Sat, Jun 12, 2027

46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run

Williamsport, MD

Opens Jan 26, 202746th annual

5 Miles

About the 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run

The course runs on the C&O Canal Towpath, a flat out-and-back that most runners find fast. Tree cover keeps much of the route shaded, which matters in late summer heat. The race honors a local coach and distance runner whose high school athletes used this same stretch of towpath as a fitness benchmark at the end of their summer training.

The start and packet pickup are at Riverbottom Park. Parking is spread across a few nearby lots, including the Cushwa Basin lot and a lock house lot, with legal street parking on adjacent roads as overflow. The organizer asks that anyone arriving after a certain point avoid driving across the wooden bridge to search for a spot.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2026 results, this is a small, friendly field, with a competitive front end and a big recreational middle.

5 · 2026 results

94finishers

25:51winner

44:08median

1:07:14cutoff

Top 3: Zane Chalker (25:51) · Will Merritt (26:36) · Jonah Smith (28:14)

The 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run is in its 46th year.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5 results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Sep 10, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5 Miles6/12/2027 08:00$30

5 Miles6/12/2027 08:00$20

Going for a Time?

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Common Questions About the 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run

Will I finish last at the 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5 field finished slower than 44:08, and the last recorded finisher came in around 1:07:14, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run a good first 5?

It is a small race (94 finishers), which is friendlier and less intimidating than a big-city event, though the field thins out. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the 46th Annual Gary Brown Memorial C&O Canal Five Mile Run?

The 5 winner ran 25:51 while the median finisher took 44:08. That spread points to a mixed field, with a competitive front and a big recreational middle.