Check back throughout the morning for updates on the road race.
CAPE ELIZABETH — A field of nearly 6,500 competitors has gathered at the starting line for the 20th TD Beach to Beacon 10K, Maine’s largest annual road race.
Wheelchair racers will be the first to start at 7: 55 a.m., followed by the elite women runners at 8 o’ clock and the rest of the field at 8: 12. The course starts near Crescent Beach State Park and ends near Portland Head Light, offering panoramic views of Casco Bay along the way.
Unless, of course, there is fog. The forecast calls for overcast skies with fog likely and a high of 67 degrees during the race.
The top male and female runners from last year’s race – North Yarmouth native Ben True and Mary Keitany of Kenya – return this year to defend their crowns. Other previous B2B winners in this year’s field include Stephen Kosgei Kibet of Kenya (2015) , Wude Ayalew of Ethiopia (women’s champion in 2015) and Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya (2013) .
The top Maine runners from 2016 are also returning this year: Jesse Orach of Gorham and Michelle Lilienthal of Portland.
And then there’s race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic women’s marathon gold medalist. Samuelson typically greets competitors at the finish line, but this year she’ ll be running in the race for just the fourth time – and the first since 2012.
This story will be updated.
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