LYNN ― The seventh annual Massachusetts Elementary School Cross Country Championships will take place at Gannon Golf Course on Nov. 11, resuming the tradition after it was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
This event is for all public, parochial, charter, and private elementary schools in the state for students in grades one through five. There are no middle-school fifth graders allowed to participate.
Schools do not have to have a formal cross-country program to enter the championship and there is no entry fee. Schools can have an unlimited number of runners but each runner can only participate in one race.
There will be options for girls and boys in grades one through three to participate in non-team scoring races, where they will run 0.7 miles.
There is also an option for team championships for boys and girls in grades one through five, running 1.2 miles.
Medals will be awarded to top finishers and all participants will receive a ribbon upon finishing the race.
The event is hosted by Lynn Parks and Recreation and Gannon Golf Course, with the goal of exposing more youth to running and to encouraging schools to introduce their students to a healthy, inexpensive, lifelong activity.
The event check-in begins at 8 a.m. and the races start at 9:30 a.m., and parking will be available at Gannon Golf Course and the east entrance to Lynn Woods; vans and buses have priority, so carpooling is encouraged.
Registration forms can be found online at www.lwrun.org and must be mailed to Lynn Parks and Recreation at 250 Commercial St., Lynn, MA 01905 by Nov. 8.
All notifications and updates about the races will be posted onto the website and emailed to entrants.
For further information, call Joe Abelon at 781-593-6562 or 781-709-7135, or Department of Public Works Associate Commissioner Lisa Nerich at 781-477-7096 or 781-268-8000.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].