Three Passionate Odysseys from the 51st Falmouth Road Race: On Foot, Wheels & Crutches

Robert Pease (host)

The starting horn and the starting line of the Falmouth Road Race, one of the world’s premiere middle distance running events with 10,000 runners at the starting line, tens of thousands in prize money at the finish line, along this idyllic seaside route on Cape Cod.

Robert Pease (host)

This event had far humbler beginnings. It started 51 years ago with only 90 runners on a 7 mile pub crawl from Woods Hole to Falmouth Center to benefit a local track team. At today’s starting line only one runner is left from that first race: Dr. Brian Salzberg of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Brian Salzberg 

Uh, the first one was, I still remember, August 15th, 1973. It was August 15th. It was a Wednesday afternoon. It was low fifties, pouring, driving rain, 40 mile an hour headwind on Surf Drive. I figured out about halfway through that you could tuck in behind somebody and draft them. But I, you know, at first I didn’t realize that.

Robert Pease (host)

That was your physics background, I guess.

Brian Salzberg 

That’s right.

Robert Pease (host)

Dr. Salzberg is a professor at a distinguished medical school. Yet he’s completed a few Falmouth races against Doctor’s orders, including one with a brain tumor and another on torn ligaments.

Brian Salzberg 

And did the 7 mile course on crutches in 2008. And as far as I know, I still have the crutch record for the course.

Robert Pease (host)

If any participant is poised to match his record, it would be 14-year-old wheelchair athlete Madelyn Wilson. We met her at the health and wellness expo before the event. All kinds of products and services on display. But Madelyn was much more focused on her upcoming race. 

Madelyn 

Yeah, this will be my eighth time.

Robert Pease (host)

Your eighth time. How is that possible? How old are you?

Madelyn 

I’m 14.

Robert Pease 

So you’ve been doing this since you were six years old? 

Madelyn

Seven. 

Robert Pease (host)

That’s remarkable. And do you look forward to it every year?

Madelyn 

Oh, I love this race. It’s like my favorite race of the year.

Robert Pease (host)

I’m Robert Pease and this is My Body Odyssey, on the rewards and challenges of the running and racing lifestyle this episode, featuring a much loved major event-  the Falmouth Road Race- and the optimistic spirit that courses through it.  

Robert Pease (host)

In tribute to his achievement, Dr Salzberg began his 51st race with the elite professional runners, all long limbed and leanly muscled, seemingly born to sprint these 7 miles up and down the steep shoreline to cheering crowds at the finish.

Robert Pease (host)

But then comes wave after wave of non-elite runners, crossing the starting line, people of all ages, sizes and abilities, many with charity groups. We’ll meet one charity runner, Carol, a veteran of many marathons and author of a book on running. Carol didn’t begin to run until age 50 about a dozen years ago. But it’s been mostly downhill ever since, even on the uphills. 

Carol C

And yesterday there was a tornado in East Providence and here I am running up and down the hills and the guys that working on the road said, “there’s a tornado warning!” And then I start hearing the sirens go up. I’m like, “oh no, there ain’t, I gotta finish my hill work.” So, I’m just saying, I guess when you get in the zone of running, you just, it makes you feel good. It just feels so good that you just keep on doing it, you know?

Robert Pease (host)

You just keep on doing it. Like Carol, Brian and Madelyn and thousands of others here at the road race mile after mile, day after day.  Which brings up that age old nature vs. nurture question. Were these and other dedicated runners essentially born to run? Or does the joy of running, the runners high, or the “zone” of running that Carol enjoys, does that hook people on the habit of running and bring them together for celebrations of their sport, like this hugely popular event?

Robert Pease (host)

Let’s bear that question in mind while learning about the evolution of the Falmouth Road Race, from one who has been here for every single stride of it: Dr. Brian Salzberg.

Brian Salzberg

The first year was just 92 runners. The, the winner was a, a pizza maker from Michigan named Dave Duba, uh, who happened to be on vacation on the Cape. But the third year, they got Frank Shorter to come. So it was a contest between Rogers and Shorter. And that was, that’s when you, we really realized it was gonna be a big thing. Yeah. 

Robert Pease (host)

And there are certainly things going on in society and the media that are promoting running at that time. 

Brian Salzberg

Yeah, and that was, to a large extent, that was due to Frank Shorter. He’d won the Olympics the year, he won the gold medal in Munich the year before. And so people became, you know, no American had won the Olympic Gold medal of the marathon since 1908, I think. And so that was the beginning of the running boom. And then, you know, Rogers, you know, ended up winning four Bostons and four New Yorks. 

