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Falmouth Road Race

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

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.

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

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

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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

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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 1⁄4-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

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The starting line of the 2016 Falmouth Road Race.
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)
52nd 2024  John Korir (KEN) 31:15  Fantaye Belayneh (ETH) 36:10
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 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 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 (KEN) 31:59  Jennifer Rhines (USA) 37:08
30th 2002  James Koskei (KEN) 32:10  Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 35:13
29th 2001  John Kipsang (KEN) 32:26  Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 36:26
28th 2000  Mark Yatich (KEN) 31:43  Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) 35:02
27th 1999  John Kipsang (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

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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

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  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
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