25 years and running......

Today marked our 25th Firecracker 5k at Rockford Park. It was the first year we did not run on the 4th of July due to a conflict in schedules. This event is sponsored by the City of Wilmington Parks and Recreation Department. Since I get folks telling me they have "way too many tees" we went with a really cool beach bag. Runners seemed to like the change. What has not changed in 25 years is the usatf certified route. The reason for starting and finishing outside the park is because 25 years ago the City of Wilm fireworks were staged at Rockford Park and for safety reasons they asked us to "stay away." We had 200 participants today as far away as Anchorage, Alaska and Fargo, North Dakota. Also runners came in from Kentucky, California, Florida, Rhode Island and states in between. I even got to walk in the race today and got beat by a gorilla, a banana, and Tarzan's girl friend Jane. (see photo) It is nice to see how my vols are doing and how the Wilm Police handle traffic. Lets see.....if i can make it another 25 years i will be 81 years old.....nah.....too old to work at that age. I think I'll show up and walk. Enjoy the holiday.