FALMOUTH – The New Balance Falmouth Road Race is hosting its 47th annual run this weekend with 12,000 runners.
The course starts at Woods Hole Community Center and finishes on Grand Avenue at Falmouth Heights Beach.
Canadian Ben Flanagan was last year’s winner with a time of 32:21.
“I’ve been with it for about 10 years and it has been such a fantastic experience. Our team and our volunteers—which I can’t say enough about—we have about 2000 volunteers from the area and everyone plays a role in one way or another,” said Jennifer Edwards, general manager of the race.
The road race also has a charity program called Numbers for Non-Profits, where about 3,000 runners raise money for 150 local nonprofits.
“It is a program that raises upwards of 5 million dollars after the race for these local nonprofits. It’s probably the thing we’re most proud of,” said Edwards.
This will be the first road race without its founder, Tommy Leonard, who passed away earlier this year at 85.
The race has been thinking of ways to celebrate Leonard’s life and decided that they would do a fundraising match where the Falmouth Road Race Inc. would match whoever raised the most up to $2,500 during the week of Leonard’s birthday.
“Jen Andruzzi won,” said Edwards.
“She raised $12,200 in 7 days on behalf of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which is phenomenal.”
Tommy Leonard is also being remembered with a poster done by Karen Renaldo, a local artist who has done other race posters.
Edwards urges runners to be ready for the event this weekend.
“The race starts at 9 o’clock, we urge everyone to get down there early. It’s a challenge to get 12,000 runners down to woods hole from the Lawrence school. So it’s really important people get there in the 6 thirty to 7 o’clock hour to get on a bus to be sure they’re down there with plenty of time to spare.”
The race is date is August 18 and begins at 9 am. For more information, visit falmouthroadrace.com.
About Grady Culhane
