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Back home in Ethiopia, Berhane Adere is a running legend. She is a former 10,000-meter world champion, and at age 36 she just keeps going.
Perhaps she will break the women’s course record of 31 minutes, 26 seconds today in TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K.
But don’t count out her countrywoman, Aheza Kiros, just 23 but already a force in both track and field and road racing. Or Volha Krautsova of Belarus, or Irini Limika of Kenya.
Welcome to the 12th running of the Beach to Beacon 10K, featuring wide open fields for the elite men and women and the possibility of several course records, including those for Maine men and women.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of records not only broken, but shattered if the weather cooperates,” race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson said at a press conference Friday morning. “We definitely have the cards in the deck here to do that.”
Behind Samuelson, rows of the world’s best runners rested comfortably in white chairs under a tent at the Inn by the Sea. Sprinkled among them were North Yarmouth’s Ben True, 23, and Falmouth’s Sheri Piers, 38 — both capable of establishing new marks for Maine residents.
The elite women’s field shrank to less than 10 when defending champ Edith Masai withdrew because of visa issues and several eastern Europeans were late scratches.
The top contenders are expected to be Adere, Kiros, Krautsova, Limika and Nadia Ejjiani of Morocco.
Alevtina Ivanova of Russia set the women’s course record of 31 minutes, 26 seconds in 2006.
Adere, who’s age may seem to put her near the end of an elite career, is training for a marathon.
“They always think that about her. Whenever they think she’s through, she comes back and surprises,” said Larry Barthlow, the race’s elite running coordinator. “She told me the other day she’s never worked this hard.”
Ilsa Paulson, 20, was the first American women at the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta on July 4 and will try for a similar performance today.
Paulson went against the grain and left college — Northern Arizona — after one semester to begin a pro running career at 19. She suffers from a learning disability that affects her processing ability and she often studied until 2 a.m. before rising at 5 to train.
“Your body and your mind start to break down,” Paulson said. “I’m very at peace with my decision. I prayed a lot about it and asked God for guidance. In my heart God told me I’ve given you the gift of running, go make the most of it.”
The men’s field is even more wide open. It includes defending champ Ed Muge, 26, fellow Kenyans James Kwambai, 26, Felix Limo, 28, and Boaz Cheboiywo, 30; as well as Ridouane Harroufi, 28, of Morocco.
Three-time Beach to Beacon champ Gilbert Okari, 31, of Kenya, is also in the field. He holds the course record of 27:28, set in 2003.
Haron Lagat, 25, of Kenya will be running less than two weeks after being attacked by a pair of pit bulls during a training run in Lubbock, Texas.
Lagat, a volunteer assistant coach at Texas Tech, was attacked for nearly 10 minutes before help arrived. He suffered bites on his leg, shoulder and back and had to have a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
He arrived in Maine this week and was paired with a host family who, much to his relief, has only a cat as a pet.
“I love dogs,” said Lagat, placing both palms on his chest and smiling.
“Right now, though, I’m scared of a Chihuahua.”
Lagat is hoping for at top-eight performance.
True, a Dartmouth College graduate who plans to pursue running full-time in Oregon in the fall, is hoping to break 29 minutes — a time that would crush the Maine men’s record of 30:34 set by Eric Giddings in 2005.
“I’ll sit back a little and watch what happens in front of me,” True said. “Twenty-nine is the over-under. A good day, I’ll go a lot faster than that. “This is the first time in a long time I’m going to run hard on Maine soil in front of a Maine crowd. It’s go big or go home.”
On the other side of the head table Friday, in the audience, sat Mike Stone, 57, one of the 6,000 registered runners.
Stone, a race volunteer the previous 11 years, recently lost 60 pounds and is running the race this year for the first time.