RACE HISTORY

YEAR-BY-YEAR SUMMARY OF RACE HIGHLIGHTS

1973 — The first Falmouth was officially called the "Falmouth Marathon," but a curious public wasn't sophisticated enough to get hung up on such details. On a chilly, rainy Wednesday in August, 92 runners gathered at the Captain Kidd Restaurant in Woods Hole to run to another bar in Falmouth Heights. The brainchild of bartender Tommy Leonard was born. Dave Duba, 21, of Michigan, established himself in Falmouth history, winning the race in 39:16. Jenny Taylor of Cambridge captured the women's race in 47:23. John Carroll, co-race director, served as the starter, timer, and finish judge, with able assistance from his wife Lucia. Rich Sherman, the other director, ran the race, while his wife, Kathy, led the cheerleading on the last hill before the finish. Little did they know that they would be working together for decades to come. The runners were rewarded with personal satisfaction and a memorable post-race party. The spirit of the Falmouth Road Race was born. "We all ran for the love of the sport and to share each other's company," said race founder Tommy Leonard. "Afterward, everyone was jammed into the Brothers Four, singing 'I believe in music, I believe in love.' I had tears in my eyes. What a beautiful sight. I'll always remember old Johnny Kelley dancing and jitter-buggin' all night."

1974 — This was the year a young college graduate known then as 'Will' Rogers burst onto the scene, registering the first of his four victories at Falmouth in a time of 34:16. For his efforts, he won a blender. No one was quite sure who Will Rogers was, but when he won the Boston Marathon the following April, people around the world would know the name of Bill Rodgers. The race also landed its first 'name' runner, in top miler Marty Liquori of Villanova, who finished second to Rodgers in a field of 445. Twenty-five runners beat Duba's winning time of the year before. Concord's Debbie Richie knocked almost three minutes off the women's course record, leading the pack at 44:31.

1975 — When Tommy Leonard concocted the idea of a summer road race, he was watching the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. His fantasy was to someday have Olympians run in Falmouth and he especially hoped '72 marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter would be among them. This was the year Tommy's dream came true. Shorter came to town to face off with Rodgers, who was fresh off his Boston Marathon victory and looking for a repeat performance at Falmouth. With these two heavyweights leading the way, the race burst upon the national running scene and a field of 850—large by 1975 standards— came along to see the shootout of the superstars. Shorter got the best of Rodgers, pulling away near the five-mile mark and cruising to an 11-second victory in a record time of 33:24. Jenny Tuthill, Falmouth's first female champion, returned to the winner's circle, with a record-setting time of 44:23.

1976 — Shorter-Rodgers II. The rematch was set and the field exploded to 2,090 entrants as the running boom was in full swing. Falmouth had clearly emerged as one of the nation's top races. Shorter, running at his peak, was coming off a silver medal effort in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, while Rodgers was in his shadow but clearly still one of the best runners in the country, if not the world. The race proved to be a carbon copy of 1975, with Shorter winning by 11 seconds on a misty, cloudy day. The course record was broken again, going to 33:13. A young, up-and-coming Boston-area runner by the name of Alberto Salazar surged near the end and finished an impressive fifth. He would be heard from again. On the women's side, a diminutive runner from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, named Joan Benoit won the race in a course record 43:08. She, too, would make her mark again on the roads of Falmouth and the world.

1977 — Falmouth continued to grow in size and stature. It was hailed as a genuine world-class event and a huge throng of 3,500 runners went to the starting line on Water Street in Woods Hole. This was the first year Perrier sponsored the race and the field was deep and talented. Coming off another Boston Marathon win, Bill Rodgers, now known as "Boston Billy," "Maestro of the Macadam," and "King of the Roads," was chased by Alberto Salazar for six miles before pulling away to victory and breaking Shorter's record by 50 seconds. On the women's side, Kim Merritt of Racine, Wis., won and shattered Benoit's course record of the previous year by more than four minutes, running 38:40, faster than Duba won the men's race in '73. Still considered a "people's race," the field included a six-year-old boy and a blind runner who ran with his hand on a friend's shoulder.

1978 — Four thousand runners, and this year the race was called "the best road race ever in the United States at any distance." The list of runners read like a "Who's Who," with only Frank Shorter, coming off heel surgery, missing among the world's elite. Sports Illustrated's Kenny Moore called the 1978 race "the best organized race of this size I've ever been in." Bill Rodgers, in the midst of a streak which saw him win 16 races in two years, including two Boston marathons, two New York City marathons and a pair at Falmouth, was at the top of his game. He outran the star-studded competition and shaved two seconds off his course record (32:21). Salazar made news again, but this time for collapsing with heat exhaustion at the finish and being rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He recovered and would have his day in the sun in a couple of years. For the first year, the women's record stayed intact, as Joan Benoit won, but couldn't eclipse Kim Merritt's 1977 mark. Records would come later for Benoit.

