Biwott (27:59) ran a strong race, seemingly less affected by 80-degree weather and 60 percent humidity that took a toll on the field, while Wangari Muriuki (31:51.6) continued her winning streak on the American roads by edging Emily Chebet (31:52.2) of Kenya in one of the closest women’s finishes in the history of the TD Beach to Beacon (www.beach2beacon.org).
In the Maine Resident races, 41-year-old Sheri Piers of Falmouth dominated the field to repeat as champion while Ethan Shaw, 22, of Falmouth, a recent Dartmouth graduate, broke through against a strong field to win his first men’s title.
The winners were among the record-setting 6,117 runners from 17 countries, 44 states and more than 240 Maine cities and town who finished the winding, picturesque 6.2-mile course on a sunny, hot and humid morning on the Maine coast.
In honor of the 15th running, race founder and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson completed the race alongside fellow marathon legends Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter, who won Olympic gold in 1972.
“It was truly inspiring and gratifying to be on the course this morning and see the faces of runners who are so committed to pursuing their dreams and seeing their lives changed by this experience,” said Samuelson, who returned to the finish line to cheer and greet runners behind her.
First American
The first American finisher was Sean Quigley (29:45) of Boulder, Col., who finished 11th.
Renee Baillie, 30, of Bend, Ore., was the first American finisher with a 32:31 for fifth place, just ahead of Julia Lucas, 28, of Eugene, Ore., who took sixth in 32:40.
In the Maine races, Piers (34:22) joined Emily LeVan and Julia Kirtland as the only Maine women to win TD Beach to Beacon three times. Despite the difficult weather conditions, Piers, who has been on a tear this season, including a master’s win and 13th overall finish at the Peachtree 10K, still managed to challenge her 2009 course record of 34:17. She finished just out of the top 10 at 11th place overall and also won the Masters Women title.
Erica Jesseman, 23, of Scarborough, finished a strong second (35:43) while celebrated Maine schoolgirl runner Abbey Leonardi, 18, of Kennebunkport, who will attend Oregon on a scholarship, took third (36:27).
The Maine men’s race featured a friendly showdown between former Falmouth High School teammates Shaw and Jonny Wilson, 24, who entered the race as the dominant runner on the Maine roads in 2012, winning a series of top races. But he had yet to compete against Shaw (30:37), a Dartmouth track star who is back in Maine following a stellar senior year. Shaw finished 13th overall. Wilson (30:51) had to settle for second this time, with Robert Gomez (31:50), 29, of Saco finishing third.
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