'The miracle of it all': Several dozen earn the unique distinction of participating in all 50 Bloomsday races

May 3—The 50th running of Bloomsday Sunday kicked off with a swell of music, the crack of a starting pistol and the hooting and hollering of more than 40,000 participants.

Among the crowd were nearly 70 individuals who've participated in every iteration of the Lilac City's marquee street race reach since its inception in 1976. Known as the Perennials, the group stood toward the front of the crowd, easily identifiable by their matching T-shirts.

It's a scene the group is used to, and that they've come to love over the decades. Sylvia Quinn, one of just eight women to earn the distinction, said the congenial nature of the race participants is part of what's brought her back year after year.

"Behind us are 40,000," Quinn said. "That's the miracle of it all."

Like nearly every year, Quinn finished first in her age group, women ages 85-89, with a pace just under 14-minute miles.

Each Perennial has covered around 370 miles on he course since the sound of the first Bloomsday starting pistol rang out all those years ago. The group ranges in age from 61 to 89.

These days, some are just hoping to keep their streaks alive, said Bob Barbero, one half of a Perennial sibling-duo alongside his younger brother Rick Barbero.

Barbero, 74, said ahead of the race that he planned to walk it. He spent some time in the hospital last week, and while he didn't want to overexert himself, he needed to get the 50th under his belt one way or another.

"It's the one time of year you just kind of get to check in with yourself," said Bob Barbero, who finished in just under 2 hours 30 minutes (a second faster than Rick). "A benchmark of what kind of shape you're at, physically, mentally, that whole thing."

Like Quinn, the camaraderie shared by the Perennials, and getting to check in with one another each year, keeps Barbero coming back. That, and racing his brother, he said.

"Getting to see these guys every year is pretty fun," he added.

Some have traveled great lengths to keep the streak alive. Perennial Brian Kenna, 63, first participated as a 13-year-old ninth grader at Bowdish Junior High School. After attending Washington State University, Kenna enlisted in the U.S. Army, spending six years in active duty and 16 in the Reserves.

While on active duty, Kenna managed to use four day leave passes to keep running Bloomsday. His streak wasn't put in jeopardy till his days in the Reserves, when his then-activated unit was in Iraq from 2004-05, and in Afghanistan from 2008-09. Both times, Kenna managed to persuade his commanders to allow him to use a mid-tour leave to participate.

"I made it back from Iraq and Afghanistan to run it, so it's pretty important to me, getting another one in the books," said Kenna, who finished in 1:04:05. " It's always such a relief just to get to the starting line."

Bob Barbero, one of his former coaches, played a large role in getting Kenna first hooked on being a Bloomie. Kenna echoed his Perennial peers; their shared bonds forged through the 49 previous races are a treasure, and something he looks forward to every year.