Saturday in Cape Elizabeth brought with it the 18th annual TD Beach to Beach 10K. Roughly 6,400 athletes participated, including many of the best runners in the world. This year, top honors went to Kenya’s Stephen Koskei Kibet on the men’s side (28:28.2, a 4:35 pace) and Ethiopia’s Wude Ayalew (31:55.5, a 5:09 pace) on the women’s. Yarmouth’s Ben Decker, 19, finished first among Maine men, and Scarborough’s Erica Jesseman, 26, recaptured the Maine women’s crown.

Kibet and Ayalew each win a $10,000 purse, sponsored by TD Bank.

“It went pretty well,” said Robert Hall, 20, who lives in Windham (but who graduated a couple years ago from Scarborough high school). “I went through 5K in, like, 16:10, and I felt really good.

“But I just bought new shoes and they really killed my feet. So I stopped at mile five loosened them up a little bit.

But to finish third among Maine men even after stopping to fix one’s shoes is an impressive feat. “Yeah, it was good,” Hall said. “I felt really good. It is a bummer, that that happened.”

The heat and humidity seemed to affect the action; numerous runners reported that the weather slowed the entire pack. “The heat was pretty bad…Usually, Maine men, the division, is a lot faster than 32-something. It was definitely a slower day.”

Even the elite runners, many of whom hail from a much hotter climate – i.e., Africa – were thrown off the aim of breaking the course record.

“I was coming through the mile, and I could see them,” Hall said of the top entrants. “They weren’t that far. I was 5:10, they were probably 4:40-something, which is pretty slow, compared to other years.”

It’s Hall’s 10th year running the B2B, which means he’s be participating since the ripe old age of 10. “I started out running right around 54 minutes – so, weaving around people, trying to finish.

“It’s definitely a lot different coming in where I am now. But I enjoy it every year.” Hall is currently a junior at Syracuse University.

Hall – who earns $250 for his efforts – wasn’t the only Lakes Region native to post an impressive performance on Saturday. Emily Durgin, 21, of Standish, finished second to Jesseman among Maine Women. Durgin earned $500 for the half-hour’s labor.

The B2B is without question Maine’s premier road race. Founded as it was by 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won the inaugural women’s marathon, it’s also one of the most prestigious road races in the entire world, famed for its beautiful setting. The B2B begins near Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, and finishes at Portland Headlight, also in Cape Elizabeth.

The B2B is also a benefit event that each year donates $30,000 to a Maine charity. This year’s honoree was the Good Shepherd Food Bank, founded in 1981 by JoAnn Pike of Lewiston to help feed her hungry neighbors. In its 34 years, Good Shepherd has grown; it’s now Maine’s largest hunger relief organization, and serves the entire state.

Each year, the outfit, by partnering with some 600 local agencies, is able to distribute 21 million pounds of food comprising 17.5 million meals to 178,000 Mainers.

B2B is online at beach2beacon.org, and Good Shepherd can be found at feedingmaine.org.

For more photos, visit www.keepmecurrent.com/sports, and follow @CurrentSportsME on Twitter.

Cape Elizabeth’s Christina Kouros, 20, won the women’s wheelchair category in the B2B for the fourth year.Men’s winner Stephen Koskei Kibet, 28, of Kenya, finished in 28:28.2.Women’s winner Wude Ayalew, 28, of Ethiopia, finished in 31:55.5Race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson hugs women’s winner Wude Ayalew.Maine Men’s winner Ben Decker wins by a tongue.Robert Hall, who lives in Windham but graduated a few years ago from Scarborough High School, finished third among Maine Men.Freeporter Andy Spaulding, 44, took third in the Men’s Masters division, for 40-49 year olds.Racers pour across the finish line around the one-hour mark.Charlie Abrams of Gray carried an American flag with him across the finish line.Erica Jesseman of Scarborough won the Maine Women’s division again this year.Westbrooker Pete Lyons finished in 55:24.Emily Durgin, 21, of Standish, finished second among Maine Women.