1979 — The small fun run of 1973 had matured into a massive 5,000-runner race. Bill Rodgers was back to defend his title, and Frank Shorter returned to Falmouth for the first time since 1976. Craig Virgin, who was third in 1978 and promised to return the next year and win, made good as he became the fifth champion of the event, winning one of Falmouth's most memorable races in record time (32:19.7). Ponchos, slickers, and umbrellas were the order of the day, as rain sprinkled intermittently over the Cape. Four of the top six men's finishers called Boulder, Colo., home. Wellesley's 24-year-old Ellison Goodall captured the women's race, knocking 25 seconds off Kim Merritt's 1977 record time.

1980 — Falmouth moved into a new decade as one of the established jewels on the international running scene. Defending champions Craig Virgin and Ellison Goodall were out with injuries, and they missed quite a race. Just 19 seconds separated the top five finishers in the men's division, with New Zealand's Rod Dixon emerging as Falmouth's first international winner. Norway's Grete Waitz, the most dominant women's runner in the world, cruised to victory, and in the process became the first woman to run under 38 minutes (37:12.3). Dave Duba, Falmouth's first victor, returned to run Falmouth for the first time since his triumphant run of 1973. "This is really something," he marveled. The field was cut to 4,000 runners to make the organization more manageable, and one of the runners was a bald boxer from Brockton by the name of Marvin Hagler, who ran in sweat pants and heavy construction boots.

1981 — Alberto Salazar, best remembered in Falmouth for collapsing at the finish of the 1978 race, was standing tall this year. It was figured that no less than 22 of the top 25 runners in the country were in the field of 4,345, but Salazar was the star of stars. A track specialist from the University of Oregon, and a former state high school champion out of Wayland, Mass., Salazar breezed to a record-setting victory over defending champion Rod Dixon and became the first runner to break 32 minutes (31:55). Joan Benoit coasted to her third Falmouth title in winning the women's division. One of the more inspiring participants was Jerry Traylor of West Virginia, who had cerebral palsy and completed the course on crutches. Runner's World magazine named Falmouth winner of its prestigious Nurmi Award as the "Best U.S.A. Road Race." But not all the news was good—for the first time since 1973, the familiar orange Porsche Targa pace car was missing due to repairs.

1982 — The 10th race was one of the fastest in history, as four of the top seven best Falmouth times ever were run this year. The winner's circle didn't change any—Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit successfully defended their titles - but the course records certainly did. Coming off a victory in the Boston Marathon, Salazar moved out early in the race and cruised to a race record 31:53.3, a mark which stood for 10 years. Craig Virgin, on a comeback from a serious kidney ailment, finished second, recording the third-fastest Falmouth time ever (32:12). Benoit's fourth Falmouth triumph was her fastest, as she wiped out Grete Waitz' women's record by almost 40 seconds, posting a 36:33.7. On a hot, humid day, 51 of the 4,573 runners required medical attention, including two for broken legs. For the first time, CBS-TV carried a 17-minute same-day segment on the race, with Frank Shorter doing the commentary work. Ruth Rothfarb, 81, ran and finished and became the race's oldest woman competitor ever.

1983 — If she wasn't already, then this was the year Joan Benoit became the First Lady of Falmouth. Running as the favorite, she went wire to wire to win for the third year in a row and fifth time overall. Her effort was the all more remarkable because she was competing with a painfully infected toe and still she set a course record (36:21). The men's race figured to be wide open and it was left to a diminutive 31-year-old from Kenya, Joseph Nzau, to emerge the victor in one of the most competitive races in Falmouth history. He won by just seven seconds over countryman Simeon Kigen. Two-time defending champion Alberto Salazar, saddled with general fatigue from a bout with bronchitis, watched the finish from the press truck. Olympic pole vaulting gold medallist Bob Seagren was one of the official finishers.

1984 — Prize money was officially awarded for the first time at Falmouth, although financial compensation and inducements had long been a part of the running scene. But this year it was above the table, and Dave Murphy of Great Britain and Joan Nesbit of North Carolina stepped forward to claim the $6,000 first prizes. In all, $46,000 was awarded and 5,004 answered the starting gun on a hot, sun-splashed day. Murphy worked hard for the money, overtaking Mark Curp in the last 200 meters to win Falmouth's closest race ever. The race marked Curp's third top-five finish in three years. This was an Olympic year and defending champions Joseph Nzau and Joan Benoit stayed home, both recuperating from running marathons in Los Angeles, where Benoit captured the gold medal. Nesbit, helped by a new staggered starting system, recorded the fourth-best women's time at Falmouth with a 37:12.

1985 — If Dave Murphy snuck up on the field to win in 1984, then this time he returned a marked man, the defending champion. But he was just one of a bunch of runners which comprised "the deepest field ever for an American non-marathon race." The unheralded Murphy figured to have his hands full, but he was ready, as he methodically ran down the world's best and won again, this time in the third-fastest time ever (32:02). His two wins put him in the select company of Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Alberto Salazar as the only men with back-to-back victories. One by one, would-be winners faded until there was only Murphy and the more-renowned Olympians Steve Jones and Robert de Castella remaining with a mile to go. Both Jones and de Castella, two of the fastest marathoners in history, took shots at Murphy, but neither could sustain the pace. It was Murphy who emerged in front at the top of the hill in the stretch and beat Jones in a sprint to the finish. The women's race was another crowning achievement for Joan Benoit, who won Falmouth for the sixth time. She did it in record fashion, too, lowering her own course record to 36:17.

