CAPE ELIZABETH – It wasn’t a question of who was going to win the women’s division in the ninth TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K Saturday. It was a question of whether Alventina Ivanova would set a course record.

The 31-year old Russian ran unchallenged, breaking the finish-line tape and Catherine Ndereba’s old course record with a time of 31 minutes, 25.7 seconds and beating her closest opponent by 57 seconds.

Finishing a distant second was Edna Kipligat of Kenya (32:22.7), while Luminita Talpos of Romania was third (32:26.3). Rounding out the top five were 2004 champ Susan Chepkemei (32:39.1) of Kenya and Lidia Simon (32:57.5) of Romania.

In the men’s race, three-time defending champ Gilbert Okari of Kenya seemed to be in control in the early miles, but countryman Tom Nyariki made a gutsy move at mile five, where the course becomes hilly, and never relinquished the lead.

Nyariki, 34, entered Fort Williams Park alone after dueling with Okari and Lawrence Kiprotich throughout the race. The resident of Concord, Mass.’ won in 27:47.5. Kiprotich was second in 28:03.8, Okari third in 28:08.9, Evans Cheryout of Kenya fourth in 28:08.9 and John Korir of Kenya finished in 28:35.8 to round out the top five.

In the women’s race, Ivanova had an interesting dream the night before the race.

“In my dreams, I thought I would come in second,” Ivanova said through translator and seventh-place finisher Tatiana Chulakh, also from Russia.

The dream didn’t come true, and Ivanova left her opponents far behind, dreaming that they could catch her, which on this day, would be impossible. Ndereba, who won the race five times, set the record of 31:32.8 in 2001.

Ivanova was ecstatic with the time, not only a course record but something even better: a personal best.

“I’m very happy [with the time], its my fastest time in a 10K,” she said. “This year I’ve only been training fast and short distances.”

She had her pacing down to a science too, averaging 5:04 per mile.

“I wanted to run five minute miles,” Ivanova said.

In the men’s race, a Beach to Beacon title was something Nyariki couldn’t fathom three years ago.

After an incident in Kenya where his car was hijacked and he lost sight his right eye, his career appeared to be over.

However, on a picture-perfect August morning in Cape Elizabeth, it was Nyariki’s day.

“This is very special to me,” he said. “I got encouragement from my people at home, they said ‘You can do it.'”

Like Okari, Nyariki was cautious in his pacing, as he went through the first mile in roughly 4:30 and was in a pack of roughly 10 runners.

By the time they turned onto Shore Road just after the 5K mark, it was a two-man race.

“After [we] went ahead, we knew that everyone was getting tired,” Nyariki said.

Nyariki encouraged his fellow countryman to push with him, but Okari had strained his hamstring a bit while zig-zagging his way up Old Ocean House Road, and couldn’t generate a move after Nyariki passed him just before mile five.

Nyariki had something else on his mind besides winning: a personal-best time.

“I had no intention of winning, I just wanted to better my time,” he said.

He may have had no intention of winning, but the cheers at scenic Fort Williams belonged to a man who may have deserved them more than any other in the race.

“I’m really happy,” he said with a wide smile.

A total of 4,813 runners from 16 countries and 43 states finished the race on a gorgeous Maine morning. Thousands of spectators lined the course to cheer the runners.

“We saw some amazing races from Alventina’s remarkable run to Tom Nyariki’s inspirational performance,” said Joan Benoit Samuelson, the race founder 1984 Olympic marathon winner.

“And the Maine runners put on a show,” she added. “Everyone who took part was a winner today, from the athletes to the volunteers, to the town of Cape Elizabeth and the lead sponsor, TD Banknorth. What more can you say.”

The top American finisher was Ed Moran of Williamsburg, Va., eighth in 28:43.0.

The Maine men’s and women’s winners were Donnie Drake of Portland (31:15.8) and Emily LeVan of Portland (35:39.5), Wayne Levy of Newton, Mass., was the men’s masters winner (32:51.7) and Mimi Fallon of Walpole, Mass., the women’s masters winner (37:31.9).

Patrick Doak of Concord, Mass., won the wheelchair division with a record-setting time of 23:59, a 3:52 per-mile-pace that snapped the record of 24:12 set by Tony Noguira in 2002.

Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci competed in his fifth Beach to Beacon and finished in a time of 1:07:09.

In the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine Corporate Challenge, UnumProvident won the mixed team division while L.L Bean won the men’s division. and Maine Medical Center captured the women’s division.

Race officials awarded $60,000 in prize money, including $10,000 to Nyariki and Ivanova plus $5,000 for the second-place finishers and cash prizes for the top 10 finishers. Winners in the other categories also received $1,000 top prizes.

The race beneficiary was the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation, selected in recognition of the support shown by the town of Cape Elizabeth. CEEF is a nonprofit organization that enriches learning for Cape Elizabeth youth by funding innovative projects, and also serves as a resource in helping other Maine towns start education foundations. TD Banknorth, through the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation, provided a cash donation of $30,000.