Fear and Loathing on Cape Cod, Redux
This time, a little further south
And just like that, we were back in New England. It’s like we never left! This time, for the one-two punch of visiting Von’s brother Hank while he was back stateside—he’s in the Navy, and currently stationed in Japan for a few more years—and to run the Falmouth Road Race with my crew, A Tribe Called Run.
An iconic race by the sea
So the Falmouth Road Race is a 7 miler in scenic Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod. It’s been run since 1973, and is currently sponsored by Asics. Thanks to the Tribe partnership with Asics, we were given a number of free bibs for the race, and I was lucky enough to get one. This race had been on my list for a while, and we had already been planning to come up north to see Hank, so it all worked out really well.
The morning of, we got up early (spoiler: almost not early enough) to drive from Providence to Falmouth. Asics had a shuttle and police escort from their HQ in Boston to the race, but since we weren’t staying in Boston, we were on our own. Traffic for 90% of the trip was nonexistent, but Falmouth being tiny, the traffic to get to the race shuttles was intense. In retrospect, when we were 2 miles out I should have just gotten out and walked/ran to the buses.
The race page stated that if you got to the Lawrence School after 7:20am, they couldn’t guarantee you would get to the start on time. Considering start time was 9am, I thought this was ridiculous. I arrived at the school at around 7:23am, and I barely got onto the last couple of buses. I made it to the start line just before the elites began the race. Thankfully Ashley and Caroline had been so kind as to pick up bibs for a bunch of us, and Jeff was holding mine.
It was overcast and a little warm, but nothing like it had been all summer; the humidity was more the thing than anything else. And holy cow, there were a lot of people! Apparently a little over 11k runners took part, and while this sort of turnout at, say, the Baltimore Running Fest wouldn’t have been unreasonable, on the tiny narrow streets of Woods Hole and Falmouth, it felt densely packed the entire 7 miles. Which I didn’t mind! And the crowds were out in force. I loved that our bibs all had our names in big letters, so spectators would often call you out by name with encouragement if they saw you struggling. The folks who cheered me on for the last big hill going into the finish line were heroes.
With as many people as were out cheering, especially toward the end, I was thankful to actually pick out Von, Hank, and our little guy around mile 6. I had gone out too hot, and was definitely feeling it toward the end. They definitely gave me the boost I needed for the last mile, especially when I rounded the last turn and saw the hill I’d forgotten was coming.
Once we’d finished, we were able to get into a VIP party at Shipwrecked Pub thanks to Asics, which was pretty sweet. Free beers, hard seltzers, and lots of food (including some particularly good fried calamari, Rhode Island-style). I popped in for the end after managing to find the family, and then crossed the street to take a post-run dip in the surprisingly warm ocean.
All in all, this was an awesome experience I’m supremely grateful to have been given. Huge thanks to Will for building the ATCR community so much over these past 3 years. The Asics partnership is a testament to his hard work, dedication, and the positive, amazing community he’s made. And of course, our captains as well. And also thanks to Asics and our local rep for all they’ve done for us through this year.
A lobster roll a day keeps the doctor away
The rest of our time up north was spent in Providence (and the vicinity) hanging out with family. After flying into the delightfully small and manageable airport, we met Hank and grabbed dinner at Iggy’s in Warwick, where I had my first of 3 lobster rolls (hot with butter, miss me with that mayo abomination) of the weekend.
Then we got to our hotel to be informed that there was no hot water in the building. Someone was coming by tomorrow to hopefully sort it out. This was less than ideal.
The next morning, we began the day with perhaps one too many baked goods at Knead Doughnuts before heading down to Roger Williams Park for a stroll around while the little fella took a nap in his stroller. Once he woke up, we played for a bit at the “Boundless Playground,” where he swung on the swings and had a wonderful time. Laughing and smiling, he loves to swing around and such. We suspect he’s gonna be a roller coaster guy in due time.
After that, we went over toward the river to take a stroll on the river walk, get coffee, and meet up with Kyra and Ginny. After sitting for a spell at Dave’s Coffee, where I bought my first bottle of coffee syrup, we hung out by the river and enjoyed the cereal-based ice cream of Tizzy K’s. Delicious. While our plan for after this was to meet up with Hank for Appy Hour at Providence Oyster Bar, I couldn’t leave the area without a slice of tortellini pizza from my beloved Antonio’s.
The afternoon deals at the Oyster Bar were great. Dollar oysters and clams, as well as discounts on all sorts of apps. The lobster wontons were delicious. And their hot lobster roll was delicious. Probably the best one I ate. And, in a wonderful coincidence, James and Liz and the family were in the city, and made an appearance! It was great to see them all.
Thankfully when we got back, hot water had been restored, praise be. So an early night for an early morning to head up to Falmouth.
After the race and some coffee and pastries at Pie In the Sky, we sat in traffic for hours trying to get over the Bourne Bridge. Like you do. Von missed this kind of traffic on our previous trip to the Cape, so it’s only fitting she get a good long bridge delay this time. By the time we got back, we debated on where to get dinner and ended up at Iggy’s again. Where I had the exact same thing and regretted nothing. Though we also got the fried calamari, and we suddenly understood why this is the state appetizer. Some of the best calamari I think I’ve had.
We closed out the night with some ice cream with Hank. I ordered a small and was presented with a cone that rivaled the size and weight of our 9 month old child. For $6, I can’t complain, but it was certainly unexpected.
The next morning we grabbed some breakfast with my mom, who came down to see the young lad (and us) at the Cozy Grill before we flew back to Baltimore. Hearing about everyone from Tribe getting delayed (or their flights cancelled) over the past 12 hours, when it started raining we feared the worst. Thankfully, there wasn’t even a delay; we boarded and got back home without a hitch.
It was a great weekend all around! The race was great, it was super fun to travel with the crew. And it was awesome to get to see Hank and have him meet his nephew, as well as see Kyra, Ginny, mom, James, Liz, and the kids. Now, back to real life.