Falmouth tradition hot stuff
FALMOUTH — The heat and humidity didn’t put a damper on yesterday’s 47th annual Falmouth race, as open division titles went to Sharon Lokedi of Kenya and U.S. Army soldier Leonard Korir, who became the first American man to win here in 31 years.
Records also fell in the wheelchair categories to Daniel Romanchuk and Tatyana McFadden.
The race, the first since the January death of founder Tommy Leonard at age 85, offered a little bit for everybody.
The 21-year-old Romanchuk burst off the start line adjacent to the Captain Kidd Restaurant in Woods Hole and never looked back en route to a three-peat victory in a record time of 21:58, easily erasing the old standard of 23:16, which he set in 2017. He also won here a year ago in 23:48.
“I don’t pay any attention to anyone else around me. I concentrate on my race But, it’s really special when you realize the history of this race,” said Romanchuk, who won April’s Boston Marathon.
The irrepressible McFadden, 30, who is the only person to sweep the Boston, Chicago, London, and New York City Marathons in the same year (2013), hit the finish tape in 26:15, dipping under her 2015 course mark of 26:27.
“It was a pretty humid and really tough and this course is quirky and demanding. But it allows you to test certain things and everything is being geared toward Tokyo Olympics in 2020,” said McFadden.
Korir became the first American man to win at Falmouth since Mark Curp in 1988. He pulled away from four-time champion Stephen Sambu down the stretch for the victory.
Said Korir: “I’ve been trying to win this race five times. I am so happy. I am so excited. I didn’t want to say in the future that I ran this race seven times and never won.”
The 32-year-old Korir took home a first place award of $10,000 plus an additional $3,000 as top American.
Women’s elite division winner Lokedi paid the price by landing in the medical tent.
“I knew that this race was going to be hot and humid. From the beginning, I was just trying to stay with people and keep moving every mile. I said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m getting close, keep going. After the Finish Line I didn’t realize anything. I don’t know if I fainted or not,” said Lokedi, who stayed upright.
Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the marathon, who has won the open division category at Falmouth a record six times, crossed the line in a nifty 45:26.
“This was humid. I saw the sun poking out as I came over the (final) hill,” said the spry 62-year-old Samuelson. “I didn’t really have a goal. I just wanted to run. I have no speed just a lot of support from the fans out there.”
One athlete who didn’t seem to mind the distance, heat or humidity was precocious 10-year-old wheelchair entrant Madelyn Wilson of Auburn, finished in fifth place with a time of 52:25, drawing huge cheers from spectators gathered en masse at Falmouth Heights.
Wilson, who attends the Knox Trail Middle School in Spencer, was racing the event for the fourth year.
“It was fun that I got to do it with all the other wheelchair athletes. It was a little humid but I got excited. I hope someday I hold all the records,” said Wilson, who was born with spina bifida.
Several local entrants had solid efforts. Princeton native Colin Bennie took ninth in 33:15. Maine native Riley Masters was a second ahead in eighth place. On the women’s side, former Bishop Feehan and Stanford star Abbie McNulty (seventh, 38:18), Nell Rojas, the daughter of ex-Harvard great Ric Rojas ran eighth (38:26), and former BU star Katie Newton was 10th (38:38). Desi Linden, who won the Boston Marathon two years ago, was ninth (38:33).