Racers break from the starting line of the 10K race during the annual Rotary Run on Mercer Island on Sunday, March 20, 2011. Last year, I shared my assignment that focused purely on a cover photo for the Mercer Island Reporter. This year I was tasked to get broad coverage, so that meant being in the thick of things near the race start and event village at the Community Center at Mercer View. More photos after the jump…

The new aspect for me in this sixth year of covering the event was that the sun was out… No really, some of my most miserable weather days on assignment have been at the Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon. My biggest challenge this year was a malfunctioning camera body that is now off for repairs. Below are a few of my favorite images from the race day. Enjoy.

See more photos in a slideshow at www.mi-reporter.com, or head here if you are interested in purchasing photo reprints.