By Anna Gimre
Since 1973, the Falmouth Road Race has welcomed thousands of participants with various stories as to why they’re running, including multigenerational runners keeping family traditions alive, visitors from around the world looking to experience the Cape’s unique culture, elite athletes attending as a part of their careers, charity-focused runners fundraising for organizations close to their hearts and many more.
This year’s ASICS Falmouth Road Race field will be welcoming more than 11,000 participants, each with their own reason as to why they show up to participate in the historic race. We asked our runners to share with us a little bit more about why they chose to run, and the responses were truly moving. Here are just a few stories that were shared with organizers who were reminded why this event is so important and why they do what we do.
A Fourth-Generation Runner
Carrying on the Legacy of ‘Bump’
James Janukewicz, a 16-year-old Boston local, will be continuing a family tradition started by his great-grandfather in 1978 by participating in this year’s ASICS Falmouth Road Race. The race comes just over a month after the passing of his great-grandfather, John Jack Lynch, also known as “Bump.” Bump ran his first Falmouth Road Race in 1978 and completed 30 races, always wearing his original ’78 race shirt. His dedication sparked a family tradition spanning four generations. This year, James will run the seven-mile course for the first time, continuing a powerful legacy that now includes more than a dozen family runners known as Team Lynch.
James learned he was selected in the race lottery the same day Bump entered the hospital. James’s dad shared that Bump “beamed with pride when he talked about James running Falmouth during his last weeks, and told my wife and I on one of our visits that he would be cheering James on ‘wherever he was.’”
Bump’s love for running and Falmouth carries on through James, who runs cross country and track at Boston College High School and has medaled in multiple events. James and Team Lynch will be running with custom shirts this year in honor of Bump, so keep an eye out for Team Lynch this year and make sure to give them an extra shoutout.
Boston Bombing Survivor Running to Support Survivors of Trauma
Brittany Loring was cheering on her fellow MBA classmate at the 2013 Boston Marathon when she was injured by the first explosion. She was hospitalized with severe injuries, including a skull fracture and large bilateral leg wounds, and was riddled with shrapnel. It took months of physical therapy to be able to get to a place where she could consider running again, as well as a lot of work mentally to be able to be in large crowds.
The ASICS Falmouth Road Race was the first race Brittany attended in person as a spectator after being injured. She shared that she “felt a sense of community and joy from watching that day and appreciated the ability to return as a race spectator in such a gorgeous location. The water has always held a sense of calm for me and being by the ocean helped immensely.”
Since then Brittany has started the Brittany Fund for Trauma and Recovery, which works toward providing financial support to survivors of trauma so they can focus on their physical and emotional recovery. The foundation has had charity runners participate in the ASICS Falmouth Road Race since 2018, and this year Brittany will be participating in the famous seven-mile race for the first time.
Brittany is looking forward to “showing my two young daughters that I can finish this race and running with a crowd of this size cheering on, which I have never done before.”
Told She’d Never Run Again: Now 300 Miles In and Counting
Haleigh Medlin grew up an athlete, but was never one to focus on running—until she was hit with a life-changing diagnosis. Haleigh was diagnosed with bilateral compartment syndrome, a condition that caused severe pain and restricted blood flow in her lower legs. It ended her college soccer career after her sophomore year. Haleigh underwent two surgeries for the condition, and after the second she was told she would never run again.
Against all odds, Haleigh began running again in June 2024. Since then she’s logged more than 300 miles, completed four half marathons, and even ran her first full marathon this year.
Haleigh is running not only for herself this year; she shared that she is also “running Falmouth this year in honor of my incredible friend Kailyn Bennett, as I always do. Kailyn has Cockayne Syndrome and trichothiodystrophy, rare genetic disorders that come with immense challenges, but she continues to be the brightest ray of sunshine in my life.”
Haleigh’s comeback is an incredible story of perseverance, and running has become a true passion for her because it used to “feel completely out of reach.”
The Falmouth Community Impact: From Visiting Charity Runner to Falmouth Local
Deborah Balcarek is a lifelong runner, going from being a member of her high school cross-country team to joining her local YMCA running group. She has since mixed her passion for running with fundraising for an organization that is near and dear to her heart, the Dana-Farber team.
Deborah and her son have been running on the Dana-Farber team at the Falmouth Road Race for several years now, the inspiration coming from the care her daughter received from the organization as a two-time cancer survivor. Deborah’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 17 months and went into relapse at 4 years old. She is now 23 years old and healthy, thanks to the team at Dana-Farber.
Deborah shared that “Dana-Farber became our trusted family” and was impacted so heavily by the memories she’s built in the Falmouth community, that she recently purchased her new home in Falmouth. As she participates in the 2025 ASICS Falmouth Road Race, she will cross the finish line for the first time as a Falmouth resident.