2015 Falmouth Road Race: Top Female Finisher Photos

#1 Diane Nukuri

#2 Sara Hall

#3Sentayehu Ejigu

#4 Neely Gracey

#5 Amy Cragg

#6 Monicah Ngige

#7 Alexi Pappas

#8 Laura Nagel

#9 Katie Matthews

#10 Liz Costello

#24 Kara Haas First Master

#25 Joan Samuelson First Senior

2015 Falmouth Road Race: Top ElliptiGO Finishers

Some of the top finishers at this year's Falmouth Road Race are also ElliptiGO riders. Here are some photos I took on Heights Hill near the finish line of these athletes. Nine of the top 17 female runners have done some training on the ElliptiGO. I put a * next to those who are more casual riders. Three of the top twelve men have trained on an ElliptiGO.

2nd place female Sara Hall

4th place Neely Gracy

5th place* Amy Cragg

7th place Alexi Pappas

10th place Liz Costello

12 place Stephanie Dinius and 14th place Clara Santucci

16th place* Katie Dicamillo

17th place* Meghan Peyton

8th place Chris Derrick

10th place Meb Keflezighi

12th place* Zach Hine

170th place Brian Baker-3rd from left (6th age group) ran his 37th consecutive Falmouth Road Race
in the exact time 45:10 that he did 37 years ago in his first Falmouth at 17 years old.
Brian started supplementing his training with the ElliptiGO this winter and it is
paying off for him with faster times and healthier running.

Frank Shorter (no shirt) won Falmouth in 1975 and 1976.
Last year I talked with him about riding the ElliptiGO. Frank has one!

Here is my post on the top ElliptiGO races at last year's Falmouth Road Race and Falmouth Mile (which was not held this year).

I finally got a chance to start reading Paul Clerici's new book History of the Falmouth Road Race. I just take photos for fun since I can't run anymore, but I am thrilled to see that four photos I took of the race last year are included in the book.

And of course, this is how I get to my spot on Heights Hill where I photograph the race.
I grew up about a half mile from the finish line and ran this hill and these roads
hundreds and hundreds of times!

History of the Falmouth Road Race by Paul Clerici: Wheelchair Competition

(On July 6, 2015, the first-ever book entirely about the Falmouth Road Race was published. Entitled “History of the Falmouth Road Race,” it is written by Massachusetts runner and writer Paul C. Clerici, author of “Boston Marathon History by the Mile” and “History of the Greater Boston Track Club.” In a series for Recover Your Stride, he has provided some anecdotes, tales, and tidbits that will run here on a regular basis leading up to the 43rd edition of the Falmouth Road Race on August 16.)

Paul C. Clerici: Wheelchair competition at the Falmouth Road Race began for the men in 1975 and for the women in 1979. Bob Hall, Natalie Bacon, and Craig Blanchette have each won the most races overall with eight apiece. Hall dominated Falmouth with the first eight titles from 1975 to 1982. Bacon also was untouchable as she won the first eight titles from 1979 to 1986. And Blanchette won his eight crowns in 1991, 1992, 1995 to 1998, 2000, and 2010. Amazingly, 19 years separate his first and eighth victory!

Jim Hansen: My first Falmouth Road Race was in 1975 and I remember Bob Hall racing in his wheelchair quite vividly. He started with all the runners and as I headed down the hill from the wooden bridge on Church Street towards the ocean, I suddenly heard a loud cry, "On your left!" and I moved out of the way as Bob Hall came hurtling down the road in his metal wheelchair. 

Here is a photo I took of Bob Hall after the 1980 Falmouth Road Race.

Here is a photo I took of James Senbeta winning the 2014 Falmouth Road Race.

Here is my photo of Tatyanna McFadden winning the 2014 Falmouth Road Race.
Other 2014 photos can be found here. 

Paul C. Clerici: In the Falmouth Road Race, there have been 12 course records set in the men’s open division (Gilbert Okari’s 31:08 in 2004 is the current CR); 13 course records in the women’s open division (Lornah Kiplagat’s 35:02 in 2000 is the current CR); 18 course records in the men’s wheelchair division (James Senbeta’s 23:32 in 2014 is the current CR); and eight in the women’s wheelchair division (Tatyana McFadden’s 27:06 in 2014 is the current CR). And interestingly in regard to international wins, while there have been 32 in the men’s open division and 25 in the women’s open division, there has only been one international winner in the men’s wheelchair division (from France in 1994) and only one international winner in the women’s wheelchair division (from Finland in 2006) - all other wheelchair wins have come from Americans.

I met Paul last year and was thrilled to find out that he was writing a book on the history of The Falmouth Road Race. This is the one of many tidbits from the race that he will be providing my blog in anticipation of this year's Falmouth Road Race. If you are like me and enjoy reading background information and hearing the history of the great runners and races from the "running boom" years, you might want to do a few things in anticipation of reading Paul's upcoming book.

My blog has a lot of photos and information on the early days of the Falmouth Road Race. The first year that I ran was the historic 1975 race. You can read about it here. Kings of the Road: How Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar Made Running Go Boom by Cameron Stracher tells about the runners and the races that made the "running boom" and the 1975 Falmouth Road Race plays a pivotal role. You can read my review here. Paul has written other books on running including Boston Marathon History by the Mile and History of the Greater Boston Track Club I am very much looking forward to reading Paul's new book on The Falmouth Road Race.

History of the Falmouth Road Race by Paul Clerici: 2003 A Surprised Winner

(On July 6, 2015, the first-ever book entirely about the Falmouth Road Race was published. Entitled “History of the Falmouth Road Race,” it is written by Massachusetts runner and writer Paul C. Clerici, author of “Boston Marathon History by the Mile” and “History of the Greater Boston Track Club.” In a series for Recover Your Stride, he has provided some anecdotes, tales, and tidbits that will run here on a regular basis leading up to the 43rd edition of the Falmouth Road Race on August 16.)

I bet you didn't know on which day of the week the first Falmouth Road Race was held.

Paul C. Clerici: August in the Cape can be notorious for its hot weather, of course, and the Falmouth Road Race is no exception. One of the hottest race’s was in 2003. Heading into the final miles of the race were leaders Olga Romanova of Russia, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, and Jen Rhines of the U.S. The heat can play tricks on a runner’s mind, but Rhines recalls running solo in third place when she saw Ndereba drop out around four miles. Unable to see Romanova ahead of her, and satisfied with a second-place finish at Falmouth, Rhines was pleasantly surprised to hear all the cheers as she closed in on the finish line. But the applause was for her victory, as unbeknownst to the American, Romanova had dropped out in the Heights, and Rhines won.

Here are two photos I took of Jen Rhines at the 2014 Falmouth Road Race.

 I met Paul last year and was thrilled to find out that he was writing a book on the history of The Falmouth Road Race. This is the one of many tidbits from the race that he will be providing my blog in anticipation of this year's Falmouth Road Race. If you are like me and enjoy reading background information and hearing the history of the great runners and races from the "running boom" years, you might want to do a few things in anticipation of reading Paul's upcoming book.

My blog has a lot of photos and information on the early days of the Falmouth Road Race. The first year that I ran was the historic 1975 race. You can read about it here. Kings of the Road: How Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar Made Running Go Boom by Cameron Stracher tells about the runners and the races that made the "running boom" and the 1975 Falmouth Road Race plays a pivotal role. You can read my review here. Paul has written other books on running including Boston Marathon History by the Mile and History of the Greater Boston Track Club I am very much looking forward to reading Paul's new book on The Falmouth Road Race.