Robert Pease (host)

So when you ran your first Falmouth Road Race, if I remember correctly, you had not really done a lot of running. What, what sort of possessed you to start competing without really a lot of training?

Brian Salzberg 

Well you know I had a history of heart disease in my family. My father had died quite young. In 1968, I was a graduate student at Harvard. And, um, Ken Cooper had just published “Aerobics”, and that was quite a popular, uh, running book. And I read that and I thought I would start doing that. I started running, you know, a mile or two around the streets in Cambridge in 1968. But I never got serious about it. But, um, in the summer of ‘73, I got serious. I was a postdoc in Woods Hole. I had my own lab in Woods Hole for, for 25 years total. And, um, so it became sort of a natural thing to run the road race every summer when I was here.  

Robert Pease (host)

And, you know, your background in physiology and in running, do you think that you are in a sense, kind of born to run in a way that these other people were not? I mean, you’ve outlived and outrun so many people. Do you think you’ve worked harder, trained smarter, or do you think you have a lot of innate advantages? 

Brian Salzberg 

That’s a really good question, and I don’t know the answer to that. Um, I think, I don’t think I have any special ability. I just, I think the nice thing about running, for me, is you get out of it pretty much what you put into it. 

Robert Pease (host)

Dr. Salzberg initially studied physics prior to specializing in neuroscience. And that’s an interesting equation he’s proposing there: you get out of running what you put into it. But interesting thing is, Dr. Salzberg did not feel the same benefit from his first aerobic sport.

Brian Salzberg

I tried swimming as an undergraduate in the late fifties, early sixties. And I went to the first, you know, practice session. We did an hour of calisthenics, and then we did, uh, 20 laps pulling, just with the arms, 20 laps kicking, and 20 laps swimming. And I went back to my room and I figured I’d just, you know, I’d just lie down before dinner. I woke up the next morning. And the next day I went out, did the same thing, same thing happened. And after the third day, I said, “this is not for me”. 

Robert Pease (host)

Dr. Salzberg’s odyssey as a runner has been anything but sleep-inducing. He’s completed over 20 marathons in addition to every Falmouth Road Race, both in difficult weather and with various injuries and medical conditions. 

Brian Salzberg

I’ve had, you know, just a slew of injuries, some of them running related, but most of them not running related. And they always, always happen away from Falmouth. So it never stopped me from running the Falmouth Road Race. 

Robert Pease (host)

Yeah, it’s quite a list. Do you mind giving us that list?

Brian Salzberg

No. So I had a benign brain tumor in 2003. And my neurosurgeon said, “well, if you’re gonna have a brain tumor, this is the one you want to have”. It was a Cerebella Hemangioblastoma. And he said it almost never recurs. And seven years later, it recurred– exactly the same tumor in the same place. It was size of a lemon… And, uh, this time he said, “yeah, you’re not running Falmouth”. And I said, “I’m running Falmouth”. And he said, “well, I’ll make a deal with you. Uh, you can do Falmouth as long as you walk it with a heart rate monitor, and you don’t let it get over a hundred”.

Brian Salzberg

So I said, “okay, deal”. So I, of course, I, I went up the hills and  got over a hundred. But I did, did fine. But then the most serious injury I had was, I tripped, in early August, no, in mid-August, uh, in 2008. I tripped at home. I was rushing into the kitchen. And um I landed on my arch and sprained four or five ligaments in my foot. And by then, I think it was, it was eight days before Falmouth Road Race. And so I came up to, I came up to Falmouth and I knew the podiatrist, one of the podiatrists in town who had been a runner- quite a good runner.

Brian Salzberg

And he said, “well, I know how much it means to you”. So he taped up my foot and gave me a pair of crutches. And I did the seven mile course on crutches in 2008. 

Robert Pease (host) 

We’ve been speaking with Dr. Brian Salzberg who’s run the Falmouth Road Race through every possible challenge. We met several other runners with equally unshakable optimism at the Health & Wellness Expo the day before the race. That included Gary, a medical doctor, and his wife, Joan. They’re celebrating their 40th anniversary at the race they’ve run together several dozen times. 

Joan

And my husband proposed to me in front of the Eiffel Tower right before the Paris Marathon, um, 40 years ago. So on the road race, we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary.

Robert Pease (host) 

Wow. And were you running at that time or was it, you were stationary for a moment during the proposal?

Gary 

The sun came out. The Eiffel Tower was there. One moment.

Robert Pease (host)

Do you think you were kind of born to run and you see other people around you? Maybe they train hard, maybe they train well, but they just weren’t born to run in the same way that you folks are?

Gary

No. Had nothing to do with born that way. Nothing at all.

Robert Pease (host)

It’s all training?