1986 — A new face emerged on the stage, as 23-year-old Arturo Barrios of Boulder, Colo., by way of Mexico City, dominated another deep and talented field to win with relative ease. He made a shambles of the race by running away from a pack of 12 at the four-mile mark and was never threatened again. Barrios' win was not unexpected, as he had won every road race leading up to Falmouth, save the Boston Marathon, where he was fifth in his first effort at the distance. The surprise of the day was Lorraine Moller upsetting Joan Benoit to win the women's race. Moller had finished second in the Commonwealth Games marathon just three weeks before the race, but she obviously still had something left. Benoit could do no better than fifth. Marty Cooksey was second, followed, in order, by twin sisters Lesley and Lisa Welch. The total field of 5,500 runners was the largest ever to compete.

1987 — In celebration of the 15th running, a gigantic American flag hung above the finish line, but once again the foreign domination of Falmouth continued. This time, a diminutive Rolando Vera of Ecuador was first under the flag as he ruled the roads in a relatively slow time of 33:13, while Aurora Cunha of Portugal was the women's winner in a quick 36:59. Vera, only 5-1, 108 pounds, performed like a heavyweight as he KO'd the world's best, winning by a comfortable 18 seconds over runner-up Keith Brantly. Vera's winning time, however, was the slowest since Frank Shorter in 1976. Eight of the top 10 men were foreigners. On his way to the awards ceremony, Vera stopped to take some snapshots of the flag. Cunha broke away from Teresa Ornduff with a mile to go to win the women's race, marking only the seventh time the 37-minute barrier has been broken on the distaff side. A couple of the prerace favorites, Olympians Joseph Nzau and Lisa Martin, started but didn't finish. Nzau, the 1983 winner, was last seen trying to hitch a ride from the pace car, which didn't stop.

1988 — Falmouth's "Sweet Sixteen" race was indeed a sweet one for Mark Curp in particular, and for U.S. road running in general. Curp, one of Falmouth's most consistent performers over the years, ran down a talented field to win in 32:27. Curp, of Lee's Summit, Mo., beat Steve Spence of Hanover, Pa., by five seconds. Finishing third was 1987 runner-up, Keith Brantly, of Gainesville, Fla., making it a 1-2-3 sweep for the Americans, the first time that happened at Falmouth since 1979. And overall, seven of the top 10 men were from the U.S. On a warm, sunny day that attracted 5,200 official runners and thousands of spectators, Curp became the first American to win the men's division since Alberto Salazar in 1982. His victory was particularly satisfying since he came into the race with five top-10 finishes on his Falmouth resume, including a second in 1984, but had never headed the field. The women's race was all it was cracked up to be, as New Zealander Anne Hannam held off Betty Jo Geiger to win by four seconds in 36:36. Hannam led most of the race, but Geiger sprinted past her at the seven-mile mark. Geiger, however, had misjudged the finish line of the 7.1-mile course and didn't have enough left to hold on over the final 200 yards. The masters' race drew much attention, as Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter, both of whom turned 40 years old, returned to the scene of some of their stirring duels in the 1970s. Rodgers proved masterful. He won the division in 33:50, finishing an impressive 23rd overall and running 26 seconds faster than he did in 1974 when, at the age of 26, he won his first Falmouth.

1989 — The foreign domination returned to Falmouth in a big way, led by newcomer Salvatore Bettiol of Italy and 1987 women's champion Aurora Cunha of Portugal. Bettiol, running here for the first time, ran away from Salvador Garcia of Mexico to win in 32:14. The margin of victory was 13 seconds and Bettiol's time was the seventh fastest ever, but still well off Alberto Salazar's record of 31:53.3. Rob de Castella of Australia forced the pace early and finished a strong third. Steve Spence of Boulder, Colo., finished fifth and was the only American in the top 10, unlike the previous year when Mark Curp led a 1-2-3 sweep for the U.S. Cunha's victory was her second in as many tries at Falmouth. She won in 1987, but missed the '88 race. Her winning time (36:21) was the second-fastest ever by a woman, just off Joan Benoit Samuelson's record run of 36:17.7 in 1985. Lisa Weidenbach of Issaquah, Wash., was second in 36:39 and Judi St. Hilaire of Fall River, Mass., was third. Jim Knaub of Long Beach, Calif., won the wheelchair race, shattering the course record by 2:07, finishing in 27:13. In the masters' divisions, Wilson Waigwa of Kenya won the men's 40-and-over class. Defending champion Bill Rodgers was never a factor. Laurie Binder of Oakland, Calif., was the women's masters' winner. While the foreign runners were in high gear, the Mazda Miata pace car was stuck in reverse at the starting line. Race directors John Carroll and Rich Sherman had to push the car off to the side of the road in Woods Hole, and for the first time in the history of the event, they did not see their own race. Two runners, one dressed in a Batman cape and cowl, and another in the white skin, green hair and red grin of the Cape Crusader's arch-enemy, the Joker, were in the race. Justice prevailed: Batman handily defeated the Joker. Two Falmouth favorites, Ruth Rothfarb, 88, and Johnny Kelley, 81, ran and finished. Kelley was one of a handful who had run and completed all 17 races.

