Rich on Running: Stone Tower is a steep test

If you?ve ever climbed Stone Tower Hill in Lynn Woods, you know how tough it is. And if you?ve never climbed it, but are planning to in Sunday?s Stone Tower Trail Run Challenge, you?re in for quite the experience.Stone Tower lies atop Burrill Hill, at 285 feet the highest point in Lynn, and it presents a steep test for runners (forgive the pun).?You know it?s the highest point in Lynn Woods,” race organizer Liam Brady of Danvers said. “You don?t even take the main road. The main road?s harder than the side trails. At Stone Tower, you have to be a little more careful with your footing.”This is the sixth installment of the Stone Tower 5K and 15K races, which began as a way to help restore the tower.?The Lynn Woods ranger, (Dan) Small, put out posters asking for help to restore the tower,” Brady said.Brady designed the courses and successfully pitched the idea to Lynn Woods summer cross country race director Bill Mullen and race founder Joe Abelon.For the second straight year, the 15K is a part of the North Shore Trail Series, sponsored by the New England Running Company and Salomon.?It?s challenging,” Brady said. “It?s a hard course … It leaves you with a real feeling of accomplishment.”One indicator of the challenge is that runners on the 15K go up to Stone Tower not once, not twice, but three times … on each stage of the course.?The first third, it?s right away,” Brady said. “The second, it?s five miles out of the woods from a different direction. The third, it?s less than a mile away, the direction you originally went down. It?s a race and a half.”In case you were wondering, the race also includes the “other” renowned hill at Lynn Woods, Steel Tower Hill (Mount Gilead), whose elevation is a “mere” 272 feet. There are also grueling trails such as the Undercliff Path and landmarks like Dungeon Rock.?It?s really like 9.1 miles,” Brady said. “We lost a little distance marking it out. It?s a mass race with fast runners. We don?t want to lose people. We run them in and run them out. Sometimes, simple is just better.”As for the 5K course, it saves the best for last.?The 5K finishes up and over Stone Tower,” Brady said. “In the 5K, the only part that gets people is Stone Tower. Fast runners go up there pretty good. (Woods race volunteer) Mike Fitzgerald takes pictures of everybody, and you go from fresh-faced, hard-running people to (those with) more wear and tear. That?s the true story of the race.”The races will start at the Lynnfield St. entrance to the Woods on Sunday, with the 15K beginning at 9 a.m., and the 5K and 1.5-mile walk to Stone Tower at 9:15 a.m. The cost is $25. For more information, visit http://www.danvers5k.com/stonetower/?Everybody gets to go by Stone Tower in one way or other,” Brady said.