Getting Our Irish On

Sunday was the 32nd running of the Hynes 5 mile road race, and yes, some of us have been there since the beginning! This race is one of Greater Lowell's best, and served as part 3 of the Wild Rover racing series, capping off a terrific trilogy of weekend runs! Here, the Return of the Fellowship of the Two Towers greets runners at the start.The inspirational Hoyts were on hand to help charge up the crowd. Alas, John was not available to take photos at the start. (He'll be there later, though, silently watching the aerobars roll past him.)Two thumbs up, two fingers up, it's all good. Two titans, nonetheless.Our tribute to Springsteen while awaiting the starting gunHundreds showed up to run under cloudless skies in warm temperaturesAndrew always knows where the cameras are waiting. In this case, John, not with his RunCam, but his tripodHe makes a point of giving John the shoutoutCourtesy of Ted Tyler at http://www.jimrhoades.com/ Barry bites down and forges aheadHalf a mile later, and he's still got the thumbs up, this time for JohnApparently, I don't have the energy for a thumbs up, just a fist pumpTom Hildreth just looks pissed off that John is shooting pics and not running the raceInbound at the cemeteries, Andrew is ready to make his final kickBut not before asking "why me" to the running godsAfter a quick wardrobe change, Barry is about to head past George's Deli without stopping, if you can believe thatAt this point, my ipod was playing less-than-inspirational running songs for me. The Moody Blues? Seriously?!?Second time around, Tom can muster a smile for Piekos.Into the finish gate, Andrew's eyes are on his timeBarry's got his victory cap on, and rightly so, posting his best five-mile race time ever!And I'm giving an accidental thumbs up. It wasn't intentional.Two of Andrew's favorite girls are waiting for him at the finishSame goes for meAndrew and Mary get a medal for being the cutest couple at the raceWe couldn't do the runs and races without our fabulous support staffAnd once again, placing in his age group (27th overall runner out of 917 runners) my 18-year-old son captures YET ANOTHER beer mug. He's got quite the collection, that boy.Great job by race organizers, and congratulations on yet another successful Wild Rover series!