Falmouth Road Race 2018 Guide: Route, Traffic Restrictions, More

FALMOUTH, MA – The 2018 Falmouth Road Race will take place this Sunday, Aug. 19. The race kicks off with wheelchair division at 8:40 a.m., followed by the elite women at 8:50 a.m. and the elite men and first pulse at 9 a.m.

As anyone who's run or watched the race before knows, preparation begins well before the start time. Here's everything you need to know about the Falmouth Road Race, courtesy of the race website:

Course Route

The race is seven miles long and begins in front of the Woods Hole Community Center.

• Proceed out of Woods Hole, take a right onto Church Street, then wind around Nobska Lighthouse and continue along the hilly, tree-lined road
• At three miles you emerge from the woods and continue for 1.5 miles along the beach, next to the waters of Vineyard Sound
• Turn left onto Shore Street and 400 yards later turn right onto Clinton Avenue
• Turn left onto Scranton Avenue, 600 yards later turn right onto Robbins Road to the top of Falmouth Harbor
• At the end of Robbins Road, turn right onto Falmouth Heights Road and continue until you once again see the ocean
• Last turn left, head up hill to Falmouth Heights and down to the finish line along Grand Avene at Falmouth Heights Beach

Video of the route is below:

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, Aug. 15

• 6-8 p.m. – Volunteer Appreciation Party – at the Coonamessett Inn, 311 Gifford Street *RSVP is required*

Thursday, August 16th

• 5-9 p.m. – Health & Fitness Expo and Number Pick-up OPEN
• 5:30-8:30 p.m. – NBFRR Sports Medicine Conference: Come for all or part of the talks! This symposium is offered to all medical personnel (even if you are not a medical volunteer) who are interested in road race medicine. Pre-registration is required.

Thursday Guests:

• 5-6:30 p.m. – Paul Clerici – “A History of the Falmouth Road Race – Running Cape Cod” – at the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Booth
• 6-8 p.m. – Roseann Sdoia – “Perfect Strangers” A Boston Marathon bombing survivor on adventures in friendship, strength, and recovery
• 6:30-7:30 p.m. – August Thygesen – Race Poster artist –at gift bag handout

Friday, August 17th

• 10 a.m.-9 p.m. – Health & Fitness Expo and Number Pick-up OPEN

Friday Guests:

• 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 6:30-9 p.m. – Paul Clerici – “A History of the Falmouth Road Race – Running Cape Cod” – at the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Booth
• 5-6 p.m. – Roseann Sdoia – “Perfect Strangers” A Boston Marathon bombing survivor on adventures in friendship, strength, and recovery
• 4-5 p.m. – August Thygesen – Race Poster artist –at gift bag handout

Saturday, August 18th

• 9 a.m.-4 p.m. – Health & Fitness Expo and Number Pick-up OPEN
• 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. – Des Linden – First American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years (moderated by Toni Reavis)
• 10 a.m. – Falmouth Walk at Town Hall Square 3.2 or 1.5-mile walk in downtown Falmouth
• 11 a.m.-12 p.m. – Team Hoyt – Wheelchair Duo legends, Rick & Dick Hoyt
• 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. – Past Champions/ Legends Panel discussion with Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Stephen Sambu, Tatyana McFadden, and Rod Dixon (moderated by Toni Reavis)
• 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – World Marathon Challenge 7/7/7 panel – Seven marathons on seven continents in seven days: Kelly McLay, Nick Wishart, Renee DeMarsh, Becca Pizza, and Dave McGillivray (moderator and participant)
• 4 p.m. – SATURDAY TRACK FESTIVAL: SBLI Family Fun Run, Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile, Tommy Cochary High School Mile

Celebrity Gift Bag Hand-out Appearances- get your goodie bag, and maybe an autograph or a selfie, from one of our invited guests!

