Rocky Hill Runner Seventh At Falmouth Road Race

On a beautiful morning, under blue skies and low humidity, over 11,000 runners gathered in Woods Hole. The whole field sang “Happy Birthday” to race founder Tommy Leonard who turns 80 this week on August 15. There was a special appearance by Jeff Bauman, Boston Marathon bombing victim, who was the official race starter.

Boston University graduate, Rocky Hill resident and first time Falmouth runner, Katie Matthews finished seventh overall and took second place for the American women.

For the first time ever, the New Balance Falmouth Road Race held an elite women’s start. From the beginning, Joyce Chepkirui set the pace with a 5:13 first mile and was an early front-runner—never giving up the lead. She completed the race with an impressive finish of 36:43. Great Britain runner Gemma Steel overtook Kenyan Linet Masai after the 6-mile mark and nipped her by one second at the line with a time of 37:06. Taking fourth place was Diane Nukuri Johnson, of Burundi, with a time of 37:16. Netherlands native, Adrienne Herzog, took fifth with a time of 37:21.  In her Falmouth debut, American and Dartmouth graduate Alexi Pappas placed sixth overall and was the first American woman with a time of 37:32. 

In a tightly contested battle from the start, the group of elite men, led by American Ben Bruce of Arizona went through the first mile in a 4:35. Bruce would lead the pack until the four-mile mark, when Kogo and True started to close the gap.  The men kept a steady pace through the five and six mile marks. It was a nail-biter to the finish, with Kogo defeating Ben True, from Hanover, NH, who was a late addition to the field, by a mere two seconds. Kogo finished with a time of 32:10 and True finished with a time of 32:12.  Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai came in third place with a time of 32:20 followed by fourth place finisher, Abdi Abdirahman. American runner Ben Bruce took fifth place with a time of 32:44 and Shadrack Biwott of Oregon took sixth place with a time of 33:15.

In the wheelchair division, Krige Schabort, of Georgia, claimed his fifth Falmouth championship with a time of 24:17. First-time Falmouth mile winner from the evening before, James Senbeta, of Illinois, took second place with a 25:50. Eight-time Falmouth champion, Craig Blanchette finished third with an impressive 26:37.  Making his Falmouth debut, Daniel Romanchuk, 15-years old, of Maryland, took fourth place with a 26:51 time. Tony Nogueria of New Jersey finished fifth with a time of 27:20. Defending champion, Jill Moore, of Georgia, took first place, in 35:11 defeating six-time champion Jessica Galli-Cloy, of Georgia, who came in second with a time of 35:40. Christina Kouros, of Maine, placed third with a time of 43:19 and Laura Lewis, of Massachusetts, took fourth with a time of 1:12:26.

Defending master’s champion, Kevin Castille, of Louisiana, took his second Falmouth victory with a time of 34:01 and Chris Magill, of Rhode Island, finished second with a time of 37:58. In the women’s master’s, Kara Haas, of Chelmsford, claimed first place with a 43:06 time and local resident Anne Preisig of Falmouth took second place with a 45:16 time.