44th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run

🏃‍♂️ Event Overview

The 44th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run event will be held on the C&O Canal Towpath in Williamsport, MD. This event is geared towards all levels from beginners to advanced runners.

📜 The Legacy of Gary Brown

• Star Runner: In the 1960s, Gary Brown was a star distance runner for Martinsburg High School, Shepherd College and the Cumberland Valley Athletic Club.
• Coaching Career: Gary went into high school teaching and coaching after graduating from Shepherd College. He developed one of the nation’s top distance programs.
• National Recognition: In the mid-1970s, his Handley High School Boys Cross Country Team was the number one ranked High School Cross Country Team in the United States.
• Legacy: Sadly, Gary passed away from cancer in the winter of 1981-82, prior to his 35th birthday.

The C&O Canal Five Mile Run —which dates back to 1970– was re-named in Gary’s honor in 1982. Gary’s high school runners would use the late-August-held C&O Canal Five Mile Run as an “End-of-Summer-Training Fitness Test.” His teenage boys would routinely take six to eight of the top ten places —running against collegiate and post-collegiate standouts.

Mike Spinnler GBM 5-Mile Director 1996-2023
GBM 5-Mile Winner 1985

🎽 Event Inclusions

• Professional Event: Well Organized and Professional Event
• T-Shirt: Race Technical T-Shirt (Must register by July 4th to guarantee shirt and/or size)
• Awards: Custom Awards for Podium Winners
• Entertainment: Music

• Timing: Bib Chip-Timed with Instant Results
• Satisfaction: Satisfaction of Finishing a Race!

🅿️ Parking Information

All participants will be required to park either in the Cushwa Basin parking lot, the lock house 44 parking lot, legal street parking on N Commerce St or W Salisbury St. We ask that, unless you arrive before 7:00 am, you not drive across the wooden bridge looking for a place to park on race morning.

For more information, visit the official race page.