By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

CAPE ELIZABETH — For as long as he can, Bill Reilly of Brownfield plans to outrun Father Time.

At 65, Reilly placed at Number 313 at last Saturday’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, winning his age class in 41 minutes, 16.6 seconds.

“I have been pointing toward this race since last year when I finished behind my chief competitor Bob Sholl,” said the longtime Fryeburg Academy varsity cross-country running and spring track coach. “I live for challenges, and this year Bob and I were entering a new age group 65-69. I love big races and Beach to Beacon is recognized as a major world competition right in our backyard. It doesn’t get any better. It’s like getting invited to the Masters in Augusta to play a round with the big boys.”

Reilly preaches the importance of dedication to the sport of competitive running to his young Raiders — and he lives by that same creed.

“My training is at a national elite level. I run through little aches and pains and rarely miss a day of training,” said Reilly, who owns a real estate agency in Fryeburg. “I had a severe hamstring pull at a race in Standish in March and had to pull up and walk home. My training for B2B was supposed to begin two weeks later. I could hardly run for two weeks and I began my own program for recovery, which I have perfected over the years.”

Reilly was able to start “hard workouts” two weeks later with more progression each week. He planned on 16 weeks of solid training, good diet habits, core strength workouts and 8 to 9 hours of sleep.

“My weekly workout is 40 to 50 miles with one hard four-mile tempo run, one 10 x 400 race pace interval session, one long run of 10 to 14 miles and four days of easy running,” he said. “Between running a real estate business full-time and coaching, my day fills up quickly, but I always find the time somewhere in the day for my workout, no excuses. It sustains me and allows me to live a lifestyle of high-energy activity with a lot of fun.”

Saturday’s race conditions were somewhat brutal with soaring temps and humidity.

“The day was hot and I adjusted my opening mile to a 6:15 instead of 6 minutes. I hit the four-mile mark at 26:15, slightly faster than my Bridgton 4 on the Fourth time. My plan was to try and leave my competition behind early and see how my energy levels were at the four-mile mark,” Reilly said. “The last two miles are rolling with a couple of good hills so it was important to save something for that portion of the course or you can really slow down.”

Reilly felt strong and pushed on at about a 6:45 minute pace through the hills with a good sprint at the finish.

“I was quite happy to win my age group and even happier when I discovered I had run faster than anyone in the 60-64 age group,” he said.

Always the coach, Reilly was extremely happy to see his star runner, Silas Eastman, had won his age group and was 53rd overall in 33:39.7.

“I was very happy for him, especially since he got to line up with some the fastest runners in the world,” Reilly said. “In my day, it would have been like playing catch with Willie Mays.”

Finding Reilly at a high school cross-country meet is quite simple — just look for the guy with a stopwatch who never seems to stand still.

“Why do I keep going? I know that someday I will grow old and I will pass on. It is a biological certainty. Yet while I am here, I want to enjoy life to the fullest,” he said. “Physical activity is my elixir.”

He truly means it.

Four years ago, Reilly went to Rome for 12 days. Unlike the average tourist, Reilly took a much different approach to sightseeing.

“I got up at 5 a.m. every morning and ran 6 to 7 miles on a new route each day. I ran 80 miles of Roman streets including the Appian Way taking in sight after sight to store in my memory banks,” he said. “Now, that is worth training for!”

Finishing strong and winning his age class certainly put a smile on Bill Reilly’s face Saturday, but he also added another great memory to his running career. He was able to shake the hand of legendary runner Bill Rogers.

“We had a great conversation about how great cross-country running is!” he said.

Reilly also snapped a photo of three running greats — Rogers, a four-time Boston and four-time New York City Marathon winner; Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic Marathon gold medalist and Boston winner; and Frank Shorter, Olympic Marathon gold and silver medalist — who were together at the race on Saturday.

“I met them all and it was an unbelievable day,” Reilly said.

Beach to Beacon recap

Kenyans Stanley Biwott and Margaret Wangari-Muriuki prevailed in hot, humid conditions last Saturday morning, winning the men’s and women’s titles at the special 15th edition of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in Cape Elizabeth.

Biwott (27:59) ran a strong race, seemingly less affected by 80-degree weather and 60% 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.

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 towns who finished the winding, picturesque 6.2-mile course on a sunny, hot and humid morning on the Maine coast. Thousands of spectators lined the course and filled bleachers at the finish to cheer the runners.