Gary 

No, it’s not even training. It’s just starting it. You know, you start, you start. Whether it’s running around the tennis court or out running around someplace.

Joan

The neighborhood, running to the beach

Gary 

And what happens, is you enjoy it. And once you enjoy it and you’re good at it, it becomes a passion. It has nothing to do with being born that way. Nothing at all. 

Robert Pease (host) 

Carol Crutchfield shares that passion for running. She combines that with compassion for those less fortunate as part of one of the many charity groups at the race. 

Carol C

I’m running for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

Robert Pease (host)

And what does that benefit?

Carol C

Homelessness. We are making coats for the homeless. So when they can’t go into Pine Street Inn in the winter, then they’ll have a coat that actually makes into a sleeping bag.

Robert Pease (host)

That’s awesome. So have you run other charitable events for them?

Carol C 

Many, yes.

Robert Pease (host)

And, and how much money roughly do you expect you might be able to make this weekend? 

Carol C

Well, this time the whole group, there’s 21 of us, and we’re expected to make around 50-60,000. So that’s just for this run. But I mean, we run Boston, we ran the Gillette Stadium Marathon back in 2016.

Robert Pease (host) 

This is Carol’s first Falmouth Race. But she’s well prepared- a military veteran and medical nurse. She’s also authored the book, And They Shall Run, which emphasizes the importance of daily nutrition, sleep and training for the beginning runner. That attention to detail helped Carol not only finish dozens of marathons, but run right through the finish line of one event for an extra seven miles. 

Carol C 

And I just kept on running and I was following somebody I thought was with our group, come to find out she wasn’t with our group. But she was going somewhere. I didn’t know where she was going. Finally, I decided I ran far enough and I stopped and asked somebody which way, which way back to the finish line. And they were all laughing like, “finish line? You mean Boston? You’re a long way from Boston”. 

Robert Pease (host) 

Yeah. So, uh, you have probably, I’m guessing, outrun some of your contemporaries. Do you think that’s because of nature because you’re just genetically inclined to be able to run? Or do you think it’s more nurture?

Carol C

The main thing is, is your mind’s your worst enemy. You gotta get out the door. As soon as you get out the door, that’s the best thing you can do. But you gotta get through your own head. But I don’t feel like doing anything, So you gotta make yourself get out the door and that’s the hardest thing. Other than that, anybody, I think, anybody, most anybody, I shouldn’t say anybody ’cause there’s a lot of people that have medical conditions that will stop them from running. But most people can run if they just put one foot in front of the other.

Robert Pease (host) 

No shortages of challenges Carol has faced in getting out the door to run during her dozen years in the sport, particularly during COVID. 

Carol C 

One thing I’ll say though is my daughter almost died during the Coronavirus and I had to take care of her. And so I took time away from running, so I’m not as fast as I was. So I’ve been in training for this. It’s been a struggle for me this time because, number one, I’m not as young as I used to be. And number two, I had to take time away from running to take care of her and I had to take care of my grandson at the same time. So the thing is, when you don’t run for a while, you gotta just walk, run.

Carol C 

Like you get out there, you walk and you run a little bit, you walk and you run a little bit. Until you can just keep running. But when you do a race like this, you have them hills, you’re gonna be walk-running most of the time anyway. That’s the way, I don’t beat myself up, if I can’t like race the whole thing. If I get out there, I think that’s good. And I think that’s most people. They need to just get out there, not be afraid. Like don’t be afraid that you’re not as fast as the next guy.

Robert Pease (host)

Perhaps the most fearless participants at the Falmouth Road Race are in fact the wheelchair athletes. That’s because they are the fastest group out  there, navigating this narrow, hilly course past thousands of cheering fans at speeds up to 35 miles an hour. Madelyn Wilson is 14 years old but already a veteran of the sport and the event.   

Madelyn

Yeah, so I was born with Spina Bifida, so basically, I basically have no feeling. My back was never closed when I was born, it didn’t close up properly. So now, I basically don’t feel from my waist down.

Robert Pease (host) 

Falmouth is Madelyn’s favorite race. At the Expo, we asked about her most challenging moment at Falmouth so far.

Madelyn 

There was one that was a couple years ago and there was like a really bad headwind, so it was a little bit tough ’cause I had to get through it and kind of figure out how to strategically get through it ’cause it was blowing in my face, so it was kind of tough.

Robert Pease (host)

Well, that is tough. And after you finish the race tomorrow do you get, you know, it’s sometimes called the runner’s high. Do you get the participant’s high where you feel, like, particularly good after the finish?

Madelyn

Yeah, sometimes. I usually get it before the race because I’m always like energetic, like waiting to go and like “I wanna do this. Like, hurry up, let’s go”.

