Clock to the Rock chimes in record turnout

LYNN – Central Square turned into a race course on Thursday night, for the seventh annual Clock to the Rock 5K road race.John Olson of Columbia Insurance helped organize the race, which included a hill on Sagamore Street and a coastal stretch along Lynn Shore Drive.?Perfect running weather,” said Olson, who also ran the race. “It?s a little warm. There?s a breeze right on the water.”As for turnout, Olson said, “I think it?s the best we ever had. Usually there?s about 150 who register and 140 who show up. There were 170-180 today.”Chris Soucy of Beverly won the race in 17:52. The top female finisher was Danvers fitness instructor Kelly Pszenny, in 21:33 (8th).?I feel good,” Soucy said. “A little tired. It was a good course. Once I got over the first hill, it wasn?t bad. The hill was long, but not too steep.”Pszenny and her boyfriend, Ryan Duffy, a Lynn Fire lieutenant, run the race every year. She also has a running group, Kelly?s Brew Krue, and she?s preparing for the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem on Saturday.Lynn District Court and North Shore Community College were both well represented, with people running from both.?I felt tired, after not running for a while,” said Johnathan Nop, an English alum and NSCC freshman, who finished in 22:09. “I?m proud of my time.”Court employees ran with “EF” shirts in honor of the retiring Judge Ellen Flatley. They called the race “the Flatley 5K.” The judge herself walked the course.Olson said he had “a special thank you to the Lynn Police Department and the Department of Public Works.?The Lynn Police really went all-out to secure the route for us so everybody feels safe. We are running in live traffic. The DPW has 180-200 sawhorses that keep the runners separate from traffic.”Olson thanked three people in particular: Sgt. Chris Reddy; and Lisa Nerich and George Potter of the DPW.