AMHERST — It was wet, a bit muddy and still sprinkling when runners took to the starting line of the 8th annual Daffodil Run on Sunday morning. But that hardly dampened the mood of those who gathered.
The sound of cowbells and yells accompanied the patter of rain and wet feet pounding pavement as runners raced past the blooming daffodils at Kendrick Park. The run, which is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, drew competitors young and old, who dashed around a course that had to be slightly altered due to an overnight fire on Main Street.
“It’s a good day,” said Lindsay Smith, panting as he came across the finish line first in the 5K race with a time of 17:59. He said his wife, Renata, was close behind him. “She’s unstoppable.”
As for the weather, Smith wasn’t bothered at all. “A great atmosphere is a great atmosphere,” he said before running off to cheer on those who finished behind him.
Last year, the Daffodil Run raised nearly $60,000. Jennifer Loebel, the development director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, told the Gazette last week that the organization hoped to raise $65,000 this year to provide more mentoring support for youth.
Kool and The Gang’s “Celebration” pumped out of the DJ’s speakers as runners streamed across the finish, arriving in larger and larger groups as 30 minutes passed from the race’s beginning.
Although the rain might have turned some off to the event, those who braved the weather cheered, laughed, ate barbeque and celebrated regardless — and all of that with shorter lines, whether for port-a-potties or the bouncy castle.
“We’re not having to kick anyone out,” said 20-year-old Trish Black, of Sunderland, who was operating the bouncy castle.
Normally, she said, the limit for the inflatable attraction is eight jumpers at a time, meaning she has to make excited kids wait their turn. But Sunday afternoon she had yet to reach that maximum.
As for the crowd, Black said everyone seemed “jazzed” for the event. She herself was wearing a daffodil mask, yellow pedals encircling her face as she welcomed families with a smile.
“I’m here as the daffodil queen,” she joked. “I have a castle.”
Kendrick Park began to fill up as more and more people finished the race. Some strode across the finish line with smiles and relief, while others strained through the final leg in search of a personal-best time.
“It’s a great community event,” Manny Wineman, 39, said after finishing the course. “It’s good to get people together for a great cause.”
As more and more people finished the race, Amherst-based doctor Kate Atkinson was still enthusiastically ringing a cowbell near the finish line, encouraging runners as they came down the home stretch.
Normally, Atkinson runs in the race with her office’s team. However, she recently had surgery, so she was on the sidelines Sunday cheering on others.
Atkinson said she understands how motivating it is to see supporters encouraging you from the curb, so she made sure to be the same positive presence that she has relied on as a runner in years past.
“This is a really great race,” she said, her cowbell ringing non-stop as she smiled and yelled words of support to exhausted strangers.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.