Runners come to Central Square for 5K road race

LYNN – Starting off from the iconic Central Square clock in the shadow of the Commuter Rail tracks, over 150 runners and walkers participated in the sixth annual Clock to the Rock 5K road race.?It?s a nice course for the scene,” organizer John Olson of Columbia Insurance said. “If you?re not a diehard runner, you can finish it.”Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy was present for the start of the race, whose route incorporated Lynn Shore Drive and the Lynnway. Olson said that Mary Chalmers of the mayor?s office helps with the race.There was a bit of sportsmanship involved at the finish. Runner Michael Smith, 31, crossed the finish line first but said that he made a wrong turn in doing so.As a result, Paul McGovern, 53, of North Andover was the winner, finishing in 19:23. Tim Bogart and Ryan Brown were the first Lynn finishers (5th and 6th overall, 20:46 and 20:59, respectively) and Dena Domey, also of Lynn, was the first female finisher (22:12, 12th).Despite his tough luck, Smith sounded upbeat after the race.?It was great,” he said. “One, it was a beautiful day to run. Two, the hills, plus the scenic ocean over there. The sky was perfect. There was hardly any breeze.”Runners and walkers alike tackled the course in many ways. Brown, of the Lynn Fire Department, ran while pushing three-and-a-half-year-old Tyler in a carriage. Judge Albert Conlon of Lynn District Court put together a group of runners and walkers from the court, who wore light-green shirts.Following the race, Arts After Hours held a party in the Lynn Heritage Museum courtyard.?The nice thing about that,” Olson said, “is that Arts After Hours reached out to us. That?s how the whole thing started, as a Central Square collaborative.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].