1990 — In the closest finish in race history, Salvatore Bettiol outsprinted Ed Eyestone to defend his title. The diminutive 30-year-old Italian kicked past Eyestone, of Bountiful, Utah, to win by one second. Eyestone tried to win it wire to wire, leading from the start, and had as much as a 70-yard lead on the pack midway through the race, before Bettiol started to reel him in. Bettiol's winning time of 32:55 was the slowest since Frank Shorter won in 1976. Aurora Cunha of Portugal also defended her 1989 women's title and notched her third Falmouth victory in as many tries with a winning time of 36:39. This marked the first time since 1981-82, when Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit won, that the race had repeating champions in both the men's and women's divisions. In another impressive performance, 41-year-old John Campbell of New Zealand finished fourth overall and set a masters' division record with a time of 33:07, shattering by 43 seconds the old mark held by Bill Rodgers when he won the age group in 1988. Candace Cable set a course record for women wheelchair racers (34:07), while Jim Knaub won the men's race for the second straight year. Falmouth's international reputation continued to grow, as a top runner from the Soviet Union competed for the first time. Natalia Bobrova was 13th in the women's race. Cool, blustery conditions put a damper on the postrace party, but there was a run on the hot-food tables. The final statistics: 10,000 hot dogs were served.

1991 — Only 24 hours before a devastating hurricane would rip through Cape Cod, hitting Falmouth particularly hard, Steve Kogo took the race by storm and blew away a deep and talented field to win in a breeze. The 30-year-old native of Kenya, by way of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and his training base in Boulder, Colo., felt right at home in the oppressive humidity as he won in a time of 32:14, a whopping 38 seconds ahead of runner-up Dionicio Ceron of Mexico. Kogo broke the race open as the field emerged from the wooded section of the course around three miles and was never challenged, although he did have to sidestep a bouncing tire that broke off the press-truck trailer during the race. The media made it to the finish line none the worse for wear. It was quite a turnaround from Kogo's first Falmouth effort in 1987, when he finished 44th. The women's race was hotly contested, but in the end Sabrina Dornhoefer of Minneapolis, fresh off winning a gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the Pan American Games in Cuba, won by 16 seconds over Felicidade Sena of Portugal. The wheelchair division saw two course records, as Craig Blanchette beat Louis Antonio in a photo-finish. Candace Cable made a shambles of the women's wheelchair record she set the year before, finishing 5 minutes, 47 seconds faster than 1990's time. Laurie Binder became the first woman to win the masters (40 and over) race and place in the open division as well. She was 12th overall. The men's masters' winner was Manuel Vera of Mexico. Hurricane Bob landed on Monday with terrifying fury and part of the destruction was a portion of the race course along Surf Drive that was washed away. Before the storm hit, race organizers put out a public plea for volunteers to help pack away and secure tents and other equipment, and one of the helpers who came forward was Tom Ansberry of Tucson, who the day before finished third in the race.

1992 — This was one for the books: the record books. The 20th running of the race attracted its first winner, David Duba, who returned to find a star-spangled event far different from the one he won in 1973. Rainy, gray skies didn't dampen the festive atmosphere, and the conditions gave the runners a boost, especially Benson Masya and Lynn Jennings. The weather was perfect for fast times and both long-standing men's and women's course records fell. Masya, a former Kenyan boxer, erased Alberto Salazar's 1982 standard of 31:53.3, running away from countryman Simon Karori to finish in a time of 31:52. On the women's side, Lynn Jennings, who as a high school runner from the central Massachusetts town of Harvard competed in Falmouth against Falmouth High teams coached by race co-director John Carroll, returned to the area and broke Joan Benoit Samuelson's record. Jennings, of Newmarket, N.H., who a few weeks before the race won an Olympic bronze medal in the 10,000 meters in Barcelona, was in top form as she took the record to 36:13, five seconds faster than Samuelson ran in 1985. The women's race was one of the fastest ever. Wilma Van Onna of Holland was runner-up to Jennings, with Olga Markova of Russia third, Judi St. Hilaire of Fall River fourth, and Anne Marie Letko fifth, all under 37 minutes. Masya and Jennings each earned $11,000, including $1,000 bonuses for their records. Craig Blanchette of Springfield, Ore., also set a new mark in winning the men's wheelchair race. Ann Walters won the women's division for the third time.

