Approximately 30 Cape Cod amateurs provided communications for the annual Cape Cod Marathon and Half Marathon in Falmouth on October 26-27, 2019. The premiere event is limited to 1,200 participants and serves as a qualifying race for the BAA Boston Marathon.
“The weather was excellent for running on Saturday, but a completely different story for the full marathon on Sunday,” writes Falmouth Amateur Radio Association President and Communications Coordinator Barry Hutchinson, KB1TLR. “With strong winds and heavy rains along Falmouth’s coastline both runners and radio operators were put to the test.”
Hutchinson reports that “banners for [the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club], FARA along with the new ARRL radio communications banner were all displayed along the finish line gates. “This created many positive comments about amateur radio.”
Amateur radio volunteers kept race officials abreast of runners who dropped out, allowing them to be picked up by the “Tired Runner Vans” or transferred to the medical tent. KB1TLR received praise from the Marathon staff which he passed it along to his team. “It was an excellent team to work with.”
