Rich on Running: Return to Cape Cod proves rewarding for running options

When I last wrote about running on Cape Cod, it was about the aptly named Race Point Beach in Provincetown two months ago.Well, last weekend we didn’t quite make it out to the tip of the Cape, but we did get to Marconi Beach, off Route 6 in Wellfleet.Part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and the site where Guglielmo Marconi launched the first transatlantic wireless communication between the US and England in 1903, Marconi Beach is also a relaxing place for a run.As you run north from the wooden steps connecting the beach with the parking lot, you will see the Atlantic Ocean on your right and a 40-foot high sand cliff (“scarp”) on your left. Up on the cliff is Marconi Station, where the inventor relayed the famous communication between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII (one wonders if they discussed which was better, fried clams or fish and chips). You may choose to run along the edge of the water, which can feel refreshing, but keep in mind the intensity of the waves, which are sometimes substantial enough to attract surfers to the beach.This is a nice spot to observe nature during a run. Large seagulls and tiny plovers frequent the beach, and in the evening the seals (and, from one report, dolphins) come for the seafood buffet. Thankfully, no sharks were sighted during our trips to the beach.You will also pass the summertime crowds ? and while there were fishermen, football-throwers and Frisbee-tossers out there, it seems practically no one else went for a run around the time I did, which was around 5 p.m. I believe I saw a grand total of two runners on Saturday: one sprinting down the access road from Route 6, the other on the beach itself. To the barefoot runners out there (and congratulations to those who competed in the New Balance Falmouth Road Race last weekend!), I can attest from personal experience that this is, overall, a good spot for it.I have run Marconi Beach several times this summer, including with my West Highland white terrier, Daisy, although sometimes I’m not sure if she’s chasing me or the plovers. When running with pets, keep in mind not to tire them out with long distances or high speeds, especially given the hot weather.The rangers at the beach require a $15 fee to park until around 4:30 p.m. For pedestrians and bicyclists, the fee is $3 to access the beach.Rich Tenorio writes a weekly column on running for The Item. Email him at [email protected].