Projo Running Blog

Alventina Ivanova broke the women's record en route to her victory and Tom Nyariki knocked off three-time defending champion Gilbert Okari in claiming his at last weekend's 2006 TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Here's more about what took place that day, provided courtesy of the race:

Alventina Ivanova shattered the women’s record and Tom Nyariki unseated three-time champ Gilbert Okari in the ninth edition of the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race on a picture-perfect Saturday in Cape Elizabeth.

Ivanova, fresh from training in her native Russia, ran away from the field (31:26) to laim her first Beach to Beacon title after finishing second and third that last two years. She broke Kenyan Catherine Ndereba’s five-year-old record 31:33. Kenyan Edna Kipligat (32:23) took second, while Luminita Talpos of Romania finished third (32:26).

In the men’s race, Nyariki of Kenya proved to the road race world that he is all the way back from a tragic 2003 injury that left him without sight in his right eye. A former Olympian, Nyariki (27:48) overtook Okari, the defending three-time champ and course record holder, at the four mile mark. Lawrence Kiprotich (28:04), the winner of last eekend’s Bix 7M, took second while Okari, hampered by a tight hamstring near Mile
4, finished third (28:09).

The group of elite athletes were among the 4,813 runners from 16 countries and 43 U.S. states who finished the winding, ocean-hugging, 6.2-mile course on a gorgeous morning in Maine. Thousands of spectators lined the course to cheer the runners.

Other winners included: Masters Men – Wayne Levy, 41, of Newton, Mass. (32:52); Masters Women – Mimi Fallon, 41, of Walpole, Mass. (37:32); Wheelchair Division, Patrick Doak, 38, of Concord, Mass., (23:59), setting a new course record previously held by six-time winner Tony Nogueira of Glen Ridge, N.J., who finished second 24:12) on Saturday.

“We saw some amazing races, from Alventina’s remarkable run to Tom Nyariki’s inspirational performance,” said Joan Benoit Samuelson, the race founder and Maine’s most recognizable athlete. “And the Maine runners really put on a show. Everyone who took part was a winner today, from the athletes, to the volunteers, to the town of Cape Elizabeth and the lead sponsor, TD Banknorth. What more can you say.”

The race course winds through the idyllic coastal town of Cape Elizabeth, starting near Crescent Beach State Park on Route 77 and ending at the Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

The race beneficiary this year was the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation (CEEF), selected in recognition of the support shown by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. CEEF is a non-profit organization that enriches learning for Cape youth by funding innovative projects, and also serves as a resource in helping other Maine towns start education foundations. TD Banknorth, through the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation, provided a cash donation of $30,000.

Click here to see how Rhode Island entrants fared at the Beach to Beacon 10K.

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