The Falmouth Road Race is an annual 7.0-mile (11.3 km) road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.

Falmouth Road Race
LocationWoods Hole to Falmouth, Massachusetts Massachusetts
Distance7 miles (11 km)
Primary sponsorASICS
EstablishedAugust 15, 1973
Official sitewww.falmouthroadrace.com
Participants12,800[1]

The race organizer is Falmouth Road Race, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that puts on the race each year with proceeds to benefit local charities. It has its own logo as well. The race director is Dave McGillivray of DMSE Sports, Inc.

ASICS, an athletic footwear and apparel company, became the title sponsor of the race in 2021.

History edit

 
The logo for the race organizer, Falmouth Road Race, Inc.

The race was the idea of Tommy Leonard, an avid runner and popular bartender in Boston and Falmouth. During the 1972 Summer Olympics, Leonard closed his bar in order to watch Frank Shorter win the first Olympic marathon for the United States since 1908. After Shorter won the marathon Leonard was quoted as saying "Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could get Frank Shorter to run in a race on Cape Cod?" One year later, in the summer of 1973, with the help of the town's recreation director Rich Sherman, and a local high school track coach John Carroll, the first Falmouth Road Race was run by approximately 100 people. The next year there were 445 runners, and the year after that Frank Shorter joined 850 other runners in the race, bringing Leonard's wish true. Today the ASICS Falmouth Road Race is considered one of the premier non-marathon races in the country, if not the world, attracting over 10,000 runners each year.[2] The field of runners typically includes many of the best American and international runners, including both past and future Olympic athletes.

Entry edit

More people apply for places than can be accommodated in the race, so a random selection process is held to select the field of runners. The application period is a short window of time during the first half of May. Applications must be submitted online on the race website. A number of places are especially reserved for Falmouth residents. Five runners, celebrated through the years as "The Falmouth Five" Mike Bennett, Tom Brannelly, Don Delinks, Ron Pokraka and Brian Salzberg, have officially completed 46 consecutive Falmouth Road Races.

Course edit

The beginning of the course is extremely hilly, with a starting line by the Captain Kidd Restaurant & Bar in Woods Hole, and a finish by the Falmouth Heights beach. From the start corral, one races up a gradually steepening incline and into a narrow wooded road, emerging onto a long curved coastal stretch that runs by Nobska Light, continuing along a wooded road with gentle rolling hills, emerging onto Surf Drive along a hot beach on Martha's Vineyard Sound, past beach cottages on stilts, before turning inland toward the center of Falmouth town, along Falmouth Harbor, and finally looping back to the shore route for one last 14-mile (400 m) hill that crests just before the finish.

Before 2006, promotional materials usually described the Falmouth Road Race as a 7.1-mile (11.4 km) event. In 2006, it was measured and certified to be 7 miles (11 km).[3]

Winners edit

 
The starting line of the 2016 Falmouth Road Race.

Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
51st 2023   Wesley Kiptoo (KEN) 31:08   Hellen Obiri (KEN) 35:13
50th 2022   Ben Flanagan (CAN) 32:25   Keira D'Amato (USA) 36:14
49th 2021   Ben Flanagan (CAN) 32:16   Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 36:52
47th 2019   Leonard Korir (USA) 32:11   Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 36:29
46th 2018   Ben Flanagan (CAN)[4] 32:21   Caroline Chepkoech (KEN)[4] 35:48
45th 2017   Stephen Sambu (KEN) 32:14   Caroline Chepkoech (KEN) 35:53
44th 2016   Stephen Sambu (KEN)[5] 32:10   Caroline Chepkoech (KEN)[5] 36:25
43rd 2015   Stephen Sambu (KEN)[6] 32:17   Diane Nukuri (BDI)[6] 36:47
42nd 2014[7]   Stephen Sambu (KEN)[1] 31:46   Betsy Saina (KEN)[1] 35:56
41st 2013   Micah Kogo (KEN)[1] 32:10   Joyce Chepkirui (KEN)[1] 36:43
40th 2012   Stanley Biwott (KEN) 31:59   Margaret Wangari Muriuki (KEN) 36:54
39th 2011   Lucas Rotich (KEN) 31:37   Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (USA) 36:58
38th 2010   Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) 32:20   Wude Ayalew (ETH) 35:46
37th 2009   Tilahun Regassa (ETH) 31:41   Mamitu Daska (ETH) 36:23
36th 2008   Tadese Tola (ETH) 32:01   Edith Masai (KEN) 37:02
35th 2007   Micah Kipkemboi Kogo (KEN) 31:53   Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 36:31
34th 2006   Gilbert Okari (KEN) 31:53   Alevtina Ivanova (RUS) 35:43
33rd 2005   Gilbert Okari (KEN) 31:59   Lornah Kiplagat (NED) 36:13
32nd 2004   Gilbert Okari (KEN) 31:08   Alevtina Ivanova (RUS) 36:13
31st 2003   John Kipsang Korir (KEN) 31:59   Jennifer Rhines (USA) 37:08
30th 2002   James Koskei (KEN) 32:10   Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 35:13
29th 2001   John Kipsang Korir (KEN) 32:26   Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 36:26
28th 2000   Mark Yatich (KEN) 31:43   Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 35:02
27th 1999   John Kipsang Korir (KEN) 32:06   Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 36:32
26th 1998   Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) 31:48   Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 36:10
25th 1997   Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) 31:58   Colleen De Reuck (USA) 36:19
24th 1996   Joseph Kimani (KEN) 31:36   Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 35:37
23rd 1995   Joseph Kamau (KEN) 32:10   Delilah Asiago (KEN) 36:23
22nd 1994   Benson Masya (KEN) 31:59   Laura Mykytok (USA) 37:01
21st 1993   Simon Karori (KEN) 32:30   Colleen De Reuck (USA) 36:42
20th 1992   Benson Masya (KEN) 31:52   Lynn Jennings (USA) 36:13
19th 1991   Steve Kogo (KEN) 32:14   Sabrina Dornhoefer (USA) 37:32
18th 1990   Salvatore Bettiol (ITA) 32:55   Aurora Cunha (POR) 36:39
17th 1989   Salvatore Bettiol (ITA) 32:14   Aurora Cunha (POR) 36:21
16th 1988   Mark Curp (USA) 32:22   Anne Hannam (NZL) 36:36
15th 1987   Rolando Vera (ECU) 32:19   Aurora Cunha (POR) 36:59
14th 1986   Arturo Barrios (MEX) 32:17   Lorraine Moller (NZL) 36:54
13th 1985   David Murphy (USA) 32:02.3   Joan Benoit (USA) 36:17.7
12th 1984   David Murphy (USA) 32:17   Joan Nesbit (USA) 37:00
11th 1983   Joseph Nzau (KEN) 32:20   Joan Benoit (USA) 36:21
10th 1982   Alberto Salazar (USA) 31:53.3   Joan Benoit (USA) 36:33.7
9th 1981   Alberto Salazar (USA) 31:55.6   Joan Benoit (USA) 38:15.5
8th 1980   Rod Dixon (NZL) 32:20.4   Grete Waitz (NOR) 37:12.3
7th 1979   Craig Virgin (USA) 32:19.7   Ellison Goodall (USA) 38:16
6th 1978   Bill Rodgers (USA) 32:21   Joan Benoit (USA) 39:07
5th 1977   Bill Rodgers (USA) 32:23   Kim Merritt (USA) 38:40
4th 1976   Frank Shorter (USA) 33:14   Joan Benoit (USA) 43:08
3rd 1975   Frank Shorter (USA) 33:24   Jennifer Tuthill (USA) 44:23
2nd 1974   Bill Rodgers (USA) 34:16   Debbie Richie (USA) 44:31
1st 1973   Dave Duba (USA) 39:16   Jennifer Tuthill (USA) 47:23

Wheelchair division edit

The race also has a wheelchair division with course records held by Daniel Romanchuck, USA, at 21:58 and Tatyana McFadden, USA, at 26:15, both set in 2019.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Gambaccini, Peter (2013-08-12). "Micah Kogo Edges Ben True at Falmouth Road Race". Runner's World. Rodale Inc. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
  2. ^ "Home". falmouthroadrace.com.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2007-02-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ a b Connolly, John (2018-08-20). "Ben Flanagan finishes Falmouth Road Race with a flourish". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
  5. ^ a b Lotsbom, Chris (2016-08-22). "Kenyans Sweep at Sunday's Falmouth Road Race". Runner's World. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  6. ^ a b Springer, Shira (2015-08-17). "Kenyan Stephen Sambu beats the heat to win Falmouth Road Race". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  7. ^ Cassidy, Patrick (2014-08-17). "Saina, Sambu, Senbeta and McFadden win Falmouth Road Race". Cape Cod Times. Local Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
List of winners

External links edit