“This race was as spectacular as all the others have been,” said David Weatherbie, race president for each of the 15 years. “We’ve had some warm and humid conditions the past few years, but that’s done little to dampen the enthusiasm of all involved, including the runners. A ton of work and effort goes into the TD Beach to Beacon and I am very proud of and grateful for

BILL REILLY of Brownfield (right) is congratulated for winning his age division by legendary runner Bill Rogers after last week's TD Beach to Beacon 10K race in Cape Elizabeth.

our sponsors, organizing committee, volunteers, DMSE, and the Town of Cape Elizabeth and its residents for their efforts, year in and year out.”

The TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K is one of the most sought-after road races in the country, combining small-town charm with big-city crowds and top world-class athletes. In 2012 for the first time, more than 6,000 runners followed the winding course through the coastal town of Cape Elizabeth, starting near Crescent Beach State Park on Route 77, and crossed the finish line at the Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

Locally, Silas Eastman, 17, of Chatham, N,H. finished at #53 in 3:39.7. The Fryeburg Academy senior won his age class (15 to 19). Meanwhile, Tim Even, 23 of East Stoneham checked in at #58 in 34 minutes 3.2 seconds.

Here is how other Lake Region area competitors finished:

119. Kyle Rhoads, 42, Windham, 37:10.0

159. Jessica Shaknis, 28, Naples, 38:18.2

313. Bill Reilly, 65, Brownfield, 41:16.6

408. Sam Brockelbank, 18, Raymond, 42:38.2

503. Chris Roy, 21, Naples, 43:41.9

660. Glen Roy, 51, Naples, 45:11.7

678. Dave Sheldrick, 37, Sebago, 45:18.0

794. Phil Allard, 31, Raymond, 46:12.6

900. Pamela Clay-Storm, 45, Fryeburg, 46:56.4

949. Sara Bradley, 32, Waterford, 47:14.3

1098. Peter Brooks, 38, Fryeburg, 48:12.1

1277. Christina Sabasteanski, 43, Raymond, 49:13.1

1358. Christopher Webb, 37, Bridgton, 49:30.7

1424. Tim Jacques, 50, Naples, 49:54.5

1482. Lucy Algeo, 18, Raymond, 50:12.6

1743. Teddy Coffin, 39, Raymond, 51:29.3

1807. Matt Sabasteanski, 45, Raymond, 51:51.3

1876. Steven Barker, 47, South Casco, 52:10.9

1991. Sabrina Donnelly, 39, Raymond, 52:39.8

2118. Tracy Burk, 40, Denmark, 53:19.5

2123. Paula Berry, 430, Raymond, 53:20.4

2403. Jennie Meserve, 41, Bridgton, 54:43.0

2524. Jeff Raymond, 39, Casco, 55:15.4

2845. Linda Davis, 62, South Casco, 56:36.5

2941. Leanne Boody, 30, Naples, 57:02.9

2997. Jeffrey Meserve, 36, Raymond, 57:17.9

3272. Jeffrey Jones, 37, Casco, 58:33.3

3360. Kristen Charette, 47, Fryeburg, 58:39.5

3313. Kathryn Brown, 47, Naples, 58:39.8

3534. Bill Wood, 59, Harrison, 59:36.4

3789. Amy Siebert, 35, Naples, 1:00:51.1

3961. Eric Fernald, 36, Casco, 1:01:41.3

4008. Bob Payne, 74, Raymond, 1:01:56.1

4012. Jacky Swindler, 53, Raymond, 1:01:56.9

4135. Scott Dyer, 44, Stow, 1:02:40.0

4324. Tanya Dykstra, 33, Hiram, 1:03:46.4

4526. D. Strock, 43, East Baldwin, 1:05:07.7

4898. Paul Tracy, 64, Raymond, 1:08:11.1

4904. Susan Prince, 50, Fryeburg, 1:08:13.2

4959. Anita Day, 56, Fryeburg, 1:08:42.1

5083. Amy Pond, 37, Naples, 1:09:56.7

5226. Dianne Jacques, 47, Naples, 1:11:13.3

5237. Laura O’Donnell, 49, Naples, 1:11:21.4

5259. Eileen Edwards, 60, Naples, 1:11:38.8

5295. Rebecca Tracy, 58, Raymond, 1:12:03.2

5330. Elly Walker, 46, Brownfield, 1:12:26.0

5404. Troy Roma, 40, Raymond, 1:13:06.7

5515. Jillian Fernald, 35, Casco, 1:14:50.5

5576. Janet Guidi, 58, Harrison, 1:15:55.1

5654. Chris Simocko, 53, East Baldwin, 1:17:47.1

5655. Ashley Holland, 25, West Baldwin, 1:17:47.9

5803. Jennifer Gillespie, 42, Raymond, 1:21:10.9

5816. Trish Hayes, 29, Raymond, 1:21:27.3

6004. Heidi Darling, 40, Lovell, 1:31:21.2