The T-shirts spilling out of the brown paper bag onto A.V. and Dora Morrow's floor may be nicely creased and look brand new, but don't be fooled: 27 years and 83.7 miles worth of Middle Road in Chilmark are locked inside those cotton fibers.

The noisy, motley group of runners suddenly waxed silent and awaited the bullhorn. When it blasted, the soles of more than a thousand running shoes began pummelling Middle Road against a canvas of shadows and golden light.

On Saturday morning the 25th annual Chilmark Road Race began just as its predecessors - but with an even richer sense of history, and featuring a wonderful new gadget.