LYNN — Taking place this week was the Lynn Fire and Police Family Day 5K in Lynn Woods. According to race director and event coordinator Dan Dulong, the purpose of the event was to bring together the children and families of the fire and police departments with the community in which they serve.
It takes about a year to plan this event and it has gotten bigger — and better — every year for the past eight years. The community benefits from the event because it’s provided with a fun morning in Lynn Woods — one of the more beautiful places in the City of Lynn. This gem consists of 2,200 acres of enchanting trails, covering one fifth of the City.
With the support of the Lynn Fire Relief Association, Lynn Fire Local 739 union, Lynn Police Relief Association, and Lynn Police union, along with the Lynn Fire and Police departments, Shoe City Series participants, and several generous sponsors, including Sean McCarthy of Salem Five Bank and the St. Jean’s Credit Union charitable donations, everything was provided for free.
There were several fun bouncy houses, delicious pizza, and seemingly unlimited amounts of ice cream served from the “copsicle” that added to the excitement.
Dulong’s proudest moments were seeing how happy his children were and everyone enjoying themselves.
“There is nothing better than seeing the people we live and work with coming together for a few hours,” he said.
In the race, 50 of 58 runners hailed from Lynn. The overall male and female winners of the 5K were 16-year-olds Alexis Cano (22:21) and Wilmarlyn Fernandez (25:52). Jeremias Velasquez (23:29) and Sean Bailey (23:37) were second and third overall for the men, while Sara Bailey (27:41) and Leann Woss (29:09) rounded out the top three for the women.
There were 17 participants in the kids’ race and the overall winner was 9-year-old Brylee Wilson with a time of 17:20 on the 1.59-mile course. The next two females were Tessa Aguilar (18:36) and Abigail HIlton (23:48). The top three male runners were Alex Hiciano (17:39), Leo Manley (18:24), and Gunnar Barrows (19:17), all of whom had smiles on their faces when they crossed the finish line.
This was the second of four races in the Shoe City Series, which is a collection of four 5K races throughout the year, including the Hibernian 5K, which took place in March, the Clock to the Rock 5K (date to be determined), and the Turkey Trot 5K on Nov. 26. Each race showcases a different part of the City and highlights the many beautiful areas Lynn has to offer.