1993 — Before the race, rumors were rampant that a certain recreational runner residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., might hop over from a Martha's Vineyard vacation and join the 21st annual parade of 8,000 runners. But President Clinton decided to remain on the island and play golf. That left the stage to an international array of stars and the bright lights were Simon Karori of Kenya and Colleen de Reuck of South Africa. Karori, runner-up the year before when Benson Masya set the course record, sprinted off the Woods Hole starting line and set a pace only countryman and training partner Dominic Kirui could match. Karori's nickname in Swahili is "Punda," meaning wild donkey, and he ran appropriately with unbridled abandon. Kirui hung in until there was less than a mile to go, but finally wilted under Karori's attack. The winning time was 32:20, well off Masya's record run of 31:52, but the satisfaction of winning—and a $10,000 share of the $80,550 prize-money purse—was enough for Karori. Kirui held on to finish second, and third through six place—separated by only six seconds—were Khalid Kairouani of Morocco, Keith Brantly of Florida, John Treacy of Ireland (and Rhode Island), and Michael Bilyeu of Oregon. The women's race went to the South African DeReuck, a 1992 Olympic marathoner who was finally free to compete outside her homeland after years of isolation because of apartheid. "It was all just so lovely," she said of Falmouth. And so it was. She raced to victory in 36:42, a comfortable 31 seconds in front of Elena Viazova of the Ukraine. Rosanna Munerotto of Italy was third. Prerace favorite Wilma Van Onna was fourth. And six-time Falmouth champion Joan Benoit Samuelson finished 13th. Jim Knaub won the men's wheelchair race for the third time. Ann Walters staked a claim as one of the top performers in the history of Falmouth with her fifth women's wheelchair victory.

1994 — A former champion and a fresh face were the stories this year as Benson Masya of Kenya and Laura Mykytok of Hershey, Pa., shared the winner's circle. Masya, who won in 1992 and set the record, returned after a year's hiatus, and was in top form. He made a run at his course mark of 31:52, but settled for victory in 31:59. Arturo Barrios of Mexico, a Falmouth champion in 1986, was runner-up in a strong 32:06. Barrios, who entertained himself over the weekend catching striped bass, couldn't catch Masya, who joined two-time winner Alberto Salazar as the only men to crack 32 minutes over the demanding course. Mykytok, meanwhile, made her first Falmouth foray a memorable one as she led a blanket finish. The 26-year-old won in 37:01. Right on her heels were Elena Viazova of Ukraine (37:03) and prerace favorite Anne-Marie Letko of Atlanta (37:04). It was the closest women's finish in race history as Myktyok kicked down the final hill to hold off Viazova and Letko, who collapsed and was treated for heat exhaustion. Mustapha Badid of Austin, Texas, set a course record in winning the men's wheelchair division in 24:41. Rose Winand of Boston won the women's wheelchair race in 31:01. Martin Mondragon of Mexico City captured the men's masters in 33:54, while the women's master winner was Diane Legare, 43, of Montreal, who finished in 41:51. Bob Hall captured the wheelchair masters in 27:20. And Falmouth being Falmouth, one of the compelling sidebars to the day was the performance of Jamie LeGeyt of Brewster. The 7-year-old, 42-pound youngster, who was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down, pushed his 18-pound racing wheelchair over the hills and through the woods. He completed the course in an emotional wave of applause and then said, "It was pretty neat. The best part was the downhills. I had fun."

1995 — Prerace speculation suggested this might be the year Americans returned to the winner's circle of what once was dubbed "The Great American Road Race." Not since 1988, when Mark Curp of Lees Summit, Mo., has a U.S. man been first to the tape. However, a funny thing happened on the way to a red-white-and blue celebration. Well, maybe not that funny. The U.S. men got toasted, again. For the fifth consecutive year a Kenyan won the men's race; this time it was unheralded Joseph Kamau, a 23-year-old Falmouth rookie who raced the 7.1 miles in 32 minutes, 10 seconds, one tick faster than countryman Ibrahim Kinuthia. The top U.S. finisher was Chris Fox of Hagerstown, Md., who ran a gutsy race, but still could do no better than 10th. Todd Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., anointed as a prerace favorite, was never a factor. On the women's side, 23-year-old Delillah Asiago became the first Kenyan to win the women's race, in a time of 36:23. She was a comfortable 34 seconds in front of 1993 Falmouth champion Colleen DeReuck of South Africa. Laura Mykytok of Raleigh, N.C., the 1994 Falmouth winner, was third. In the wheelchair race, 1992 champion Craig Blanchette won the men's division. Candace Cable came out of a two-year retirement to win the women's race for the third time. LeAnn Shannon, only 12, of Orange Park, Fla., finished third.

1996 — The parade of Kenyans continued and this time they took it to another level, shattering records across the board. The men's mark fell to the fleet feet of Joseph Kimani, the prerace pick who lived up to his press clippings. He ran the course in 31:36, smashing Benson Masya's 1992 standard by 16 seconds. Kimani spotted Peter Githuka what seemed to be a comfortable lead before he ran him down over the last couples of miles. Catherine Ndereba's performance in winning the women's race was equally impressive, as the diminutive Kenyan obliterated Lynn Jennings '92 course record by 36 seconds, running 35:37. In all, nine of the top 10 men and four of the top six women were from Kenya. A new men's wheelchair record was also set as Craig Blanchette raced to victory in 24:01. The women's wheelchair winner was Rose Winand of Boston.

