Unique stories from participants sharing why they’re running this year
Emily Poltrack, a Boston local, suffered from a stroke on her 25th birthday as a result of a blood clot that traveled from her heart to her brain. After her recovery, her neurologist was very wary of her continuing to run any sort of long-distance races. With careful training, she has run four Boston Marathons, several Falmouth Road Races (a few times with Tedy’s Team, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of stroke and heart disease warning signs), a few half marathons, and countless 10Ks! Emily will be taking part in this year’s ASICS Falmouth Road Race on Aug. 16, as it is a special race for her and her recovery journey. Emily shared that, “after some time in the hospital and recovering at home, I moved on with a new outlook on life – that life is short and fragile, but amazing!”
Emily in recovery post-stroke
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Alissa Butt, a Hollywood resident, is traveling across the country for the ASICS Falmouth Road Race on Aug. 16. Alissa will be taking part in the race with her father, who moved to Cape Cod in 2024 and has been interested in taking part in the famous race since! The duo decided to take part in the race together as a celebration of Alissa’s dad beating multiple myeloma. Alissa shared that her dad is one of her biggest supporters, and even living across the country has never missed a single marathon Alissa has participated in, she shared that, “No matter where the race is, I can always count on looking up somewhere along the course and seeing my dad cheering me on. Those moments have become some of my favorite memories. This year feels different because for once, he’s not on the sidelines. He’s beside me! For as long as I’ve been running, my dad has talked about wanting to run a race together.”
Alissa mid-race
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A year ago, Allison Murray, a Quincy resident and a nurse, suffered a stroke caused by a brain tumor that left her unable to walk, move the right side of her body, or even smile symmetrically. Now, on Aug. 16, she’ll stand on the starting line of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race to compete in her first-ever road race. After months of intensive rehabilitation, strength training, and relearning everyday movements, Allison set her sights on the race to raise funds for the National Brain Tumor Society, an organization that inspired her during her recovery journey. Allison shared that, “As a beginner, slow-paced runner, I think it is a great opportunity to be able to show that setbacks don’t have to be the end. I never thought that I would be able to do this, and running for National Brain Tumor Society is another honor.” You can find her fundraising page with more about her story here.
Allison mid-run
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Mark Sethares, a Falmouth resident, took part in the 2025 ASICS Falmouth Road Race as a way to celebrate the success of his brain surgery, and will be returning for the 2026 race on Aug. 16 as a continuation of that celebration. As a part of this year’s running, he will be fundraising for his neurosurgeon at Brigham & Women’s research fund. Mark’s recovery post-surgery included rehab to get his walking and balance back, and he continued doing PT for his dominant hand, which was most impacted by the surgery and still presents minor challenges. Today, he’s back fully healthy! Mark shared that, “I’m just very blessed to have the chance to run and want to best honor that privilege. The ability to run again this year is priceless and I’m excited to be a part of not only the amazing race day but all the good that this event does for others around the world.” You can find his fundraising page with more about his story here.
Mark with his family at the 2025 Falmouth Road Race finish line
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Michael Wolo, a Hanover, MA resident, was given a 2% chance of surviving after a horrific accident, where his head was crushed to less than 3 inches thick by 10,000 pounds of granite stone slabs. Michael suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), a broken neck, and broken shoulders. After many years of overcoming the physical damage, including a complete facial reconstruction, Michael has come back even stronger, playing semi‑pro football at the age of 40, marrying his soulmate, and becoming the father of two young boys. After Michael’s accident, he wanted to find a way to give back. This past year, he connected with the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA) to offer motivational speaking to fellow survivors and caregivers. While receiving their updates, he saw they were recruiting charity runners for the ASICS Falmouth Road Race’s “Numbers for Nonprofits” program. He shared that it instantly felt like the perfect alignment, so he signed up for the race coming up on Aug. 16! Are you interested in speaking with Michael ahead of race day to learn more about his incredible comeback story and what it means to be fundraising for the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts through this year’s ASICS Falmouth Road Race? Let me know and I’d be happy to connect you! You can read more about Michael’s story and view photos related to his story here.
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Ethan Sargent, a Bolton, CT resident, will be participating in the ASICS Falmouth Road Race on Aug. 16, just one year after receiving a stem cell transplant. Diagnosed in early 2025 with the rare genetic disorder GATA2 deficiency, Ethan learned he was at high risk of developing blood cancer and as advised by his team at Dana-Farber, he underwent a stem cell transplant, the only curative treatment. Ethan spent 23 days undergoing treatment and recovering from the transplant at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and now, one year later, chose to participate in the ASICS Falmouth Road Race due to its sponsorship with Dana-Farber. Ethan shared that he is most looking forward to his family coming to see him cross the finish line on race day, and that, “instead of them having to come visit me in the hospital, they get to come to the Cape with us and watch me run. They get to watch me truly enjoy my returned health. That’s priceless to me, and I know it will be for them too, if only because it will help reassure them of how far we have all come since last August.” You can read more about Ethan’s story on his blog, which he used to document his recovery journey here.
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Chris Koch, a man born without arms or legs, continues to prove that, although he may appear different from the average person, he is still able to achieve remarkable physical feats. In fact, he is part of the less than 1% of the world’s population that has ever completed a marathon… which he’s done over 20 times!
In just a few weeks, Chris will be traveling to Cape Cod to complete another special running event. He will take on the historic ASICS Falmouth Road Race, famous for its early inclusion of adaptive athletes and iconic 7-mile course that attracts a sold-out field of 11,400 runners every year. The race will be part of his continued epic journey taking on road races, traveling the world, and being a motivational speaker spreading his “If I Can” message.
Chris does not use traditional prosthetics to get around or complete his races. Chris grew up on a farm, where he contributed to the physical work just as much as anyone else would. This work taught him a lot about adapting. He tried out prosthetics to assist with day-to-day tasks, but found that he was actually most productive with just a longboard skateboard! This is also the tool he uses to get to the finish line.
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On August 16, there will be a unique start in the Wheelchair Duo division at the ASICS Falmouth Road Race. As teams take to the seven-mile course, one racing chair will be noticeably empty and will instead carry the memory of a local woman, long-time participant, and an inspiration in the fight to cure ALS.
Katherine DeGregorio Silvestri passed away on July 4 after battling ALS, just a few weeks shy of participating in her 17th ASICS Falmouth Road Race. An avid runner born and raised in Falmouth, Katherine was diagnosed in December 2023 at the age of 34, just three months after the birth of her daughter. As part of Compassionate Care ALS’ charity team (CCALS) and alongside her Duo partner Jim Bruce, 16 runners were part of Team Katie’s Cure and raised $35,000 for ALS research last year.
The image of Jim pushing Katie’s racing chair along the course is sure to be stirring and inspiring, marking the end of Katie’s journey and the continuation of the fight to find a cure for ALS.
