Positions also available in medical tent for iconic summer road race on Maine coast

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (June 16, 2016) – The TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race is looking for volunteers to help staff its award-winning sustainability program at this year’s race on Saturday, Aug. 6 in Cape Elizabeth.

Positions in the parking and shuttle bus program are open as well as in recycling, composting and the bike corral. New and returning volunteers can sign up at http://www.beach2beacon.org/VOLUNTEER .

“This year the sustainability effort is especially significant because the race is applying for Evergreen certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, the highest category the council awards,” said Volunteer Coordinator Maya Cohen of Cape Elizabeth. “We earnedGold  last year, so our volunteer needs for greening the race are vital this year to help us reach the next, unprecedented level.”

If successful in reaching Evergreen status, the TD Beach to Beacon 10K will be first major road race in North America – and only the sixth event ever worldwide – to earn the distinction, joining the ranks of the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships, said Bruce Rayner of Athletes for a Fit Planet , the race’s sustainability consulting partner.

The non-profit, Oregon-based Council for Responsible Sport , founded in 2007, provides objective, independent verification of the socially and environmentally responsible work event organizers are doing around the globe. The process is meticulous as event organizers are required to provide a detailed measurement and documentation of greening efforts and outcomes.

The TD Beach to Beacon 10K  seeks to improve on its already-impressive 2015 recycling and composting waste diversion rate of 72 percent, with the long-term objective of achieving “zero-waste” status. Also, the race is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by offering free bike valet parking for runners, volunteers and spectators in partnership with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and offsetting the carbon footprint of race operations.

In addition to sustainability, Cohen said the Medical Tent on race day is another area where volunteers are needed. Both licensed and non-licensed medical professionals are welcome, she said, including doctors, nurses, EMTs, medical assistants and students in training.

“We’ve had a great response so far but we still need volunteers so we’re encouraging new and previous volunteers to sign up soon, especially returning volunteers who have a favorite area,” Cohen added.

In return for their efforts, volunteers receive a tech running shirt provided by Nike and are invited to an outdoor party with food, music and prizes during race week in a coastal Cape Elizabeth locale, organized exclusively for them.

The TD Beach to Beacon 10K  needs a total of about 800 volunteers to ensure a smooth operation for the 6,500+ recreational runners and world-class 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 TD Beach to Beacon 10K website and is updated daily. Groups interested in volunteering together should contact Maya Cohen at cohemm@gmail.com .

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 race also honors a longtime volunteer with a special annual award. The 2015 Volunteer of the Year award went to tireless volunteer Lisa Petruccelli of Cape Elizabeth.

Minors (under age 18) cannot register online and need to download an application from the website. Please call (207) 838-8816 or email cohemm@gmail.com  with questions.

The TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, a celebration of health, fitness and giving back, is set for Saturday, Aug. 6. Founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic gold medalist who grew up in Cape Elizabeth, the race attracts a large contingent of world-class athletes in the U.S. and around the world as well as top runners in Maine and New England. In 2015, a record-setting 6,602 runners from 15 countries, 41 states and more than 265 Maine cities and towns finished the winding, rolling, often breathtaking 6.2-mile coastal course.

The 2016 race beneficiary is My Place Teen Center  (MPTC), a free, year-round, after-school youth development program for kids in Greater Portland, which receives a $30,000 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®. TD Bank has now donated $570,000 to Maine charities over the history of the race.

The TD Beach to Beacon is directed by Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports , who also serves as race director of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon. For additional information about the race, visit b2bdevelopment.wpengine.com, and find the TD Beach to Beacon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.