1997 — This was a year to celebrate, with the race's 25th running and it was a grand slam reunion. The first Falmouth champions, David Duba and Jenny (Taylor) Tuthill were back. Irrepressible race founder Tommy Leonard was on hand. And the original directors, John and Lucia Carroll and Kathy and Rich Sherman, were still on the job. After all the pomp and pageantry, the racing was red-hot as the temperature hovered near 90 degrees and high humidity blanketed the course. This assured a tactical race and 26-year-old Khalid Khannouchi of Morocco topped the largest field ever (9,558) in a still-quick time of 31:58. Khannouchi's win also marked the first time since 1990, when Italy's Salvatore Bettiol won, that a Kenyan was not in the winner's circle. But they did finish second through eighth. The women's race went to 1993 champion Colleen DeReuck, a native of Durban, South Africa. She was six seconds better than Kenya's Delillah Asiago. Craig Blanchette continued his annual assault on the wheelchair course record, winning for the fifth time in 23:54, bettering his own mark by seven seconds. The women's wheelchair race was topped by Candace Cable for the fourth time. Joan Benoit Samuelson of Maine, a six-time champion in the open division, was back for the first time as a 40-year-old master and the results were familiar: she won.

1998 — In a finish reminiscent of his 1997 victory, Moroccan Khalid Khannouchi blistered the field over the final mile to make it two wins in a row. His time of 31:48 was the third fastest in race history and he won by five seconds over John Korir of Kenya. In the eagerly-awaited women's race, two-time champion Colleen De Reuck of South Africa faced off against '96 champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya. Ndereba skipped the 1997 race after giving birth to daughter Jane, but she proved fit and fast as she ran away from DeReuck in a time of 36:10, third fastest in race history. Joan Benoit Samuelson won the women's masters for the second straight year and in the men's masters, Steve Plasencia and Keith Anderson crossed the line together, but officials granted the win to Plasencia. In the wheelchair divisions, it was the dominant duo again at the head of the pack as Craig Blanchette and Candace Cable breezed to wins. It was Cable's fifth title and Blanchette's sixth time. In a special winner-take-all 50-and-over race, three-time champion Bill Rodgers outlasted two-time winner Frank Shorter.

1999 — The final Falmouth of the 20th century proved to be an appropriate bookend to the first Falmouth 26 years ago, when David Duba, a college kid from Michigan, won the maiden voyage from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. That first Falmouth in 1973 was memorable for the heavy downpours that drenched everyone and it hadn't rained like that on a Falmouth Road Race since—until 1999. Torrential rain, leaving puddles ankle-deep for some runners, swamped the course, but still about 9,000 runners answered the starter's bugle. And despite the miserable conditions, it was a marvelous day for Kenyans John Korir and Catherine Ndereba. Korir dethroned two-time champion Khalid Khannouchi of Morocco, winning a downhill sprint to the finish. Korir, second to Khannouchi in 1998, denied Khannouchi his bid to become the first man to win the open division three years in a row. Ndereba won the women's division for the second straight year and the third time in four years. The wheelchair athletes had a particularly tough time in the conditions, making the winning efforts of 45-year-old Candace Cable and Keith Davis all the more remarkable. For Cable, it was her sixth victory.

2000 — A glorious day greeted the 9,500 runners in Woods Hole, a complete reversal of the Monsoon of '99. A couple of newcomers arrived in town to take on several past champions and proved that they are among the best. Mark Yatich, a relatively unknown 24-year-old Kenyan, upset course record holder Joseph Kimani, two-time champion Khalid Khannouchi of Morocco, 1999 winner John Korir, '95 champ Joseph Kamau, and 1993 victor Simon Karori. Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenyan with several world-best times but a new face in Falmouth, knocked off three-time defending champion and reigning Boston Marathon queen Catherine Ndereba with an impressive course record of 35:02, 35 seconds better than Ndereba's old mark. Natalie Nalepa of Austin, Texas led a strong American effort with a sixth-place time of 36:56. Popular "local favorite" Judi St. Hilaire of Somerset, Mass., returned to her old haunt as a master, besting the over-40 women and placing 10th overall for a "triple-dip" into the prize money—open, American, and masters. Yet another Kenyan, Andrew Masai, grabbed victory in the men's masters with a record time of 33:05, faster than Rodgers or Shorter in their first few races. The times, they are a-changin'. Perennial wheelchair participant Harrilyn Beehner, 53, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., took home her first Falmouth victory and $1,200, while seven-time men's champ Craig Blanchette, 32, of Olympia Wash., cruised to victory in 26:53, almost five minutes faster than the first runner.

2001 - On a windy, humid day that sapped speed and strength from most of the 9,700 runners, John Korir proved the fittest and the fastest, but not before Shadrack Hoff made things very interesting. Korir, who won the '99 race in driving rain, ruled the roads this time in stifling heat. Hoff went to the front early, tried gamely to run away from the field, but couldn't hold off the pack. Korir, a 25-year-old Kenyan, waited patiently until the final mile to assume control and then used his champion's experience to beat South African Hoff by one second. Korir's winning time (32:26) was the slowest since 1993, but it was one of the most competitive races in history, with only four seconds separating the top three. Gilbert Koech, 39, of Kenya, was a strong third. The top American was Dan Browne of Colorado in 12th place. As usual, the Kenyans dominated, sweeping nine of the top 10 positions. And it was more of the same in the women's race, led by Lornah Kiplagat, who successfully defended her crown, beating three-time champion Catherine Ndereba by a comfortable eight seconds. Kristin Chisum of Wayland, Mass., was the top U.S. woman, seventh overall. In the master's division, Andrew Masai of Kenya (33:55) outran 1993 open division winner Simon Karori to win his second straight men's title, while Elena Fidatov of Romania took the women's crown in 38:43. The wheelchair titles went to Kamel Ayari of New Rochelle, N.Y., 28:08 and defending champ Harrilyn Beehner of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 54:21.

