Movers and Shakers: Richard Sherman

When Falmouth hired a new director of recreation in 1973, few could have predicted that the impact of the decision would still be felt 40 years later. The young man who accepted the position—fresh from receiving his master's degree in community and outdoor recreation from Springfield College, and serving three years in the Navy before that—has since become a legend in the Falmouth running community.

It didn't take long for Richard Sherman to begin building his legacy. “Tommy Leonard stopped into the recreation center one day in late spring and introduced himself, welcoming me to town,” Sherman remembers. “He told me that he was holding a road race on his birthday on August 15. He had heard that I was a runner—I ran in high school, for Fordham, for the Navy, and in the 1973 Boston Marathon—and he figured I might want to help...which I was happy to do.”

Sherman got to work organizing the fledgling event, and became one of the 100 or so athletes who took part in the first year of what would soon become internationally known as the Falmouth Road Race. The event began to grow almost immediately, partly due to the participation of Olympians such as Marty Liquori and gold medalist Frank Shorter, partly because of the tireless work of Leonard, Sherman, and others.

Not content to help foster one major race, Sherman quickly applied his knowledge of event organizing, and his experience running both the Boston and New York City marathons, to creating another hallmark of the annual racing schedule, the Cape Cod Marathon, which will be run for the 35th time this fall.

After stepping down from his position as co-director of the Road Race in 2011, Sherman wasted little time in applying his energies elsewhere. His Flag Day 5k Run/Walk--cofounded with his wife, Kathy, who also worked with him on the Road Race for many years, and Jo-Ann Leaf--is smaller in scope than his previous endeavors, and that is by design.

“The Falmouth Road Race is iconic,” he says, “and great for the town’s image and visibility, but the smaller races also add a lot to the community, family atmosphere. My wife and I wanted to use our many years of race-directing experience to continue to promote fitness and community and to raise money for local non-profits.”

In this case, that means the Falmouth Education Association, the beneficiaries of the 5k's proceeds. Sherman says the choice was easy.

“We have observed the wonderful work they do in our town for children and wanted to support them. My wife is a retired teacher and I also taught for several years in town. My wife also served on their board of directors for several years, and our two daughters received excellent educations in Falmouth, with many outstanding teachers.”

The quality of local schools is just one of many factors which led Sherman to settle in Falmouth, after being born in Norfolk, Virginia, and traveling up and down the East Coast as the child of a frequently transferred FBI special agent.

“We loved New England, the Cape and the community from the start, and never left,” Sherman says. “Our two daughters are Cape-born, graduated from Falmouth High School and have returned here to live and work. Our third 'child' was the Falmouth Road Race. Our daughters grew up with it.”

While he no longer has a direct hand in rearing that third child, Sherman does visit occasionally. He plans to participate in the Road Race's 50th running, in 2022, when he'll be 77. That will be yet another milestone in a life which has included running almost from the beginning.

“As a child, I quickly discovered that I was fast and could outrun most of my classmates on the playground,” Sherman says. “I have been a runner for more than 50 years. I was blessed with enough ability to get a full scholarship to college and I have always loved and appreciated the sport and what it can do for people in terms of physical and mental health. I like the fact that almost anyone can run if they simply have determination.”