LYNN — This week’s Lynn Woods Running Series featured a handicap race, which were widely-popular during the earlier days of road racing in New England through the 1960s, according to event representative Joe Abelon.
Runners don’t all start at the same time. Slower runners start when the gun sounds, while others start at various time differentials afterward. The theory is that runners finish at nearly the same time.
The order-of-finish is determined by which runner crosses the line first, regardless of when they started. The one who runs the fastest might not be the runner who crosses the finish line first.
In the 5.5-mile race, Marblehead’s Jennifer Hayden (52:05) was the first female to cross the finish line, followed by another Marbleheader in Mary Herchenhahn (52:55).