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 a local high school track coach John Carroll, and the town's recreation director Rich Sherman, 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 New Balance 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. The field of runners typically includes many of the best American and international runners, including both past and future Olympic athletes.
Entry
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 at the . A number of places are specially reserved for Falmouth residents. Five runners, Mike Bennett, Tom Brannelly, Don Delinks, Ron Pokraka and Brian Salzberg, have officially completed every Falmouth Road Race.
Course
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, along a hot beach on Martha's Vineyard Sound, and past the estates of Belvidere Plains, before turning inland toward the center of Falmouth town, finally looping back to the shore route for one last hill that crests just before the finish. Before 2006, promotional materials usually described the New Balance Falmouth Road Race as a event. In 2006 it was measured and certified to be.
Winners
Key:
Edition
Year
Men's winner
Time
Women's winner
Time
47th
2019
32:11
36:29
46th
2018
32:21
35:48
45th
2017
32:14
35:53
44th
2016
32:10
36:25
43rd
2015
32:17
36:47
42nd
2014
31:46
35:56
41st
2013
32:10
36:43
40th
2012
31:59
36:54
39th
2011
31:37
36:58
38th
2010
32:20
35:46
37th
2009
31:41
36:23
36th
2008
32:01
37:02
35th
2007
31:53
36:31
34th
2006
31:53
35:43
33rd
2005
31:59
36:13
32nd
2004
31:08
36:13
31st
2003
31:59
37:08
30th
2002
32:10
35:13
29th
2001
32:26
36:26
28th
2000
31:43
35:02
27th
1999
32:06
36:32
26th
1998
31:48
36:10
25th
1997
31:58
36:19
24th
1996
31:36
35:37
23rd
1995
32:10
36:23
22nd
1994
31:59
37:01
21st
1993
32:30
36:42
20th
1992
31:52
36:13
19th
1991
32:14
37:32
18th
1990
32:55
36:39
17th
1989
32:14
36:21
16th
1988
32:22
36:36
15th
1987
32:19
36:59
14th
1986
32:17
36:54
13th
1985
32:02.3
36:17.7
12th
1984
32:17
37:00
11th
1983
32:20
36:21
10th
1982
31:53.3
36:33.7
9th
1981
31:55.6
38:15.5
8th
1980
32:20.4
37:12.3
7th
1979
32:19.7
38:16
6th
1978
32:21
39:07
5th
1977
32:23
38:40
4th
1976
33:14
43:08
3rd
1975
33:24
44:23
2nd
1974
34:16
44:31
1st
1973
39:16
47:23
Wheelchair division
The race also has a wheelchair division with course records held by James Senbeta, USA, at 23:32 and Tatyana McFadden, USA, at 26:27.