2002 - The 30th running was a parade of nations, led, of course, by the Kenyans. James Koskei and Lornah Kiplagat carried the flag of their African nation with honor and upheld the rich running tradition with impressive victories. Kenyan men have won 10 of the last 12 Falmouths, while a Kenyan has won the women's division in seven of the last eight years. Koskei pulled away from defending champion John Korir to win by three seconds in 32:10. Moroccan-born Khalid Khannouchi, the world record holder in the marathon and now an American citizen and living in Ossining, N.Y., was third, four seconds off the pace. William Kiptum of Kenya and Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa rounded out the top five. The incomparable Kiplagat won the women's race for the third consecutive year, with three-time champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya runner-up for the third straight time. Kiplagat ran a fast 35:13, only 11 seconds off her course record set in 2000, and she joined six-time winner Joan Benoit Samuelson as the only three-peat champion in race history. Andrew Masai won his third straight master's title, beating American ace Eddy Hellebuyck by just seven seconds, while the ageless Ukrainian Tatyana Pozdnyakova, 47, outran 41-year-old Gordon Bakoulis by more than a minute with a time of 38:53. Tony Nogueira topped the wheelchair races with one of the fastest times in history, 25:20, while 18-year-old Jessica Galli took her first women's title with a speedy 31:40. The 30th running turned into a reunion of grand champions, as past winners Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Rod Dixon, Alberto Salazar and Samuelson were all on hand. Only Salazar didn't run, opting to ride on the press truck as a TV commentator. Gov. Jane Swift proclaimed the day SBLI Falmouth Road Race Day in Massachusetts. The spirit of the event was embodied by the effort of Ron Pokraka, one of only five to compete in all 30 Falmouths. Recovering from two hip replacement surgeries since the 2001 race, he nonetheless was at the starting line and kept his record in tact by completing the course walking with canes.

2003 - The 31st running was a campaign of shock and awe; shock on account of the heat and humidity catching even the most highly trained elite athletes off guard and awe as spectators and runners were treated to a B-2 Stealth Bomber making a flyover at just over 1000 feet above the race course. In addition, spectators were treated to the first American woman champion, Jennifer Rhines since 1994. Rhinesâ victory became a matter of attrition as Catherine Ndereba suddenly and unexpectedly dropped out of the race at 5.5 miles and Olga Romanova, a mere 200 yards from victory literally dropped out of the race course due to heat exhaustion. With Romanova and Ndereba out of the race, Rhines claimed the victory in 37:08, the first American woman since Laura Mykytok in 1994. The womenâs runner-up was first time Falmouth runner, Alevtina Ivanova of Russia in 37:22 followed by two-time winner Colleen De Reuck of Boulder Co, Jane Kiptoo of Kenya and Esther Kiplagat of Kenya. On the menâs side John Korir of Kenya became only the second man in Falmouth Road Race history to win three times, joining Bill Rodgers, as the only other man to accomplish this feat. Korir cruised ahead of runner-up Paul Koech, also of Kenya, to take the victory in 31:59, the 17th fastest time over the fabled course. Rounding out the Kenyan domination was the 2002 Falmouth champion James Koskei in third and Wilson Kigen Kipkemboie and Augustus Kavutu in fourth and fifth respectively. The Masterâs races turned out to be a competition of compatriots as Kenyan Andrew Masai, three-time Masterâs champ, was denied a fourth claim to the title. Fellow countryman Jackson Kipngâok was the first master over the line with a time of 33:01, also good for 8th place overall. In the womenâs Master race Russian Ramilia Burangulova outran Ukranian Tatyana Pozdnyakova, the defending womenâs Masters champion in a time of 39:54. Both the menâs and womenâs wheelchair champions of 2003 made it two in a row as Tony Nogueira of Glen Ridge, NJ defended his title in 26:33, the 9th fastest time and Jessica Galli of Hillsborough, NJ cruised over the course in 30:49, the 5th fastest time. The 2003 SBLI Falmouth Road Race will also go down in history as one of the most successful fundraising years to date. Nearly three dozen non-profit groups, benefiting a wide variety of community, sports and charitable organizations combined to raise more than $350,000. Individual runners made up the bulk of this total as more than $325,000 was raised by runners who received pre-approved entries into the race in exchange for soliciting donations for one of the charities. The total raised was more than double the amount raised in 2002.