Saturday Guests:

• 9-9:30 a.m., 10:30-11 a.m. – Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon champion and two-time Olympian
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Tedy Bruschi, 3-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and founder of Tedy’s Team on behalf of the American Stroke Association
• 11:30 a.m. – Tatyana McFadden, Paralympic gold medalist, 4-time Grand Slam winner – Boston, London, Chicago, and New York marathons
• 12:30 p.m. – Gabriela Tavares, Miss Massachusetts 2018
• 2:30 p.m. – Sunita Williams, NASA astronaut and U.S. Nacy officer; held record for most spacewalks by a woman (seven, totaling 50 hours and 40 minutes) and ran the first marathon in space. Book & Poster Signings – at the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Booth
• 9-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. – Paul Clerici – “A History of the Falmouth Road Race – Running Cape Cod” – at the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Booth
• 10:30-11:15 a.m. – Austen Thygesen – Race Poster artist –at gift bag handout
• 11 a.m.-3 p.m. – Roseann Sdoia – “Perfect Strangers” A Boston Marathon bombing survivor on adventures in friendship, strength, and recovery

FALMOUTH TRACK FESTIVAL – SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th at the FHS James T. Kalperis Track

• SBLI FAMILY FUN RUN – 4:00 PM
• AETNA FALMOUTH ELITE MILE – 5:00 PM
• TOMMY COCHARY HIGH SCHOOL MILE – 5:30 PM

Race Day

• 5:45-7:45 a.m. – Buses running from Lawrence Jr. High to the Start, for runners only. Bus loading will be according to bib schedule this year; however, runners will not be denied access to buses if they miss their designated window.
• 6:30-7:45 a.m. – BIKE VALET: Runners can drop off theier bikes at the corner of Grand Ave. and Crescent Ave. and take a bus to Woods Hole. Buses will run to the Start every 15 minutes from 6:00 AM, last bus is at 7:15. Must have a bib and a bike and be pre-registered.
• 8 a.m. – Early Start for qualified individuals
• 8:40 a.m. – Start of Wheelchair division, presented by Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Wheelchair Duos
• 8:50 a.m. – Women Elite Start
• 9:00 a.m. – Elite Men and Open Start
• 11:30 a.m. – Course closes

Click here for more information for runners on race day.

Traffic And Safety

Woods Hole (Starting Line): Water Street in Woods Hole will be closed to vehicle traffic at 5 a.m. Boats will be restricted from accessing the Eel Pond Bridge Dock on Water Street and the Commercial Fishing Dock on Albatross Street from 5-10 a.m.

Falmouth Heights (Finish Line): Grand Avenue will be closed from Walden Avenue to Worcester Court at 4 am and reopen later in the afternoon. Select streets in Falmouth Heights (see map) will close at 5 a.m. and stay closed long enough for runners to clear the finish line, and for clean-up crews to properly police the area.

Falmouth (Race Route): All other roads along the race route leading from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights will be closed to ALL vehicular traffic at approximately 8:15 a.m and reopened soon after the last runner has passed.

Ferry Service, including the Steamship Authority (Woods Hole), Island Queen (Falmouth), and Falmouth-Edgartown Ferry (Falmouth): The aforementioned ferries are only accessible from the race route, which will be closed to all traffic from 8:15 a.m. until the last runner passes. Please arrive early or plan to use the ferry service later in the day.

Non-alcoholic event: The Falmouth Road Race is a non-alcoholic event, and all laws governing the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages will be enforced.

Searches: As a safety precaution, personal bags and/or containers are prohibited in Woods Hole and Falmouth Heights during this event. Any such items will be subject to searches by Falmouth Road Race Personnel and/or public safety officials. Prohibited Items List

Parking: Motorists should make every effort to park their vehicles in proper parking areas, as illegally parked vehicles will be towed. Parking information (2017 Update: Parking on the grass median of Worcester Court is now prohibited)

Drones: The entire route of the Falmouth Road Race is a “No Drone Zone.” The public is being advised NOT to operate any type of drone (unmanned aerial vehicle), including remotely controlled model aircraft, over or near the course, or anywhere within sight of runners or spectators. FAA: “Never fly over groups of people” (14 CFR 107.39)

Image via Shutterstock