Colby College men’s lacrosse coach Justin Domingos is an avid runner, but he runs in just one competitive race a year.

It is, however, a big one: The 39th annual Falmouth (Mass.) Road Race, which takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The 7.1-mile race is to Cape Cod what the Beach to Beacon is to Portland and surrounding communities.

“It’s a beautiful run along the coast,” said Domingos, who ran the race last season. “It’s a pretty big deal there. This is the only race I’ll do, but it’s a lot of fun.”

The Falmouth Road Race, like the Beach to Beacon, attracts several elite runners from across the globe. It pays $10,000 to the male and female winners.

2011 Beach to Beacon runnerup Lucas Rotich is the defending Falmouth Road Race champ.

“It’s a good race,” said Domingos, who grew up in Falmouth. “This is my vacation week so I’ll do it again this year.”

• • •

Ben Russell and Chelsea Thompson ran the Cougar Soccer Classic 5-kilometer road race while they were in high school. This summer, the pair decided to bring the race back two years after it was last run.

A 2009 graduate of Mt. Blue High School, Russell got the idea to resuscitate the race while on a run this summer.

“Chelsea and I did it in high school, but then it stopped,” said Russell, a senior at Maine Maritime Academy. This summer I was out running and after talking to some people, I decided that we could bring it back.

“I thought, ‘I could run it.’ “

The race, which takes place Aug. 17 and is run on the Whistlestop Rail Trail in Farmington, benefits the Mt. Blue boys and girls soccer programs. The one-mile fun run starts at 5:40 p.m. and is followed by the 5K at 6 p.m. Race-day registration is $10 and starts at 4:30 p.m.

It didn’t take Russell and Thompson long to realize how difficult it can be to put on a road race.

“We realized how much work actually goes into it,” he said. “There is just so much little stuff that is easy to forget (like) ordering race bibs. We said, ‘Oh, we have to order those.’ Then there are making sure we have tables and water tents. It’s mostly stuff for race day. We didn’t think of everything at first, but it’s coming together now. We’re really excited for it.”

• • •

The annual Doc and Mardie Brown 5k will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Alfond Youth Center.

The race, says organizer Patrick Guerette, honors Doc and Mardie Brown, who were active retirees at the center.

“The race started when they were living and now it’s in memory of them,” Guerette said. “Mardie was an active runner and an outstanding swimmer. Doc worked out at 99 years old before he died at 100. The idea behind the race is to keep an active lifestyle.”

With that in mind, an award will be given to the oldest male and female top finishers.

The race last year drew about 50 runners, and Guerette said he hopes the field will double.

“We want this to become a popular event,” he said. “The family supports it and wants it to keep going. We’re trying to encourage older people to stay active.”

Race-day registration is $20, although runners 55 and older can register for $12.

A one-mile fun run will begin at 8:30, also at the youth center.

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

 

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