the Hannaford corporate lot in Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth high school and middle school.
In addition to parking and water stations, volunteers help organize and staff many aspects of the event, including registration for two days prior to the race, course set up and break down, baggage assistance, recycling and in the medical tent.
The race also honors a longtime volunteer with a special annual award. The 2012 Volunteer of the Year award went to Norman Rosenbaum, M.D., who is in his 80s and only keeps his medical license current so he can volunteer in the medical tent each year.
Minors (under age 18) cannot register online and need to download an application from the website. Call (207) 233 4216 or emailbestn92@gmail.com with questions.
This year marks the 16th year for the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, which filled online in less than five minutes and is considered one of the gems on the U.S. road race circuit. A race field of 6,000 is expected, including some of the top runners in the world as well as in Maine and New England. The 2012 race included runners from 17 countries and 44 U.S. states.
?More than $60,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women, and a $30,000 donation is provided each year by the TD Charitable Foundation to the race beneficiary. The Opportunity Alliance (www.opportunityalliance.org) is the 2013 beneficiary.
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