BUZZARDS BAY — Thousands of people are now running the Falmouth Road Race from home this year after the pandemic turned the race into a virtual event.
For Buzzards Bay resident Kelly DeMello, choosing her home-base route was a no-brainer.
“I live along the Cape Cod Canal, so as soon as I heard it was from home, I was like ‘the canal is 7 miles long, I have the perfect place to do it! I’m going to make the most of it,’” she said.
DeMello set out at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning to run her race by herself. But, as she was about to start, she quickly realized she was not alone.
“I took a picture underneath the railroad bridge, and as I turn around, I heard someone say from behind me, ‘Hey, are you ready to do this?’ And I knew right away it was Paul,” she said.
Paul, who drove down from New Hampshire, has been more than just a good friend over the years to DeMello. In 2009, the two were forever bonded by a life-saving operation. DeMello gave Paul one of her kidneys.
“To know I didn’t have to run it alone was awesome. And because I knew it was for raising money for organ donation, to be able to do it with him was awesome,” she said.
>>>MORE: Boston Public Schools introduces 3rd option of learning
Running alongside her kidney recipient, DeMello finished her race Sunday morning and raised nearly $2,000 for New England Donor Services, a non-profit that aides in organ and tissue donations.
According to the president of the Falmouth Road Race Board of Directors, Scott Ghelfi, the Numbers for Nonprofits program teams raised $1.4 million dollars this year for Massachusetts-based charities.
“By not just canceling and putting on this virtual event, we still were able to raise quite a bit of money,” Ghelfi told Boston 25 News Sunday night.
Ghelfi added that people still have time to register and run.
Runners are tasked with completing their seven miles by August 29 and are encouraged to post their photos along the way.
“I think people are looking to be part of something right now because so many things have been canceled, so it’s great that we were able to do this and give so many people the opportunity to do it,” he said.
For more information about the 2020 Falmouth Road Race, click here.
Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts
>> Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here
RESOURCES:
- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information
- Boston Coronavirus Information
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW