The TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race celebrated its 25th anniversary this past weekend in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (August 5, 2023), on the 39th anniversary of race founder, Joan Benoit Samuelson‘s historic victory in the inaugural Women’s Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles 1984.
I have been fortunate to have been involved in the race since its inception in 1998, first covering it for our Road Race of the Month Series on ESPN, then on WCSH TV6’s Bill Green’s Maine program, and finally as the starting line & men’s lead vehicle announcer.
The years have blown by in swift order, and the event has reached iconic status. This year, TV6 did an interview with me about my long association with Joan and the race, before transitioning to a discussion about my book about my parents.
The book “Bisia & Isham: The Countess and the P.O.W.” is a wartime romance with so many twists and turns it could be mistaken for the plot of a Hollywood movie.
Samantha York (NEWS CENTER Maine)
Reavis has announced the race every year except for one. This year, the TD Beach to Beach 10K Road Race celebrated its 25th anniversary. Not only that, Reavis and the race’s founder, Joan Benoit Samuelson, share a friendship that spans back decades.
Now, Reavis is adding a new title to his resume: author. His book “Bisia & Isham: The Countess and the P.O.W.” captures his parents’ incredible love story.
“On Valentine’s Day [in] 1945, two soldiers met in a small cafe in Lublin, Poland. She was a Polish Countess, fighting for her nation’s doomed freedom. He was an escaped American P.O.W. searching for a U.S. mission,” the book’s blurb reads. “Neither spoke the other’s language. Yet 11 days later they married, beginning a life of 64 years together. The Countess and the P.O.W. is a son’s retelling of his parents’ momentous meeting, a story that illuminates the indomitable Polish character and boundless American spirit.”
Watch the full 207 interview with Reavis (linked below) to learn more about the epic love story.
Thanks to Emmy Award-winning “207” show host, Samantha York and Kirk Cratty, 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Award winner for excellence in video, for their kind and gracious coverage. Thanks to Joanie and my Cape Elizabeth, Maine host family, Bill & Linda Nickerson for the many years of friendship.
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