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Six Men Who Broke 4-Minutes at Falmouth Mile Return Saturday Night;
Jordan McNamara, Jeff See and AJ Acosta Lead Elite Field of Twelve
Former Mile World Record Holder Craig Blanchette Leads Return of Wheelchair
Mile
The Cochary High School Mile Rewards Winners with Grant for ÛÏGood
ChoicesÛ
August 6, 2012, Falmouth, MA ÛÒ Falmouth Road Race organizers
expect an electric evening of six mile events on Saturday, August 11, 2012, at
the Falmouth High School track. The top three men from 2011Ûªs blazing fast
event, Jordan McNamara, Jeff See and AJ Acosta return to battle with nine other
competitors. Sarah Bowman, Katie Mackey and Gabriele Anderson arrive in
Falmouth after placing in the top 10 in the 1500 meters at the Olympic Trials.
Former mile world record holder, Craig Blanchette, leads the menÛªs wheelchair
mile field while the womenÛªs wheelchair field will be contested by five women
who will compete the next day as well. The Cochary High School Mile will be
stacked with the best from Massachusetts schools. The mile events start at 6pm
with the high school girls taking to the track first.
ÛÏThe 2011 elite Falmouth Mile was one for the ages with ten
men going under the 4-minute mark and five women going under 4:34,Û said Matt
Auger, Assistant Race Director and Mile Coordinator. ÛÏThis year we expect similar results while
adding back the excitement of the wheelchair mile and the young stars of
tomorrow with The Cochary High School Mile.Û
The high school mile has been renamed The Cochary High
School Mile in honor of Tommy Cochary.
The Falmouth summer resident was killed when the drunk driver he was
riding with crashed in 1990. He was just 25 years old. The Cochary family will also
provide the winning high school boy and girl each with a $2,500 grant to
improve or change something at their school in athletics or overall wellness.
ÛÏAs a family, we are dedicating the race to Tommy in the
hope that young people will learn from our tragedy and make safe choices in
their lives,Û said TommyÛªs sisters, Laura Majka and Elizabeth Cochary Gross.
ÛÏThe boy and girl who win the high school mile will bring a small grant back to
their high schools to purchase equipment or implement a level
of wellness in their school.Û
Six of the ten men who
broke 4-minutes in the 2011 Falmouth Mile return to do it again. Jordan
McNamara won the event in 3:54.89 followed by Jeff See in 3:55.24 and AJ Acosta
in 3:55.30. They will be joined by Craig Miller (3:56.41 PR), Liam Boylan-Pett
(3:58.19 PR, at Falmouth), Jack Bolas (3:58.31 PR) and Christian Hesch (3:58.68
PR at Falmouth). Sean Brosnan, 5th
in 2010 will also be returning to the Falmouth track. Racing at Falmouth for
the first time will be: Ben Bruce (4:00.00 PR), Garrett Heath (3:57.18 PR),
Cory Leslie (3:56.85 PR) and David Torrence (3:52.01 PR).
The elite womenÛªs field
sees the return of last yearÛªs second place finisher, Brenda Martinez, who
was12th at the Olympic Trials and has a personal best of 4:32.29. SheÛªll be
joined by Gabriele Anderson who just missed the Olympic team with a fourth
place finish at the Trials in the 1500 meters. Anderson was fourth at Falmouth
last year and has a 4:31.05 mile personal best. Also returning to compete is Sara
Vaughn who was 6th at Falmouth in 2011. They will be joined by four
ladies who make their Falmouth debut: Sarah Bowman (4:29.72 PR), Katie Mackey
(4:36.39 PR), Ashley Miller (4:39.11 PR) and Aisha Praught (4:35.96 PR).
Wheelchair racing will
return to the Falmouth High School Track when former mile world record holder,
Craig Blanchette will lead a field of ten racers around the Mondo track.
Blanchette will be joined by New Balance Falmouth Road Race champions, Krige
Schabort, Tony Nogueira and Patrick Doak along with Grant Berthiaume, Matt
Davis, Michael Mills, Matthew Porterfield and James Senbeta. The womenÛªs
wheelchair mile will be contested by Chelsea Crytzer, Tammy Delano, Maggie
Frederick, Christina Kuoros and Jill Moore.
The Cochary High School Girls
Mile will be contested by Camille Blackman (Longmeadow), Gianna Cacciatore
(Whitman), Alex Giese (Franklin), Liz Holmes (Foxboro), Ella Martin (Woods
Hole), Jordan OÛªDea (South Dennis), Lauren OÛªNeil (Falmouth), Colleen Sands
(Princeton), Mikhaela Tropp (Sandwich), Kelsey Whitaker (Kingston), Laura
Williamson (Princeton) and Stella Worters (Charlton). The Cochary High School
Boys Mile will be contested by Nick Christensen (Peabody), Tim Cox
(Acton-Boxborough), Wesley Gallagher (Pembroke), Owen Gonser (Wrentham), Joel
Hubbard (Marshfield), Justin Keefe (Newton), Brendan Robertson (Westborough),
James Sullivan (Acton-Boxborough), Kevin Thomas (Marshfield) and Joe Vercollone
(Pembroke).
The girlsÛª field will
include Ella Martin, 18, of Woods Hole who just graduated from Falmouth
Academy. Without a team to compete with, Martin has had to find her own way
into meets. She competed this summer in the New Balance Twilight Series which
qualified her for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina. ÛÏShe is probably one of the best
runners around that no one has heard ofÛ says her coach, Ken Gartner of the
Falmouth Track Club and Falmouth Hospital.
To learn more about
the New Balance Falmouth Road Race visit: www.falmouthroadrace.com, www.twitter.com/runfalmouth, www.facebook.com/falmouthroadrace
About Falmouth Road
Race
The New Balance Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one
of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an
international field of Olympians, elite and recreational runners out to enjoy
the iconic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race
organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community
programs and philanthropic giving.
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