ASICS Falmouth Road Race Fact Sheet

The first Falmouth Road Race, founded by Tommy Leonard in 1973, started at The Captain Kidd restaurant in Woods Hole, and ended at The Brothers Four Night Club in Falmouth Heights. The race follows the same 7-mile route today.
The first race attracted less than 100 runners. Since then, it has grown into one of the premier running events of the summer with over 11,000 runners participating and thousands applying for the random selection process in hopes of gaining a spot.
Since the first race was held, Falmouth Road Race has served as a fundraiser for local charities and organizations beginning by supporting the girls of the newly formed Falmouth Track Club in 1973.
The first official wheelchair race happened at the Falmouth Road Race in 1975 when Bob Hall took the title of wheelchair champion. FRR was the first race in the country to host an official wheelchair division.
- The late Dick and Rick Hoyt were the first wheelchair duo team. The pioneering duo competed in hundreds of races but held their longest road race streak at the Falmouth Road Race with a record 37 races completed.

The annual Falmouth Track Festival mile races, presented by ASICS, will be taking place on Friday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. The Track Festival will feature the Tommy Cochary High School Mile, the Elite Wheelchair Mile, and the Elite Mile.
This year is the 16th anniversary of the Tommy Cochary High School Mile and the 24th anniversary of the Elite Mile.
The 24th annual SBLI Family Fun Run will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 9 a.m. This free event will include races for kids ages 2-12, refreshments, DJ, a photo booth, glitter tattoos, fun games, giveaways, and more!
- The SBLI Family Fun will kick off the morning with the third annual Mascot Race, which will feature iconic mascots of the New England region who will race alongside each other.
The 54th annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race 7-mile event will take place on Aug. 16, with a new start time of 8 a.m.
- The earlier start time is intended to prioritize the safety and well-being of runners, and volunteers and to have less impact on the community on race day.
The post-race experience at the ballfield on Sunday will include free refreshments for finishers, photo opportunities, as well as access to the popular hotdog tent for finishers, families and friends!

Over $16 million in estimated economic impact is generated by the event through purchases made at local businesses, lodging, and overall tourism brought to Falmouth each year.
Since 2012, the Falmouth Road Race, Inc. has given back over $6.1M to the community in the form of scholarships to graduating high school seniors, grant awards, donations to volunteer groups who support the race, sponsorships of local events, and the completion of various large projects to benefit the town (eg, a new track at FHS, a new floor at the FHS Field House, and the fitness room at the Falmouth Senior Center).
Through the Numbers for Nonprofits Program, the race has helped raise over $80.4 million to date for charities and organizations based in Massachusetts. More than 4,200 runners will participate this year to raise money for 211 official charity teams.
Last year’s charity runners brought in over $8.9 million, the highest fundraising numbers in the history of the program.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund have hosted a team of runners for the vast majority of the program’s history. Each year, the organization has recruited an average of 325 charity runners for their team. Dana-Farber’s Falmouth Road Race team has raised over $12.7 million since 2003.