Some may find it hard to believe, but I have never run the Falmouth Road Race.

Yes, it's true that I have never made the trek from the Captain Kidd in Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights on the second Sunday in August. I have never experienced running the rolling hills in the first three miles, gone past the Nobska lighthouse or been galvanized by the throngs of spectators that roar their approval for all the runners streaming off Surf Dr. onto Shore St. Of the 300 Attleboro area residents that will be running the race on Sunday, I won't be one of them.

Many may empathize with my apparent bad luck in not getting into the race. Since entry depends on being chosen in a lottery, some may lament that my name has never been plucked after all these years. No, that's not it. I've never entered the lottery. Perhaps I can't run Falmouth because the second Sunday in August is a day reserved for some personal or family obligation. No, that's not it. Or as a member of the media, I'm confined to the press truck and can't compete. I've only covered Falmouth for this newspaper once so that's not the reason either. I don't run Falmouth because I don't want to pick up my race number the day before the race.

Road races are not created equal. There are essentially small and large classes and there is a chasm between them. Mega races like Falmouth, the Boston Marathon and others around the country have special issues and most involve the high volume of runners that they must service. Those races have the computer chip to accurately record times. Some have staggered starts to get runners off in a less congested manner. Mega races have runner expos a couple of days before to market products. The biggest difference between small and large races is registration.

How many times have you ambled up to a registration table at the Attleboro Y races or the Crackerbarrel 5K, 10 minutes before the race started and got registered? Happens all the time. Large races can't do that because it's physically impossible to process thousands of runners on race morning. They need to spread it out over a couple of days. For locals, that requires a long drive to the destination and then the return trip. I still have unpleasant memories of my first Cherry Blossom 10 mile in 1986. Not the race but registration. Running through the historic Tidal Basin area of our nation's capital when the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring was a landmark race that I wasn't going to miss. However, it required driving to a downtown hotel on a Saturday to retrieve my bib number. Washington traffic, even 20 years ago, was gridlock. Most of that day was expended in transit. The Philadelphia Distance Run, the annual half marathon held in that city, had the same routine. Drive into the city, fight the congestion, pay a bundle to park and waste a Saturday in the process. I did that for a number of years and I'm done with that scene.

Last fall, my neighbor, Jerry asked me if I would run the Bay State Half Marathon with him. The condition for my participation was for him to pick up my number the day before the race. I had no interest in making the trek to Lowell and back. I'm done with that scene.

Allison Dyer is a faithful Falmouth fan. There are years when she runs both summer Falmouth and its twin later in the year, Falmouth in the Fall. She's not content with the status quo either.

"For Falmouth, you have to pick up your number the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday before the race," she said. "From my house that's 64 miles and I know people come further away than North Attleboro. It just seems a terrible waste of time and gas. I would be happy to pay to have my number mailed. I think with gas prices going up they should really make that an option."

Some races, albeit few, will mail your race application if you enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your entry fee. Ironically, one of the races that does is ... Falmouth in the Fall. Good idea but that may not be an option for summer Falmouth.

"Too easy and tempting to claim it was not received in the mail and demand a replacement," said Falmouth race director Rich Sherman. "With our race it would not work due to the popularity."

For those vacationing on the Cape, race pickup is not a problem. For those who don't ... leave the Hummer in the drive way.

Of course, there is another option - have someone pick up my number. I wonder if my neighbor Jerry would be interested in Falmouth next year. I'll certainly run it with him but of course, there's a condition.

Footnotes

The final Fitzfest, the Wampanoag Road Runners summer classic, will be held in Mansfield on Sunday, Aug. 17; Fitzfest XI begins at 1 p.m. and is guaranteed to go deep into the night; the event brings together the largest group of club members; contact Sandy Sheehy (ssheehy@mindspring.com) or Kevin Fitzgibbon (51019@comcast.net) for more info ... Shoes Dept. - A couple of Sundays ago, a Nike van was at DB Sports in North Attleboro with an array of shoes for runners to view and use; two Nike reps appeared at the Wampanoag Road Runner training run and allowed runners to run in a pair of shoes for six, 10 or whatever distance they were doing that day and a dozen runners accepted; I got to upgrade to a Structure Triax with 200 fewer miles than the pair I came in; after the run, the shoes were returned and all participants got a pair of socks; runners compared the experience to renting bowling shoes; Nike will be at the Runaways Aug. 17 race with a similar promotion ... The lone Tom's Tavern summer 5K will be held next Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wrentham establishment on Shears St.; contact Roland Desrochers 508-384-4485 or ronan262@yahoo.com for info on this free event ... ROB ROSE is a running columnist for The Sun Chronicle and can be reached via e-mail at LSXPLRER@comcast.net.