Race to benefit pediatric cancer research hearkens back to simpler era

In a time of great division and bitterness, it’s important to remember that there are good people out there who still reach out to help others.
The residents of the Highland Meadow neighborhood of North Attleboro fit into that category. Simply put, they are, as the wizard in “The Wizard of Oz” described it, “good deed-doers.”
For the sixth year --- the race wasn’t held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic --- the neighborhood, led by the youngsters and students who live there --- organized a race on Saturday (Sept. 10) to raise money for pediatric cancer research. It’s been held on Labor Day previously, but this year was changed to Saturday, due to Monday’s steady rain.
This was the third or fourth time that I've done the race, and it’s an easy decision to participate in it, because I can jog-walk the mile or so from my house to the race site, do the race --- which is three laps around the neighborhood --- and then jog-walk back again.
And the proceeds go to a very laudable cause.
The race is also neat for another reason: It hearkens back to an era when road racing was simple. All that the runners had to do was to show up and make a donation, and then we were given a bib number to borrow --- yes borrow!
Similar to what I experienced in my first road races in 1976 and in successive years in the late '70s and early'80s, when runners would be handed popsicle sticks with numbers on them to keep track of finishing places and times, we were asked to give the bib numbers back.
That informality felt just about right for the relaxed, good-natured event that the race is.
Kudos to the neighbors and the youngsters and teens for helping out.
They should be proud of their accomplishment.