45th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run

*NEW DATE in 2026! Run with us on JUNE 6th!

The 45th 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

In the 1960's, Gary Brown was a star distance runner for Martinsburg High School, Shepherd College and the Cumberland Valley Athletic Club. 

Gary went into high school teaching and coaching after graduating from Shepherd College. He developed one of the nation’s top distance programs. In the mid-1970's his Handley High School Boys Cross Country Team was the number one ranked High School Cross Country Team in the United States.  

Sadly, Gary passed way 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

Parking for race participants:
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. 

Join fellow runners on June 6, 2026 for the 45th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run. It's a fantastic 8K featuring a flat and fast course in Williamsport.