2004 - Gilbert Okari, fresh off blowing out candles to celebrate his 26th birthday a few days earlier, blew away a world-class field to win the 32nd Falmouth with a record-shattering performance. On a day with perfect conditions – low humidity, coolish temperatures and a favoring breeze – the long-legged Kenyan ran the seven-mile course in a scorching 31 minutes, 8 seconds, obliterating Joseph Kimani’s long-standing mark of 31:36, set in 1996. Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya was second in a quick but distant 31:37 – still the third fastest time ever. Defending champion John Korir, bidding to become the first four-time winner of the men’s open division, was third. Ironically, his 31:43 clocking was faster than any of his three winning times. Okari settled the issue early. With long, loping strides – at 6-foot-1 he is nearly a foot taller than some of his compatriots – he went through the first mile at Nobska Light in a blistering 4:23 and didn’t back off. The elite pack broke up early, withering under Okari’s assault. The knockout punch came when he ran a 4:16 fourth mile. Cheruiyot tried to hang on, but he didn’t have enough and Okari essentially had a two-mile victory lap to the finish through the streets lined with thousands of fans. In the women’s race, Alvetina Ivanova of Russia, runner-up last year, was the winner this time, going wire-to-wire to beat U.S. Olympians Kate O’Neill of Milton, Mass., and Elva Dryer of Albuquerque, N.M. Ivanova’s time of 36:13 was well off Lornah Kiplagat’s course record of 35:02, but comfortably ahead of Kate O’Neill. Dryer was third. In the 40-and-over Masters divisions, 49-year-old Tatyana Pozdnyakova of Ukraine won and was an impressive ninth overall. Jackson Kipng’ok of Kenya successfully defended his men’s masters crown, and finished 13th overall. Tony Nogueria won his third straight men’s wheelchair title. April Coughlin, women’s runner-up the past two years, broke through with her first victory. Befitting Falmouth’s status as an all-star event, three former Olympic gold medalists were in the field: Frank Shorter, marathon 1972, Joan Benoit Samuelson, marathon in 1984, and Valentina Yegorova of Russia 1992 marathon.

2005 - It was a return to the scenes of their times for Gilbert Okari and Lornah Kiplagat. Okari made it two-for-two, backing up his 2003 triumph with another victory. His winning time of 31:59 was 51 seconds off his record from a year ago, but oppressive humidity slowed the field and made finishing first foremost for Okari. As he did a year earlier, Okari was at the front from the start and dictated the pace. Wilson Kiprotich finished second with Falmouth favorite John Korir, a three-time champion, third for the second straight year. Kiplagat, a native of Kenya but now a citizen of the Netherlands, won her fourth Falmouth women’s title, dethroning ’03 champion Alevtina Ivanova, who finished second. American Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, was third. Kiplagat, nine for nine on the road-racing circuit this year, blasted off with a 4:49 first mile, leaving no doubt she would be a perfect 10 at Falmouth. The men’s Masters winner was Mbarak Hussein, raised in Kenya but now a naturalized citizen living in Albuquerque, N.M. He also cashed in by being the first American and finishing eighth overall in 33:22. Colleen De Reuck also scored a trifecta, winning the women’s Masters race, finishing as the second American and earning a top-10 overall placing at seventh. The wheelchair champs were familiar faces: Tony Nogueria for the fourth straight time and April Coughlin for the second year in a row. The day also featured a marriage proposal, proving Falmouth attracts competitors who are in it for the long run away from the roads, too. A young man with a hand-drawn sign – “Will you marry me?’’ – jumped onto the course around the six-mile mark and popped the question to his sweat-soaked girlfriend. She paused long enough from her race to answer “Yes!” She then proceeded to run the fastest mile of her life to the finish line and, presumably, soon after to the altar.

2006 - Gilbert Okari had shown in winning in ’04 and ’05 that he is nothing if not a front runner. So when the field this day was ambling along at a relative pedestrian pace (4:41 first mile, 4:43 second), Okari could linger no longer. The 28-year-old champion lowered the boom, leveling everyone who harbored hopes of victory. The end result was Okari cruising to his third consecutive Falmouth victory, beating Tom Nyariki. Okari’s winning time was 31:53. Nyariki, who the week before beat Okari to win the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine, was eight seconds back. John Korir was third again (his ninth straight finish in the top five). Okari joins Korir and Bill Rodgers in a select club of three-time men’s champions, but he stands alone as the only man to win three years in a row. In the women’s race, Alevtina Ivanova of Russia dominated and won for the second time in three years. Her time of 35:43 was the fourth fastest time in race history. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, a former three-time winner, was second. Under the umbrella of CIGNA’s principal sponsorship for the first time, the race went off without a hitch. Impressive flyovers by two F-15 fighters and a Coast Guard Falcon jet sent the runners on their way in ideal conditions. Karen Rohan, president of two of CIGNA’s divisions, and instrumental in the deal to sponsor the race, ran for the ninth straight year and had a personal-best time of 51 minutes. The Masters races produced familiar faces: Colleen De Reuck won the women’s division again. The native of South Africa and now a U.S. citizen for the last six years, De Reuck is one of the most popular and successful competitors in Falmouth history. She twice won the open division (1993 and ’97) and was second four times. Mbarak Hussein repeated as the men’s masters champion. Patrick Doak upset four-time winner Tony Nogueria to win the men’s wheelchair race. The women’s winner was Mina Mojtahedi of Finland. The golden oldies returned and Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson (a total of 11 Falmouth titles between them) were as popular as ever.