The L-A Triple Crown 5K Series kicked off Sunday morning with the YMCA Fit Fest.

The 5K run featured gentle hills and a scenic route along the Androscoggin River as 293 participants followed a course beginning and ending at Festival Plaza in Auburn.  

Edward Little High School graduate Tessa Hayashida sang the national anthem to mark the start of the day’s festivities. The Auburn native is bound for Boston University this fall to study vocal performance. According to her sister, Kaya, she has been singing “since she was born.” 

The Kids Fun Run followed, with all participants earning medals. Firefighters from the Auburn Fire Department joined the race, running fully suited alongside the kids. 

“It’s a family event and if we can get those young kids running — that’s part of the YMCA’s mission,” Marcie Hird, race director and fitness coordinator at the YMCA, said.

Hird described coordinating road closures and obtaining sponsors as the main work of the organizing committee for the races. The L-A Triple Crown 5K Series has maintained a similar format since 2006.

“It’s like a well-oiled machine,” she said. “People know their tasks.”

Local businesses set up tents in the plaza, many of them geared toward health and wellness. They included Saco Bay Physical Therapy, Prime 360 Training, Essence Wellness Spa and Sasseville Chiropractic Wellness Center, who offered a stretching routine for race participants using an unstable surface to stimulate muscles. The Smoothie Spot offered post-race fruit smoothies while the race provided free water, pizza and fruit. 

The race was open to runners of all levels with three main cohorts based on their respective pace. Runners lined up according to mile times with fastest runners in front and progressively slower toward the back. Participants competed for a variety of reasons, from fitness goals to spending time with friends and family. 

Runner Joanne, who did not give a last name, described her race goals as “personal achievement.”  

“I’m not competing with anybody, I’m just competing with myself,” she said.  

The Greene native has been running the YMCA Fit Fest for 10 years and was joined by her friends this year.

Asked about her favorite part of the race, she remarked on the community aspect.

“Just fitness and getting together,” she said, “the excitement even if you’re not winning and the camaraderie of my friends.” 

Shawn Vincent has been running the race for 14 years. His goal: “meet the needs of the time.” The Auburn native described running the race more competitively earlier in his life; now, he participates more for fitness. Vincent is the principal at Bruce Whittier Middle School in Poland, and he was recruited to the LA Triple Crown 5K Series Committee after he directed a race for the school and community. 

Prizes were awarded to the top two finishers for men and women in each group for a total of 60 individual awards. Kyle Simmons from Lewiston finished first overall for men with a time of 17:22.9, while Heather Gallant of Wayne finished fourth overall and first for women with a time of 18:20. Both averaged sub-six-minute miles. 

“This is a harder run because you gotta start fast,” Rosemarie Garcia Sheline, longtime runner who has marathon experience, said. She described the need for speed to race competitively due to the shorter distance of 3.1 miles.  

Sheline was joined by her team at Maple Way Dental Associates. Sporting matching neon pink and green shirts, Maple Way had 33 runners, earning a “largest team award.” 

Impact Painters earned the other team award for fastest time.  

“It’s wonderful,” Hird said. “It’s a great community event and it brings people together.”