Mathew Kimeli, center, of Kenya will be seeking a second TD Beach to Beacon 10K title on Saturday in Cape Elizabeth. Kimeli won the 2022 race. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Biya Simbassa earned top-five finishes in each of the last two TD Beach to Beacon 10K races. Does he think that makes him one of the favorites to win the men’s race Saturday morning in Cape Elizabeth?

Not hardly.

“It’s everybody, right? You don’t know who is going to be pushing the pace or who’s going to win it,” said Simbassa, 31, who placed third in 2022 and fifth last year. “You just have to do your best and hope for the best. I think this field is very scary. You just have to compete and run your own race.”

An Ethiopian-born American runner, Simbassa is one of a handful of men who could claim the Beach to Beacon title this year. The overall men’s and women’s winners each earn $10,000, with payouts down to 10th place. The fastest Americans can earn an additional $5,000.

Matthew Kimeli of Kenya won the 2022 race with a time of 28:39. With a personal-best time of 27:11 in the 10K, Kimeli could again be at the top of the podium.

Kimeli said the key is staying with the lead group, then choosing the right time to make your move.

“I was well-prepared (in 2022),” said Kimeli, 26.

Biya Simbassa listens to a question from a reporter Friday after the TD Beach to Beacon 10K press conference at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth on Friday. Simbassa is among the top American runners in this year’s race, having finished in the top five overall each of the last two years. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Drew Hunter, a Virginia native who now trains in Boulder, Colorado, recently placed fourth in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on Team USA. Like Simbassa, he’ll try to become just the second American to win Beach to Beacon, joining North Yarmouth native Ben True, who won the race in 2016.

“It’s also my first road 10K, so I’m pretty excited. I’ve always wanted to do this race,” said Hunter, 26. “It looks like the most fun road race. But I’ve always been a short distance runner, 1,500, mile, 5K. So 10K is a new distance for me.”

Hunter asked his father and coach, Marc Hunter, for advice on how to approach the race. With hills over the final half of the course, Hunter plans on running a conservative first 5K. At four miles, if he feels good, he hopes to surge on the hills. If not, the plan is to sit back before hammering the final half mile with everything he has left.

“I train in Boulder. It’s hot there, but we don’t have this humidity, so it’s a little different. It’s a great race. I’m a pretty tough runner, and I feel like I can be strategically smart on the hills. I’m hoping that helps me,” Hunter said.

Now a Beach to Beacon veteran, Simbassa said the best strategy is to not go out too fast.

“This course is tricky. You’ve got to be patient the first few miles. After two miles is when the hard part starts. Stay patient and see who’s going to make a move, and make a decision,” Simbassa said.

Other men who could challenge for the victory include Peter Mwaniki Aila of Kenya, who has 10K road race wins in India and Gabon this year and ran a personal-best 26:59 in Valencia, Spain, in January; Gebresilase Tadese Worku of Ethiopia, who is ranked No. 21 in the world at 10,000 meters and finished third in the 5,000 at the FBK games in the Netherlands a month ago; and Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco, who placed fourth in the 10K at the Moroccan championships.

In addition to Simbassa and Hunter, other American entrants include JP Trojan of Runaway, Texas, a former ACC champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 at Syracuse; and Anthony Camerieri of Brecksville, Ohio, who placed eighth in the U.S. cross country championships in January.

“There’s a few familiar faces. This is a good middle-of-the-road distance for us. It’s 10K on the road, so it feels like it’s pretty fair,” Hunter said. “The marathoners, it’s fast for them. It’s long for me. It’s good middle ground.”