Ethiopia’s Fentaye Belayneh dominates Falmouth Road Race on Sunday

Addis Ababa, August 19, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopia’s Fentaye Belayneh Azale reigned supreme at 52nd ASICS Falmouth Road Race on Sunday (August 18), dominating the men’s field to win by 36:10 over the seven miles.

The women’s race was much more interesting than the men’s. Unlike their male counterparts, none of the women in the lead pack felt comfortable trying to make an early statement move and instead, the top eight or so runners remained tightly packed together for much of the day.

Late in the race, 23-year old Fentaye Belayneh Azale, of Ethiopia, was able to win a sprint for the finish line to earn her first championship at Falmouth in her second posting here. The follow-up went much better than the first time she participated; in that first race, which was last year, she was unable to complete the event.

Fentaye Belayneh Azale conquered the course in 36:10. She was one second faster than 19-year old phenomenon Melknat Wudu Sharew, also of Ethiopia.

Emma Bates, of Colorado, was third overall and the first American to finish.

The Falmouth Road Race is an annual 7.0-mile road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.