June 11, 2008
Great weather, a great crowd, and a race to remember
2008 Vision 5K gets better and better--and just wait 'til next year!
Saturday, June 7, was one of those rare days when everything that can go right, does go right!
More than 800 runners and walkers came out to an event that just gets better and better. Twice the number of runners and walkers took up the Blindfold Challenge as last year--including our corporate leaders who participated in the CEO Challenge--and nearly 10 percent of the field was blind, visually impaired, or running blindfolded.
Most important, our generous corporate sponsors and all the participants, runner or walkers, sighted or blind, helped raise awareness about the abilities of visually impaired adults and children. The 2008 Vision 5K raised more than $300,000 to support the five organizations that provide critical services to those with visual impairment: the Carroll Center for the Blind, MAB Community Services, National Braille Press, Perkins School for the Blind, and New England College of Optometry/New England Eye Institute.
See what a great day it was via photos on our Flickr page, here.
Jacob Lehroff of Boston took the men's division in a speedy 16:09. In a close finish, Lehroff edged out Patricio Munoz of Cambridge (16:14) and visually impaired winner Moises Beristain Gutierrez (16:17) who stumbled down the stretch and couldn't catch Lehroff's kick.
Gutierrez's speedy pace-- 5:15 per mile, or nearly a minute faster than his winning time of 17:07 in last year's race--earned him the 2008 VISION 5K Visually Impaired Division Championship. Kim Nolan took the women's division title in a time of 19:09, more than half a minute ahead of her nearest competitor. For complete race results, visit this page on Cool Running.
Thank you to everyone who came out this year and who helped to make the 2008 Vision 5K such as success. See you next year!
