LYNN — Lynn Woods runners were treated to an exciting Tour de Lynn Woods created by Trail Master Deirdre Lowe. Before the action, Lowe and two volunteers marked the course by placing yellow streamers for the short course and orange streamers for the long course runners. 

Lowe aimed to make a challenging, but runnable course with a good mix of single track and fire roads. 

As part of the Tour, runners climbed to Steel Tower, which was constructed in 1929 and originally used as a fire watch tower to protect the 2,200 acres of Lynn Woods. It sits on Mt. Gilead — the second highest point in the Woods at 272 feet. On a clear day, hikers or runners can catch a view of the Boston skyline in the distance. 

The race course also went up and down the trail to Stone Tower, where runners had to navigate through rocky terrain. Constructed in 1936, by the Works Progress Administration, this four-story tower sits atop Burrill Hill — the Woods’ highest point at 285 feet.

The Tour continued past Dungeon Rock, a man-made cave famous for its hidden pirate treasure from the 1800s. According to the legend, after the treasure was buried, an earthquake covered up the area of the treasure. Whether the treasure is still hidden remains a mystery. 

You could say the special thing about a Lynn Woods Tour is that runners are introduced to trails that rarely get used. This week, they were treated to the fun single track by Birch Pond, an active reservoir for the City of Lynn which offers wonderful views and a cool breeze on a hot afternoon. 

There were 23 participants in the out-and-back, 1.59-mile kids race. The overall winner was Marblehead’s Isaac Goulter with a time of 11:48. Taking second and third were Lynn’s Thomas Lally (14:32) and Peabody’s Ryan Mello (14:57). The top three females were Lynn’s Kristen Lally (15:35), Salem’s Evelyn Lamothe (18:05), and Peabody’s Marissa Rodriguez (19:25).

Sixty-one runners enjoyed the 2.7-mile mini tour and the top two runners were only one second apart. Peabody’s John Bettencourt (21:57) edged out Salem’s Matthew Nolan (21:58). Lynn’s Gianni Edmundes placed third overall with a time of 22:08. As for the women, Theia Giantis took the top spot in 24:03, followed by Marie Arrao of Clifton Park (24:28) and Alice Beltran of Peabody (26.12).

Forty-eight runners took on the 5.5-mile long race and Lynn’s Rafael Villatoro was the winner with a time of 39:45, followed by Peter Swain of Wakefield (40:14) and Tommy Fogarty of Peabody (43:06). These were speedy times on the hilly, challenging course. 

The women were just as impressive. Woburn’s Jessica Snyder ran 46:04 to place first, followed by Lincoln’s Emma Kjaersgaard (48:07) and Boxford’s Abby Bent McKie (51:56). 

The next race in the series is slated for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.