Kenya's Mathew Kimeli, Ethiopia's Fentaye Belayneh win Beach to Beacon 10K

Portland Press Herald, Maine
·1 min read

Aug. 6—After a two-year absence, the TD Beach to Beacon 10K road race returned to Cape Elizabeth on Saturday morning with a field of more than 5,000 runners.

Mathew Kimeli, 24, of Kenya was the winner of the 24th edition of Beach to Beacon in 28 minutes, 38.2 seconds. Kenyan Athanas Kioko was second in 28:58.2 and Abbabiya Simbassa of the United States was third in 29:00.9.

Ethiopia's Fentaye Belayneh, 21, won the women's division in 32 minutes, 6.8 seconds. Standish native Emily Durgin, now living in Arizona, was second in 32:15.7. Bituktayit Degefa of Ethiopia was third in 32:38.7.

The event, founded in 1998 by Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, is Maine's largest road race. Because of the pandemic, it was canceled in 2020 and held as a virtual race last year.

Sam Mills of Biddeford was the top finisher among Maine men in 31 minutes, 8 seconds. Matt Rand of Portland was second in 31:28, and Spencer McElwain of Saco was third in 31:26.

The top Maine woman was Aly Ursiny of Yarmouth in 36 minutes, 17 seconds. Ruth White of Orono, winner of the Beach to Beacon High School Mile on Friday, was second in 36:28. Alexis Wilbert of Cumberland was third in 36:36.

Hermin Garic of Utica, New York, won the men's wheelchair race in 23 minutes, 10 seconds. Yen Hoang of Champaign, Illinois, won the women's wheelchair division in 26:51.

This story will be updated.