Taye, LeVan top Maine finishers in tough field

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CAPE ELIZABETH – While one runner was looking to enjoy himself in Saturday’s TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K, and enjoy the natural beauty his hometown has to offer, another used the event to gear up for several more big-time races.

Ayalew Taye of Cape Elizabeth and Emily LeVan of Wiscasset both ran uncontested to victories in the Maine division of the picturesque 6.2-miler from Crescent Beach State Park to Fort Williams State Park, with different mentalities.

“I was not expecting to win at all,” said Taye, 19, who won in 30 minutes, 46.8 seconds. “When I got here, I was not going for the win.”

Taye finished 18th overall.

LeVan, meanwhile, is hoping her speedy time of 35:01.3 in Saturday’s race, coupled with her recent track workouts, will add up to better results in the marathon.

LeVan was 85th overall.

“I’ve been doing a lot of speedwork in the last couple months, and I hope that’ll translate into a better marathon time,” said LeVan, who is gearing up for the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7.

Kirby Davis, a former University of Maine standout, finished second in the men’s race in 31:34.4. Evan Graves of Presque Isle was third in 32:03.8, 2004 champ Ethan Hemphill of Freeport fourth in 32:11.4 and Stephen Monsulick of Kents Hill rounded out the top five in 32:11.6.

With her victory, LeVan became the first Mainer to three-peat at the Beach to Beacon since Julia Kirtland won the first three races.

She finished well ahead of runner-up Jenna Krajewski of China (36:14.0).

Kristin Pierce-Barry of Scarborough was third in 36:29.2, Sheri McCarthy-Piers of Falmouth fourth in 36:39.9 and Carry Buterbaugh of South Portland fifth (36:58.6).

LeVan, who will run in next spring’s Olympic Marathon trials in Boston, was cautious with the fast first mile, with humid conditions hovering over the course.

“The first mile is hard because its all downhill,” she said. “It’s easy to go out too fast.”

If the conditions hadn’t been so humid, she could’ve not only broken 35 minutes, but possibly challenged Susannah Beck’s course record (34:43.2).

“That’s actually my goal,” LeVan said.

LeVan’s next pre-Chicago tuneup will be the National 20K Championships in New Haven, Conn., later in the summer.

One question remains. Will these shorter races equal blazing marathon times in the Windy City and at the Olympic Trials?

“I think so, I feel really good in terms of conditioning,” said LeVan.

In the men’s race Taye, who has been taking summer classes at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he’ll run cross country in the fall, had a feeling he could’ve run with the elite athletes for a mile or two, but decided to fall back on that plan.

“I could’ve gone out in the first mile with the leaders, but I stayed at my own pace,” said the former Portland High School and Cushing Academy (Mass.) cross country and track and field star.

He wound up averaging a 4:58 mile throughout the course, kept a steady pace throughout, and was never really threatened.

Taye came to the Pine Tree State from Ethiopia in 2002 and was ecstatic to add a Beach to Beacon victory to his resume.

“It feels good. Maine has been my home since I got here. I first came in 2002,” he said.

Taye will join former Maine high school running standouts Levi Miller and Brandon Bonsey at Georgetown next month.

Plenty of runners with Maine connections had outstanding races.

Yarmouth native Pat Tarpy, who became the first Maine native to run a sub 4-minute mile on Maine soil earlier this summer, finished 13th overall in 29:33.

Tarpy’s former Brown University teammate, Biddeford native Jeff Gaudette, now of Rochester, Mich., came in 22nd in 31:26.

Former University of Maine standout Jeff Caron, who trains with New Balance Boston and lives in Medford, Mass., finished 19th in 30:51.

Bar Harbor native Judson Cake, who trains with ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, N.C., finished 25th overall in 31:51.

Adam Goode of Bangor was 60th in 33:24.