TAKE THE PLUNGE
Summer road trips and the Run Cannonball Run go hand in hand. Armed with our sneakers and shorts we loaded a group of runners in a minivan and ventured across Cape Cod in search of the best spots for a mid-run plunge. Training plans, fears of heights, and aversions to cold water we left behind in Boston.
A seaside playground 2-3 hours south of the city (depending on traffic), the Cape extends 65 miles into the Atlantic. With quaint towns, pristine beaches and a plethora of docks, jetties, ponds and bridges, it’s the ideal location for maximizing Run Cannonball Run potential and classic New England summer fun.
First stop: Sandwich. The oldest town on the Cape, its rich history and miles of waterfront roads provided ample opportunities for mixing a run and a swim. Rafa Oliveira and Sam Roecker -- 2:28 and 2:45 marathoners, respectively -- put in four easy winding miles from the Shawme-Cromwell State Forest to the Sandwich Boardwalk for a plunge and four miles back.
The Sandwich Boardwalk is a popular spot for leaping, even if it means cannonballing into the frigid Cape Cod Bay. Sometimes called the “Plank Walk” the boardwalk is 1350 feet long and 142 years old, and was originally constructed so townspeople could use it to wade out during low tide for lobsters. Cheered on by a crowd of locals, Rafa and Sam took their leaps and then hit the road to regain feeling in their toes.
Back in the van to meander further down the Cape, the crew stopped in Wellfleet for oysters and beers at Mac’s and rested up for another day of run-cannonball-running.
Picturesque Wellfleet is situated along the narrowest stretch of the Cape, with the waters of the Bay on its west only about 2 miles from the Atlantic on its east. Sam and Rafa joined middle distance runners Naomi Holzauer and Mike Carlone for a shakeout along the town’s winding roads and gentle hills, while Western Mass Distance Project’s Jason Ayr set out for a humid 20 mile long run, punctuated with a stop at the Wellfleet Harbor pier.
Wellfleet Harbor is home to an active fishing industry and its pier is perfectly situated for some illicit jumping. Part of the joys of the Run Cannonball Run is its occasional clandestine spirit. But it’s hard to get in trouble for jumping where you’re “technically not supposed to” when your intention is to run away immediately anyway.
Invigorated by endorphins and another plunge into the less-than-warm Atlantic, the group returned to their basecamp for an evening of revelry at a local dive bar, the Bomb Shelter.
They may or may not have ventured back to the beach when the moon was high. But that’s a tale, they (and their sand-filled rental van), won’t be retelling anytime soon.