Robert Pease (host) 

Very next morning, Madelyn did hurry up and go in that race, finishing 4th in 41 minutes over 7 miles. We caught up with her just afterwards in the media tent reserved for elite athletes. And I asked her, with all that pre-race anticipation, was she able to sleep the night before?

Madelyn

I don’t know. It was really hard. I did really actually get a lot of sleep because, I mean, I was just, I feel like I had to like rest up, but then at the same time, I was just like so excited.

Robert Pease (host)

How are the conditions today? I know a few years ago, you were facing a tough wind. How was the wind for you today?

Madelyn

It was all at my back, so it was really, really good. I feel like it was kind of easier, not just for me, but for everybody, because it’s just like at your back, so it’s not as bad.

Robert Pease (host) 

Well that’s great. And any problems on the race today? Any people who got in the way or any times you weren’t feeling that great? Any muscle cramp or strain?

Madelyn

No, some of the parts of the course are a little tough, but that’s really not that bad. Like the last hill, I feel like, can be a little tough for anybody because it’s just like you’ve like already done like six and three quarters of a mile. So it’s like a quarter of a mile, just like uphill, and then back down, and then to the finish line.

Robert Pease (host) 

We also caught up with Dr. Salzberg just past the finish line of his 51st Falmouth run. I asked him if anything was different about this race, which he ran on an injured foot that is strategically scheduled for surgery just after this year’s event. 

Brian Salzberg

Every year they try something different as far as the start goes, and this year it was kind of bunched. Uh, I didn’t like it very much.

Robert Pease (host) 

I see.

Brian Salzberg

The whole first three miles or so, people were really, you know, having trouble passing.

Robert Pease (host) 

I see. Now you have your foot operation fairly soon?

Brian Salzberg 

Uh, two weeks, yeah.

Robert Pease (host)

And then?

Brian Salzberg

Then, no, no running probably for six months. Uh, yeah, slow recovery, slow weight bearing. Once they allow it, I’ll start walking on the treadmill. I’ll do a lot of walking and you know, I probably won’t be running until, you know, February or March. That’ll give me enough time to get ready for next year’s Falmouth.

Robert Pease (host) 

Dr. Brian Salzberg. 81 years young. He’s just finished his 51st Falmouth Road Race on a foot requiring surgery and extensive rehab. He’s already marking his calendar around next year’s event. As many runners will do: build their schedules and even their marriage proposals, around running and great running events, like this one. And that may provide the more nuanced answer to our question of whether nature or nurture creates these dedicated, lifelong runners and racers. Brian, Carol and Madelyn were very likely not born to run races in strictly genetic terms. 

Robert Pease (host) 

But they’ve steadily built upon some innate personality traits of tenacity, fearlessness and love of  competition that keeps them training, day after day, in all kinds of weather. And which brings  them back to this idyllic spot, year after year,  on injured limbs, in wheelchairs, if necessary on crutches, to participate in the Falmouth Road Race.

Robert Pease (host) 

Special thanks to the organizers of the race and to Treat Public Relations for access to the event this year. If you’ve not visited this beautiful corner of Cape Cod, or witnessed this celebration of running, then mark your calendars, as Dr. Salzberg has already done, for 9 a.m. August 18, 2024 and the 52nd running of the Falmouth of the Road Race. 

Robert Pease (host) 

Next up on My Body Odyssey, a series on the rewards and challenges of cycling, with particular emphasis on cycling for cancer patients. First up, our visit to the Maine Lighthouse Ride, another idyllic coastal event, this one in Portland Maine. We rode along with Larry on his 40 mile lighthouse tour. He undertook in his early 70’s, only 3 months after chemo for prostate cancer.

Larry

I gotta admit, the fourth treatment, the last 30 miles I had on June 29th and 30th, were a difficult 30 miles. But I, I did ’em. 15 a day. And then, uh, just last month I rode 255 miles and then we’re into September. 

Robert Pease (host) 

And we’ll meet Rebecca, a yoga teacher in Portland who’s long loved this ride, but has not participated for several years due to COVID and a recurrence of endometrial cancer. 

Rebecca 

The summer of 2022, I started up on my bicycle again. I got a late start ’cause I had COVID in May. And then I had another health crisis completely -well, nothing is separate, right? My body was already compromised from everything else. 

Robert Pease (host) 

We sure hope you ‘ll join us for the Maine Lighthouse Ride episode and our cycling mini series. Please also consider sharing us with a friend or two and reviewing us on Apple podcasts. Many thanks for listening from the whole team here at My Body Odyssey, which is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.