Morning rain can't deter Lake in the Hills runners

The spring rain Sunday morning couldn't stop the roughly 500 runners in the 15th Run Thru The Hills road races in Lake in the Hills.

Instead, it added a calm nature to the family event.

After months of freezing temperatures, snow and ice, the early spring rain made the rolling pavement glisten as runners in the 5K and 10K events made their way through the Woods Creek Lake neighborhood in the mature section of town.

The race started and ended at the AMC Theatres parking lot on Randall Road. There were other race distances for walkers and strollers, as well as a short sprint for young children.

"It's our time together," Jerry Cravens of Algonquin said as he sat near the finish line with his 10-year-old son, Owen, who finished the 5K a minute before his dad. "It makes me feel good," said Owen as the pair talked and watched others finish. They normally race together three or four times a summer.

The race is traditionally one of the earliest of the season.