The Falmouth Road Race has been a Cape Cod rite of August for more than fifty years: seven miles from Woods Hole, past the lighthouse, along the open Atlantic to a roaring finish at Falmouth Heights. Entries through the open lottery are famously hard to get, which is where the charity program comes in — hundreds of Massachusetts nonprofits field teams through the race’s Numbers for Nonprofits program, and their runners claim guaranteed bibs in exchange for fundraising.

Expect a field that runs from Olympians up front to costumed first-timers at the back, with spectators lining nearly every yard of the course. Joining a charity team means committing to a fundraising minimum for your chosen cause, from Dana-Farber down to small local outfits. It suits runners who want a bib with a purpose — and one of New England’s great summer race weekends.