Speed In the Air, Drones in the Sky at Falmouth Track Festival

August 17, 2024

FALMOUTH, Mass. /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Speed was in the air at Falmouth High School Friday night as event records and four-minute miles were broken at the annual Falmouth Track Festival presented by ASICS. By the time the crowd of spectators was treated to a drone show grand finale, they had witnessed New England’s most competitive high school miles, a record in the elite women’s mile and a men’s race in which nearly every competitor ran under four minutes.

The evening began with a showcase of the future stars of middle-distance running in the Tommy Cochary High School Mile. In the girls’ race, Caitlyn Chang of Braintree High School and Emilia Smith of Attleboro High School led the pack through the opening lap in 78 seconds and by 600 meters into the race, they along with Suri Kautz of Cambridge School of Weston and Sasha Lamakina of Framingham High School had a six-second gap on the rest of the field. 200 meters later, Lamakina dropped the hammer. The rising junior dominated the final half of the race, running a 68.9-second final lap to win in 5:04.75, nearly 10 seconds ahead of Kautz and Smith who finished second and third respectively.

“This event is very cool,” said Lamakina, who shattered her personal best by nine seconds with the victory. “The people who put it on are just awesome.”

The decisive move in the boys’ race also came at the halfway point. That is when Silas Gartner moved to the front and opened up a huge lead over the rest of the all-star field. Gartner, a rising junior at Falmouth High School, steadily increased his lead over the next 600 meters, but with 200 meters to go, Ethan Sholk of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School was closing in. By 100 meters to go, Sudbury was right on Gartner’s shoulder. With the finish line in sight, Gartner had one final gear and kicked to victory in 4:22.73.

“My strategy was to hang back until 800 to go and then just push as hard as I could,” said Gartner, who holds the Falmouth High School record in the mile. “Then I took off because I knew I had a lot left in me.”

Next on the track were the elite wheelchair racers, most of whom are also racing in Sunday’s seven-mile ASICS Falmouth Road Race. The women’s race began as a three-lap battle between Yen Hoang of the United States and Hannah Babalola of Nigeria. On the final lap, Hoang began to pull away clocking a 58-second 400 meters to Babalola’s 1:11 lap. Hoang’s winning time was 4:12.95

After letting Valera Allen draft off him for the first lap, Miguel Jimenez-Vergara made the men’s race a one-man show. Jimenez, last year’s ASICS Falmouth Road Race runner-up, recorded blistering fast splits of 54, 54, 52 and 51 seconds to win in 3:34.17.

The women’s elite mile started with Dani Jones, Dorcas Ewoi, Gabbi Jennings and Helen Schlachtenhaufen all chasing pacer Judith Jones. When Jones, the pacer stepped off the track, Jennings assumed command with the other three hot on her heels. Just after the bell, Dani Jones charged to the front with Kenya’s Ewoi going with her. Jones was able to hold off Ewoi until 100 meters to go when Ewoi snuck past and broke the tape in 4:23.11, a new event record.

“I just came here to compete,” said Ewoi, who competed collegiately at Campbell University in North Carolina. “I waited until the last 150 meters to make my move, but I knew we were going to go head-to-head.”

Jones’s finishing time of 4:23.37 was also under Emily Mackay’s previous record of 4:23.77 set last summer. Jennings held on for third in 4:23.99. Both performances were personal bests.

There was no lead pack in the men’s race. All 13 runners were in it from the gun and still in it in the closing meters. Abe Alvarado took over from pacer Nick Randazzo at halfway, but after leading the pack through one lap, he was swallowed up by the field lead by Amon Kemboi, Festus Lagat, Derek Johnson and Henry Wynne. With 350 meters to go, Josh Hoey shot to the front. It was a move that didn’t last long as a hard-charging Wynne took over with half a lap left, Lagat and Kemboi in tow. As they came down the front stretch which was lined with screaming fans, they were side-by-side. The trio stayed that way through the tape with only the photo finish showing it was Wynne winning by six-hundredths of a second over Lagat. Kemboi was just half a second back.

“It was super exciting coming off that last 100 because everyone was right there,” said Wynne who finished second here last year. “Thankfully I got them at the line. It was an awesome race.”

Wynne’s winning time of 3:53.76 is the third fastest in event history. 12 of the 13 men in the race finished in under four minutes.

The evening concluded with a drone show put on by Sky Elements Drone Shows. The show highlighted the 52-year history of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race. The display was produced by Sky Elements Drone Shows, a company recognized nationwide due to its appearance on the TV show, America’s Got Talent. The show opened with a prologue read by long-time announcer Toni Reavis as the drones warmed up for their display. Spectators saw images of race founder Tommy Leonard, an ASICS running shoe in 3D, the iconic race course mile markers, the Nobska Lighthouse, as well as runners and wheelchair athletes speeding along the course. Over 300 drones brought the images to life in the sky over Falmouth High School’s James T. Kalperis Track.

Starting at 8 a.m. the morning after the Track Festival, the sold-out 1,000-person SBLI Family Fun Run will take place, where kids and families will take part in a morning of festivities ahead of the 7-mile Falmouth Road Race the following day. The day will kick off with the inaugural “Mascot Race” which will feature local sports team mascot competitors, including Pat the Patriot, Boston Bruins’ Blades and Red Sox Green Monsters Wally and his little sister, Tessie. Additional mascots will also be taking part, including Smokey Bear from the Falmouth Fire Department and McGruff the Crime Dog from the Falmouth Police Department. The event will also feature races for ages 2-12, refreshments, music, a photo booth, temporary tattoos, fun games, giveaways and more entertainment for the whole family..

Race weekend will also include the Health & Fitness Expo, which will be welcoming over 20,000 visitors to browse the various booths featuring the latest in running, fitness and uniquely Cape Cod items. The Expo will run from Thursday, Aug. 15 to Saturday, Aug. 17.

The three days of racing conclude with the main event on Sunday, Aug. 18, the ASICS Falmouth Road Race. The Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite athletes and recreational runners to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course.

For more information about the ASICS Falmouth Road Race, visit www.falmouthroadrace.com and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT FALMOUTH ROAD RACE, INC.

The Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite athletes and recreational runners to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course. The nonprofit Falmouth Road Race organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community programs and philanthropic giving.

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