Sometimes it's the same moments that take your breath away that breathe purpose and love back into your life. — Steve Maraboli

A Two-Part Weblog

The Falmouth Road Race is not really a race for me, i.e. I have no chance of winning. It is more of an experience.  It is not an easy experience by any measure. In fact, when I actually listed what is involved in the final few hours before the event, I was kind of amazed that I keep coming back.  This is a two part Weblog. 

Part 1 is about my experience getting to the finish line and it will either make you jealous or convince you that I am stupid. It is a preface to Part 2.

Part 2 is about Elijiah, a little boy facing some tough challenges. He helped me this year even though I've never met him. If you are bored with stories about me, you can skip to the email chain at the end of this weblog to learn about Elijiah.

And in case you wondered, it is the only day of the year I wear a singlet.

PART 1: GETTING THERE

Getting in Shape: 

It is a seven-mile run and not for the faint of heart. This year, I trained less than in prior years due to minor injuries, but still managed to put in about 200 miles on the road. All my training is on the road, and exactly half of those miles are uphill.

Running uphill metaphorically or for real is never fun. You can see by the soles of my Hoka running shoes, that I have put in the miles.

Getting a Bib: 

The Falmouth Experience is so popular that only a percentage of the runners who want to participate are able to do so. There are three ways to get a number. 

• First, if you live in the town of Falmouth, there is a lottery, and your name can be drawn. Entry fee: $200. 

• Second, if you live anywhere else, there is a lottery, and your name can be drawn. Entry fee: $200. 

• Third, if you are not a lottery winner, but you are a very nice person, you can run for a ‘charity team.’ Entry fee: $200 PLUS achieve the fundraising minimum goal. Most charity partners have a minimum of $1,000.

Getting to Woods Hole:

The event originally started as a run between two bars on the Cape. One in Woods Hole, home of the famous Oceanographic Institute, and another in Falmouth Heights. 

This year’s event was the 50^th running of the course. Here are the ten steps I took to get to the start:

1.      Since Falmouth is a little over two hours from my house, I left home on Saturday night about 8:00 pm and drove about halfway to stay at my brother’s home.

2.      When the alarm went off at 4:15 am, I hopped up, got dressed and headed to Cumberland Farms convenience store for a large decaf and the last of yesterday's bagels.

3.      I pulled into the parking lot at the Lawrence School at 5:57 and while I was hiding my wallet and grabbing my hat, I heard the parking attendant say: ‘we’re full-no more cars.’ Whew that was close.

4.      The only way to get to the start line for this race is through the bus loading zone at this school. There are literally hundreds of busses that pull up, load, and depart for Woods Hole about five miles away. I got in line and took the last seat in the back of the bus.

5.      Did you know that elementary school children have smaller legs than adults? It’s true. Those school bus seats are so close together. By the time you get to the start line, you are friends with whoever is sitting with you.

6.      So there I am on the main street of Woods Hole with more than 200 porta-potties within 100 yards at 6:23 AM. I’ll use one immediately (remember I’ve had a coffee). 

7.      Next, I find a nice bench; fold the old towel I have brought specifically for this purpose and sit. I am going to sit for a couple of hours on a beautiful sunny day overlooking Martha’s Vineyard and the Atlantic Ocean.

8.      At 8:30 I stand up, abandon the towel and start moving around, stretching, people watching, and looking for the shortest porta-potty line for my second trip, just to make sure I am not carrying excess weight. I find a line with only about 50 people in it and slowly move towards relief.

9.      It’s now about 8:45 and I find the ’10 Mile Pace’ sign and settle in, turn on my pre-race playlist with inspirational songs and wait while the wheelchair racers, the elite women, the elite men go off, each with a starter’s gun that gets the crowd to cheer.

10.  There are now, according to the PA announcer, about 10,000 people jammed into this two lane street ready to take off. Runners are ‘pulsed’ over the start line in groups of 1,000 every two minutes.

Since there are easily 7,000-8,000 people in front of me, I still have a little wait. I finally cross the electronic mat on the road that will help to time me, and it is 13 hours after I left my home and more than 5 hours since I woke up.

Getting to the Finish: 

As challenging as getting to the start might be, finishing the race is even more of a test of will. 

Mile 1: An adrenaline rush pure and simple. Thousands of runners, maybe the same amount of spectators, orange barricades, a sound system playing the theme from Rocky at the top of the hill with the iconic light house. Spec-tac-u-lar.

Mile 2: A no breeze zone where you really heat up. Dense growth on both sides of the road, only a few houses (some with hoses or sprinklers to cool down the runners). And three hills that aren’t too big, but definitely take their toll.

Mile 3: A duplicate of Mile 2. No breeze, dense growth, few houses, three hills. You do run under an old railroad bridge covered with people cheering. Or is that Mile 2?

