Lynn Woods runners go the extra miles

LYNN – It was a “long” night at the Lynn Woods Summer Races.Thirty-five runners took part in “The Very Long One” race, a 10.3 journey through Lynn Woods.Asked if the turnout for this race was longer than in past years, race director Bill Mullen said, “I think it was. We have local racers who do significant trail runs and turned out for it (yesterday). Several have done 50Ks and a few have tried and succeeded at 100 miles.”Chris Smith of Woburn topped the ticket with a winning time of 1:10:05. William Jackson of Salem took second (1:13:36) and Andrew Kernytsky of Cambridge took third (1:14:36). The top local finisher was Al Zmieski of Lynnfield, who took eighth (1:23:20). The top Lynn finisher was Rich Lally (1:26:17) and the top female finisher was Susan Collins of Rowley (1:34:01), whom Mullen said had recently run and completed a 100-mile race.The Boulder Path 7.7-mile “Long” race drew 88 runners, with the top two finishers coming from Lynn — Jim Pawlicki (49:41) and Matt Veiga (49:41). Peter Hale of Swampscott took third (51:44). The top female finisher was Pam Ferrari of North Reading (58:40).The boulders on the route included glacial erratics.?Most folks who run don?t realize there are erratics,” Mullen said. “There are several throughout the reservation, big stones left over from the glacier and its mighty power.”James Cabral of Lynn won the Steel Tower via Goat Path 2.5-mile race with a time of 16:19. Rick Provost of Beverly took second (16:24) and Sam Adams of Revere was third (16:31). Two Marblehead runners, James Wigglesworth and Jacob Evanter took fourth and fifth. Kerry Phelan of Salem was the top female finisher, taking ninth with an 18:05.?The Goat Path (trail) is definitely enough on its own,” Mullen said. “It?s a very steep pitch, then it levels off … Frequently we take a turn to a long, gradual downhill. Up to Steel Tower, you?re faced with a fairly significant slog uphill up to the remnants of the old fire tower known as Steel Tower.?Folks often don?t get a chance to look to the right. You get a very impressive view of the Boston skyline. On a clear day, Great Blue Hill is in the distance, and if you look hard enough, you can see the blue of the ocean.?It?s a beautiful view. Many a time, you concentrate on the left to start coming back home. It?s a magnificent view. You don?t have to climb Steel Tower. It?s un-climbable in its current state to see it.”In the 1.59-mile Kids Race, Matthew Brown of Nahant took first (12:23), Thomas Frisoli of Nahant, second (13:43) and Michael Patten of Nahant, third (13:49).Ryan McBride of Lynn took fourth (13:59).