Nearly 250 of Needham's most hardcore runners took part in the annual Charles River YMCA Annual Independence Day 5K Road Race this week.

The race began at Carter Methodist Church and wound its way down Highland Avenue while temperatures soared past 90 degrees.

But the YMCA race was not the only one that Needham residents participated in during this hot holiday weekend. Eight of Needham's finest took part in Harvard Pilgrim's 10K at Patriot Place in Foxboro, with 31-year-old Alice Taggart as the top hometown finisher. Taggart garnered 793^rd place overall in a field of 2,966 runners with her time of 54:02.

The remaining Needham runners finished as followed, with race time and overall place listed:

• 47-year-old Jim Curran- 55:21- 908^th
• 50-year-old Doug Gragg- 58:04- 1,187^th
• 46-year-old Daniel Rubin- 1:01:32- 1,576^th
• 39-year-old Dave Ridling- 1:03:12- 1,746^th
• 48-year-old Nancy Curran- 1:03:50- 1,805^th
• 41-year-old Kimberley Kaplan-Gross- 1:06:35- 2,033^rd
• 26-year-old Patrick Cullity- 1:15:05- 2,485^th