Mile 4: Brutal and beautiful. Hot, flat mile along the sand, sun beating down. Lots of spectators cheering you on. A water stop where you take two cups: one to drink and one to pour on your head.

Mile 5: Back through neighborhoods. Hundreds if not thousands of cheering spectators, live bands every couple of blocks. A real celebration.

Mile 6: In a few words: a run around Falmouth Harbor. Boats, boatyards, restaurants.

Mile 7: The deceptive mile. There is a hill about a half mile from the finish that is so crowded and there are so many photographers, the first-time runner sometimes thinks s/he is done. Not so fast. The hill doesn’t stop and on the other side is the downhill finish, 7 miles and more than an hour for most, away from Woods Hole.

Mile 8: Sure, it is a seven-mile race, but that’s not the whole story. To get to the frozen yogurt bars and the hot dogs, you are herded (and that is the most accurate term) about four blocks past the finish, two blocks away from the ocean and four blocks back to the park where all the goodies await.

Mile 9: Did I mention that the parking lot for the shuttle busses is more than two miles from the finish? After wolfing down the hot dog and taking a bottle of water to go, I am heading back along the route that I just ran (cutting through a neighborhood or two to shorten the trip).

Mile 10: The last mile. I can see my car I unlock it and sit. It is now afternoon, more than 8 hours since I left this morning ,and I am pretty tired. It is a good feeling to sit.

For those counting steps, I took 24,730 of them before the day was over.

PART 2: GETTING IT

Getting to the Point: 

I hope you know by now that I ran as part of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation team. 

Unbeknownst to me (using the word unbeknownst in a sentence is a writer’s dream), an individual who is my point of contact with a company I deal with on a regular basis named Laura has a child with CF. 

Below are the communications with Laura the week before the race. After reading the email exchanges, you will know why Elijiah is an inspirational trooper.

From: Laura

To: Ed Doherty 

Subject: CF race

Hey Ed, I saw your web blog and know you’re running this weekend for the CF Foundation. I have made a donation towards this effort – thank you for doing it! I can’t remember if we’ve discussed this before, but my 2^nd born son is adopted and he has CF. It is a terrible disease but because of fundraising efforts like this, we are hopeful that the treatments and therapies continue to improve! So much hope is there, Thank you for doing this and I hope it’s a great time! --Laura

From: Edward Doherty

To: Laura

Subject: RE: CF race

Whoa. Small world. I had no idea. I suspected you had a lot of class and your note and donation confirm it. I got a little choked up reading, so did my wife. What is your son’s name? I would like to run for him, with his name on my shirt.  What I do is when I am running up a hill that won’t quit, or when I think about quitting, I repeat the name of the person over and over and that’s enough extra motivation to keep going. I know other parents like you and so I know that the life expectancy keeps growing for those impacted. Thanks for your donation, but thanks especially for your note. I knew you were special the first time we met. --Appreciatively, Ed

From: Laura

To: Ed Doherty

Subject: RE: CF race

Thank you for the kind words, Ed. And for all you do to support people! My son’s name is Elijah – I’m so glad he can run with you in spirit 😉 I’ve attached a couple pictures because I can’t help myself …there is one picture of just Elijah and then one picture of my first-born, Blake (my biological son), their cousin Alhanna, and Elijah on the right. My boys are 6 weeks apart which makes my life interesting 😉 Elijah is the type of little boy who makes the room better and we are SO thankful he is with our family. CF is brutal but we truly do take it one day at a time. His biological mother named him “Trooper” on her birth certificate because he has been through a lot in his short little life…His care team is at Duke and we’re so thankful to have them close by. Just another blessing in his life story…Thank you again for what you do and are doing to help people. It means so much to a lot of families like mine. I hope those hills don’t hurt too bad! Have fun! --Laura

From: Laura

To: Ed Doherty

Subject: Re: Thank You

This is INCREDIBLE!!! What an amazing thing you’re doing- thank you so much for running today and for bringing Elijah along. I hope it goes well and I hope you know how much my entire family appreciates your efforts to help. Thank you!!!

From: Edward Doherty

To: Laura

Subject: Dear Elijiah

Elijiah, You don’t know me and might not ever meet me, but I wanted to thank you for your help yesterday when I ran a 7-mile race in very hot weather along the ocean. 

I used your courage and spirit to keep me going when I really wanted to stop and quit. But thinking of you made me want to finish and not give up, because I know you will not give up.  

As you get older, remember that you can inspire almost anyone, just by being you. 

Keep battling, trooper.

--Ed

Number of Generous Donors 15

Thank You

Total Amount Raised $2,199.37

TEAM CF TOTAL $70,000+

Price Changes: In case you were wondering

Hamburgers from 28 cents to $1.79 

French Fries from 26 cents to $2.29