Monday, August 6, 2007

Falmouth Road Race (Pre-Race report)

When I lived in the Boston area from 1977-1988, there were two road races that the casual running fan in New England followed--the Boston Marathon, held each year on Patriot's Day in April and the Falmouth Road race, held on Cape Cod in August. Back then, I was more into softball and basketball and occasionally would run and train for a sporting event sponsored by the university. But still, Falmouth intrigued me as it had some of the greatest names of track and field participating. The Bill Rogers, Frank Shorters, Marty Liquoris, etc. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever participate in this race. And, yet, next Sunday, this will be my 5th time I had a chance to run the Falmouth Road Race.

I will post a link of the Falmouth Road Race in 'My favorites' section on the side. Please read about the history of the event. But, in short, in 1973, a bunch of guys were sitting around in a bar in Woods Hole, MA and wanted to celebrate Tommy Leonard's birthday (a bartender and running advocate) . So they decided to run to a bar called the British Beer Company that was located 7.1 miles away in Falmouth Heights, MA. And, thus the Falmouth Road Race began. What was once just a handful of people participating in that first race has now grown into a 10,000+ participant event with some of the most renowned world class runners. In fact, you can't just sign up for the race but need to enter a lottery to get in.

The Falmouth Race weekend has become somewhat of a guys weekend. My friend Steve was the first to talk me into going. I had just started running and to participate in this race was like entering a World Series game as a rookie. I had no idea of what the course was about and the thing I remember was that it was hot. Up to that point, 7 miles was the longest I ever ran so I was just glad I finished.

The following year, something changed in the guys weekend thing. You see, that year, I beat Steve in the race. I remember crossing the finish line and was surprised Steve wasn't there. About a half-hour later, I finally found him and he asked me what was my time. I will never forget the look on his face when he discovered that I beat him. That was a kin to the United States beating England in a World Cup match in the 1950's. It wasn't suppose to happen. But, it did.

Since then, the Falmouth Road Race has been hotly contested between the two of us. The third year, Steve did win by about 4 minutes. Last year was a doozy. Steve and I went back and forth for the first 3 miles. Then I went out in front and stayed there until the last hill (about 1/2 mile from the finish). I didn't know that Steve was on my shoulder. I thought I won the race going away. I made a bad tactical decision as I assumed I won the race and glided to the finish, happy in the knowledge that I was also going to set a PR! Imagine my surprise when I crossed the finish and there was Steve.

As I grow older, I realize these type of get togethers are things that get me through my life. It gives me an opportunity to look forward to something. And not just running the race, but getting together with a friend over a weekend. It adds memories to our lives. We talk about past races and 'trash' talk about who is going to win. All in good clean fun. Let the better man win this year!

(Update: Last week, I didn't have a chance to run as work got in the way. I did manage to run 10 miles around Lake Galena on Sunday, and did it fairly comfortably considering how warm it was. I seem to have gotten over my sinusitis episode and feel pretty good. I don't feel real confident going into the Falmouth Race as I haven't run any race since mid-June so I have nothing to gauge myself. If Sunday is hot, I have no shot. None. If it is overcast and mild, I might be able to pull an upset. It is a bit of a stretch but Steve has been concentrating on mileage and not speed, so I might be able to do what he did last year and tail him and pass him at the end. )

This will be a fun weekend. By the way, you can view the Falmouth Road Race on line. Read the following I received in an e-mail from the race directors.

Live Webcast: This year for the first time the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race will be webcast live in its entirety. This remote live stream will follow the lead runners and give you a bird's eye view of the race from start to finish. The webcast will be seen on www.wbz1030.com and is provided to you by WBZ Radio in Boston, the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race and Cape Cod E-Com of Yarmouth Port.

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