The first overnight stop on the 2014 Great Race is Lowell, Massachusetts, and the folks there are planning a huge event. On the way to Lowell from Maine we still saw tons of snow, especially in the wooded areas. On lake we passed was still completely frozen.

After crossing through New Hampshire and into Massachusetts the piles of snow got smaller. And in Lowell the plans for the Great Race got bigger, starting with a press conference downtown with Mayor Elliott. Middle Street downtown will be the venue, and the historic part of town is complete with Cobblestone streets. And some racers may recognize the city -from the movie “The Fighter.”

Lowell, about 20 miles northwest of Boston, is home to a mother and daughter who were severely injured in the Boston Marathon bombing last year, and the entire town has rallied around them. The mother lost both legs but she has been fitted with artificial legs and is learning to walk again.