ROAR motorcycle ride
Hundreds of motorcycle bikers took part in the ROAR ride from Falmouth to Cape Tech in Harwich Sunday afternoon.
Merrily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times
An award-winning documentary about a running club for people in addiction recovery will have a special screening on Cape Cod.The free screening will take place at Lower Cape TV in Orleans on July 16 at 7 p.m.A panel discussion featuring the film’s directors and others will follow the 45-minute documentary.
Cape Cod will host a special screening of an award-winning documentary about a running group for those struggling with addiction.
“The Boston Bulldogs,” based on the Boston Bulldogs Running Club, will play at Lower Cape TV in Orleans, Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but it is encouraged to register ahead of time because space is limited.
“It’s an inspirational story,” says Bryan Cote of Truro, who co-directed the documentary with his son, Jack, a first-time project for both of them. “The people in it, the redemption and the resilience they had. The idea of community and not giving up.”
Bryan Cote is a journalist and publisher of The Behavioral Health Hour online journal. His background is in health care research, and he has covered mental health and addiction since the late ‘90s.
What is the Boston running club?
Started in 2015, Boston Bulldogs Running Club is a nonprofit wellness organization for people affected by drug and alcohol addiction, with a focus on those in recovery, according to the club’s website. It hosts five weekly runs a week in four different locations, mainly in the Boston area.
“We’re for all people who are adversely affected by drug and alcohol addiction,” says club Executive Director Jim Keane. “Most of our members are in recovery from drugs or alcohol. But we also have people who are friends or allies of people in recovery who find solace being a part of this group.”
Most of the runners are amateurs and there’s no pressure to be competitive — some members just walk. But there have been members who have gone on to compete in the Boston Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race. This year will mark the group’s third year in a row participating in the Falmouth Road Race as 10 of its runners will join the Race Benefactors program.
At 45 minutes long, “The Boston Bulldogs” follows members of the running club as they tell their stories and experiences with addiction and recovery.
“I tried to show their recovery in a positive light as they talk about things that they went through,” says Cote, who is a 2025 marathon team member of the club. “It’s meant to be more preventative and educational.”
Those in the group benefit from running on multiple fronts, says Cote. There’s the natural benefit of your serotonin levels, but there is also the comfort of having a place to go to get away from isolation. And, instead of spending thousands of dollars on treatment, Cote calls running and being part of a community “a lot more effective at a much lower cost.”
“Running releases endorphins that help people with anxiety and depression, especially when it comes to Type A personalities,” adds Keane, “and a lot of our runners are Type A personalities. They take to running like gum to a shoe.”
How did the documentary come together?
Cote and his son interviewed the running group members in 2023 around Chestnut Hill in Boston, what Bryan Cote describes as their “primary spot for filming” and where the “flagship runs” take place. The group also has organized runs in Plymouth, Worcester and Quincy.
Cote intended to write a story about the group. But then he pivoted.
“I realized that this is probably a great film,” he says.
Cote admits planning and editing the film proved difficult, especially with zero budget and funding, but “Boston Bulldogs” has since gained the recognition of 11 different film festivals, including being named the Best Health Film at the World Film Festival in Cannes in 2024.
Cote will be on a panel at the July 16 screening alongside his son, one of the people featured in the film, a physician from Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and possibly someone from Outer Cape Health Services. Keane will also be in attendance. Trenni Casey of NBC Sports Boston will moderate the panel.
The running club launched its weekly run in Worcester a year ago, and Keane says Cape Cod could be next.
“We’d love to start focusing on the Cape,” he says. “Not exactly sure where, but we know very much that there is need on the Cape. This documentary is a nice way to introduce us to that audience.”
How to see ‘The Boston Bulldogs’ on Cape Cod?
Where: Lower Cape TV Station, 5 Namskaket Road, Orleans
When: July 16, 7 p.m.
Register: https://bostonbulldogsrunning.org/join-us-for-a-screening-of-the-boston-bulldogs-documentary-in-orleans-ma/
Jason Savio writes about restaurants, real estate and cultural events. Reach him at jsavio@capecodonline.com.
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