Rich on Running: Lynn’s Fraser enjoys Patriotic experience

July 4 is a patriotic moment of the year, and the day before, Lynner Scott Fraser enjoyed a memorable race at the home of the New England Patriots.Fraser ran the Finish at the 50 5K at Gillette Stadium on July 3. The race, sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, was part of a day of Foxborough festivities. There was also a 10K, appearances by former multiple Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers and current Patriots player Jerod Mayo, a Fitness Expo and a kids’ race. One athletic duo who appeared was the father-son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt, who compete in races with Dick Hoyt pushing Rick, who was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair.Through the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, Finish at the 50 supported the Special Olympics. Fraser, 47, is involved with the Special Olympics as an athlete who has cerebral palsy.Earlier this year, Fraser spoke about cerebral palsy, which he was born with.”I’m like any other normal person (who) trains with cerebral palsy, trying to run,” Fraser said. “I have a little bit of muscle fatigue.”He added, “I have a real mild, mild form of cerebral palsy. It’s not as bad as some of the other ones.”It has not slowed Fraser down. The races he has run this year to date include not only the Finish at the 50, but also the Boston Athletic Association 5K on the Sunday before the Boston Marathon.”We had a little bit of heat,” Fraser recalled. “It wasn’t as bad as the actual Marathon. There was more of a sea breeze. It made it feel more comfortable for us.”Fraser said that a former physical therapist set guidelines for his races, telling him not to do anything over five miles. So Fraser decided to run 5Ks.”It’s not as far, only 3.1 miles,” he said. “Anyone can do it. Train a mile or two and work yourself up to 5K. I had done races in the past, up to the 10K level.”While the West Lynn resident said he has not gotten a chance to run at Manning Field, he has run the Wakefield track and the Danvers High track. Last year, while on the North Shore Striders, he also ran the Peabody track.He describes his running style in a way that is both honest and humble, saying that he is basically “a recreational runner ? I just do it for the fun of it and stuff.”When he’s not running, he is an athlete’s representative for the Special Olympics, helping out in such sports as soccer and track and field. He also plays goalie for a Special Olympics soccer team.But don’t cross running off his calendar any time soon. He is planning to run the Take the Lake 5K around Lake Quannapowitt on Sunday morning.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].