We found ourselves at the likeliest place one warm Saturday morning: the playground adjacent to the community swimming pool not far from our house. We had arrived early in an attempt to beat the late summer heat and crowds and were just settling in. We were divvying up still-warm baked goods to our three boys before they ran off to burn the early morning energy when we heard, over the unmistakable echo of a megaphone, an announcer readying participants for a race.