Cape Cod Marathon Running Weekend - Saturday & Sunday, October 27-28, 2012

Bird's Eye View of the Half! To see the entire 2011 slide show, click here!

2012 Marks the Thirty-fifth Running of the Cape Cod Marathon.

From its inception in 1978, the race has been a Falmouth Track Club event. In 1993 a marathon relay was added to the event and has grown to 200 teams. 2011 was our first year for the half marathon, it was a popular event that filled early, it will continue to be held on Saturday morning once again creating a true Cape Cod Marathon Running Weekend!

The marathon's race committee consists of volunteers from the club who donate countless hours. Their credo has been to treat every runner as a guest and pay close attention to the nitty gritty details of race organization. To that end they have succeeded remarkably well over 34 years. A vignette and an e-mail from a first-time marathoner illustrate the point.

Some years back a middle-to-back-of-the-pack runner had hit one of those low points in a race that every runner experiences. After struggling up the long incline at 15 miles on 28-A, he shuffled up to the waterstop on Palmer Avenue, thinking seriously of quitting. One of the volunteers took pity on him. She walked with him a for couple of hundred yards, offering him words of encouragement. Finally, when she was sure he would continue, she gave him a big hug and urged him on his way. He finished, and would later write the Falmouth Track Club a thank-you note in which he said that the only reason he finished the race was because of the warmth and kindness of the volunteers and that hug. For the next several years, he returned to run the marathon, and every year when he got to that water stop on Palmer Avenue, the volunteer was there waiting for him. Every year he got his hug, and every year, he finished the race.

After the 2003 edition of the marathon, the following e-mail was received:
I just ran the Cape Cod Marathon Sunday, and I wanted to thank all the organizers, officials, volunteers and spectators for all their great work and support. This was my first marathon, and because of the positive experience, it won't be my last. I was a little concerned doing this marathon because of the smaller size. I was worried that I would get lonely or discouraged along the way. I must say that the opposite occurred. Because of the size my family and friends were able to catch me at 5 different points along the way. That is something that never would be possible at a Boston or New York City marathon. The fans were just incredible. Even though the course wasn't lined with people the whole way, when you did hit spectators, even if there were just a few, they were so vocal and encouraging. They would yell out numbers, letting you know that they were cheering for you specifically. They really kept me motivated. The traffic officials did a wonderful job as well. They did a great job of keeping the cars away from runners, and not letting cars cross until there weren't any runners in site. Everyone right down to the chip collectors made this a great race, not only did they remove my chip but also retied my shoe. What a big relief knowing that I didn't have to bend down at that point. This marathon was such an amazing experience. I want to extend a big thank you to all those involved in making this race not only happen, but making it so special. Keep up the great work!!
Thank you, AF

For more information about the Marathon, Half Marathon & Relay, and for entry forms, see "About The Race."

For information about becoming a volunteer for the Marathon, see "Volunteer Sign-Up."

In its thirty-two years, the marathon has been run on three different courses - two at Otis Air Force Base and one in Falmouth. The Otis courses were out and back and multiple loop layouts that were flat and boring. Certainly passing rows of abandoned World War II barracks 3 times did not elicit images of Cape Cod! But for runners whose only objective was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, it was a perfect setting. And for those involved in staging the event, it was easy and cheap.

However, in 1984, the Falmouth Track Club voted to move the race to Falmouth onto its present one loop course, which Runner's World has called one of the ten most scenic in the United States. The challenging course is typical of New England's glaciated topography -- relatively flat for the first half and rolling hills in the second. By its layout, it simply does not forgive the runner who has not properly prepared or is foolish enough to go out too fast. Yet, year in and year out about 30% of experienced marathoners PR on the course.

For an illustrated course description, visit the Falmouth and the Marathon page.

As is typical of events with histories, the Cape Cod Marathon has experienced highs and lows, good years and lean years. The race has had fields that have ranged from a low of 83 in 1982 to a record high of 2,280 in 2007.

For a look at previous race results, visit the Results Page.
For a detailed history of the race, visit our History Page.