LYNN — Afternoon thundershowers just wouldn’t dampen the spirit of Lynn Woods runners this week.

As the last drops of rain came down, the parking lot started to fill up. Volunteers who marked the course during the storm — Lynn residents Mike Doyle, Lee Ann Ferrari Faessler, and Jim LaMothe — were drenched to their bones by the time they made it back to the finish line before the start of the race. At that time, runners grabbed their bibs out of their cars or signed up to race for the first time.

At these races, once you get your bib, it’s your bib for life. While the amount of bibs, these days, is more than 5,000, some run with their original bibs dating back decades. Look at No. 2 Carl Spencer from Saugus, No. 4 Chris Smith from Woburn, and No. 5 Al Amore from Beverly, to name a few.

“We’ve had well over 5,000 unique runners at The Woods,” said Bill Mullen, who took over Lynn Woods races in 1991 and has remained director.

One of the best things about these races — they’re free. There is a donation can for those who would like to contribute money, which is then given back to runners as water, Gatorade, and snacks for after the race.

The “Dam Run” always has mixed reviews, Wednesday included. Some people love running on the dam, while others would rather skip the week. The course was created by Mullen, who admits that “while running on the dam, the footing is horrible, especially if you are used to running on trails or roads.”

After the inaugural race, runners let Mullen know how they felt about the course and the following year, he changed the name to the “I Hate the Dam” run.

Brian Hutter, from Lynnfield, has been running the Lynn Woods races for the past 10 years and tries to avoid this course, but still shows anyway. He knows Lynn Woods is a treasure and loves the camaraderie amongst runners. Hutter enjoys how the courses vary from week to week and appreciates all of the volunteers’ work.

When asked about this week’s races, participants described them as hot, steamy, humid, muddy, wet, and sticky. While running the half-mile section on the dam, out and back, runners said it was shifty, rocky, uneven, tiring, and felt like running in sand. Despite the difficulty of the dam section, runners also mentioned the courses were beautiful, great, and fun.

Why are there dams in Lynn Woods Reservation? Walden, Breeds, and Birch Ponds are municipal reservoirs supplying clean water for the City of Lynn. In 1870, Breeds Pond became Lynn’s first public supply source. Three years later, Birch Pond was established after damming Beaver Brook. Walden Pond was formed by damming Penny Brook and combining it with Glen Lewis Pond in 1889. These ponds, along with Hawkes Pond, are interconnected and draw from the Saugus and Ipswich Rivers.

Thirty-five runners took part in the 6.5-mile race, which included the infamous dam that people love to hate — and hate to love. Lynn’s Rafael Villatoro and Matt Veiga were the top two runners with times of 39:20 and 41:01, respectively. Placing third among men was Frank Kjaersgaard from Lincoln with a time of 45:15. Earning fourth overall and first among women was Jessica Snyder from Woburn (45:25). In second and third place for the women were Emma Kjaersgaard from Lincoln (47:58) and Salem’s Deirdre Lowe (50:33).

Forty-eight runners took on the 2.9-mile High School A Loop. Lynn’s Xavier Paula placed first with a time of 20:44. John Bettencourt of Peabody (20:57) and Matthew Nolan of Saugus (20:58) were second and third for men. Tess Dalton from Wakefield was first for the women with a time of 26:36. Lynn residents Siena Rose Summa (27:46) and Evelyn Perez (28:20) rounded out the top three.

Twenty-six runners, ages 3 to 45, ran the 1.59-mile, out-and-back race. Salem’s Brynn Lunt and Nora Devoe were the top two runners with times of 13:45 and 14:01. The third female runner was Franciela Gerardo of Lynn (18:17). Salem’s Evelyn (18:57) and Maeve Lamothe (19:16) rounded out the top five females. For the boys, 7-year-old Thomas Lally of Lynn (17:24) was the top runner, followed by Salem’s Boden Rouse (18:05). The next three runners were Salem’s Matt Lamothe (19:17), as well as Lynn’s Peter Kougianos and Gabe Mackenzie (22:40).

Next week’s short race will take runners to Steel Tower, while the long course will go from gate to gate.