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by Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
As the runners, some as young as five or six, come down Harris Avenue, spectators line the side of the road. An announcer calls out names and words of encouragement over a PA system. Spectators cheer and shout from the sides of the street.
"Come on, come on!"
"Let's go!"
"Keep going, keep going!"
"You can do it!"
This is the 26th annual Great Bear Run, a race that has one foot in a marathon, one foot in a country fair, and both feet in Needham. Here, there's something for everyone. There are multiple races of up to 5K in length, with age groups ranging from 0-9 all the way up to 80+. There's live music, magic, face painting, the Great Bear himself, trophies and teddy bears for the winners and participants. There's even a 26.2 meter Bearathon for children ages 0-3, perhaps one of only races of its kind in the States. The event, run each year by the Needham Track Club, is one of the town's older and most beloved athletic institutions, not to mention a destination for area running enthusiasts.
"My son's doing the Fun Run," Liz Howell, one of the spectators, says. "It's a great race. I think we'll be back for many years." Asked if her son, at the tender age of six, can handle the mile-long run, she smiles. "I hope so!"
Liz's reaction is par for the course. There are runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and levels of ability at the Great Bear Run. The only consistent point, it seems, is their enthusiasm for running.
The Droney brothers, twins Connor and Liam (6) and their older brother, Ryan (8), are no different. They each grasp small teddy bears, prizes from the race, as they walk from the finish line.
"It's our third," Liam answers when asked how many times he and his brothers have run the race. "And I'm totally out breath!"
"We usually do two races," says Ryan. "We do the kid one and a Fun Run."
"They do summer track," says their mother, Christine. "This is going to be their third year of summer track through this program. They started at three years old, I think."
Droney, who wears a race bib with a number, is asked if she's a runner herself. She shoots her husband a look and laughs. "This is about all I can handle, but it's a lot of fun. It's great to have these guys getting started," she says as she nods towards her children. "They're really fast guys."
She then turns to her husband, Mike. "He grew up here," she says. "We moved away for eight years, and then came back. I think it's always been sort of his dream to be part of the community."
Mike, smiling and nodding, confirms the sentiment.
"I always wanted to bring them back to this town, because I had such a great community feel growing up," says Mike Droney, the boys' father.
"They're fourth generation Needham?" He takes a moment to count the generations in his head. "Fifth generation Needham! It's good to be back here and doing all these fun community things."
