Rachel Maguire before a past Falmouth Road Race.

Rachel Maguire lives in TrackTown, USA. That’s Eugene, Oregon for those who do not know.

But Maguire isn’t a former star at the University of Oregon. Nor is she sponsored by Nike, whose influence over TrackTown looms large.

Not at all. In fact, the first race she took part in was a Falmouth Road Race. Since then, she has become hooked on running, as any good Oregonian does. “I have become one of those like-minded running weirdos,” she admits. She really enjoys the half-marathon distance and has done numerous 10Ks. (Marathons are not her thing, she says.)

Since her in-laws have a home in North Falmouth, each summer she and her son fly east from their home in Eugene to spend some time with the grandparents before her husband flies out to join them all and she runs in the Falmouth Road Race with her sister- and brother-in-law.

This year will mark her fifth running of the Road Race. But it is the first one she will race since her father and grandfather passed away. That is partially why she chose this year to raise funds for a cause for the first time.

“My granddad was a marine biologist who worked at the Marine Biological Lab early in his career,” she says. “And my dad was an amateur photographer very interested in nature photography.” The Buzzards Bay Coalition is the organization that resonated with her as she thought about honoring her father and grandfather: “I think this is a really cool opportunity, and that they would both be very proud of me.”

To support Rachel or any of the Team Buzzards Bay members, go here.