Great Race

The Hemmings Motor News Great Race motored into Chambersburg on Tuesday as hundreds of local car buffs waved them into the historic downtown and they received a personal greeting from Ben Franklin. Memorial Square in Chambersburg was transformed to a bygone era as more than 55 of the Great Race antique automobiles parked around the square. The race, featuring cars from 1911 to 1969, began Saturday in Chattanooga, Tenn., and will end Friday in Bennington, Vt. Scott Hershberger of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau was pleasantly surprised by the large crowd that came out to greet the antique car rally.

"The Great Race," America's premier old car rally, is coming to Chambersburg for lunch today, bringing a variety of antique automobiles to  Memorial Square. Live music and other festivities in the square will welcome the trucks, Hot Rods and other classics as they begin arriving in the heart of Franklin County shortly after noon. Cars will arrive each minute for an hour and a half and will remain parked around the square to allow spectators to visit with the participants and to look at the automobiles, according to a news release.

The Hemmings Motor News Great Race will make a pit stop in Chambersburg's Memorial Square on June 14. The antique auto race will travel through eight states, starting June 11 in Chattanooga, Tenn., and ending June 17 in Bennington, Vt. The vehicles will stop in Chambersburg on June 14 from noon to 2 p.m. During that time, Memorial Square and adjoining roads will be closed to through traffic, said Scott Hershberger of the Franklin County Visitors...

Participating in the Hagerstown Community College Turkey Trot 5K has become almost as traditional for local runners as the turkey and stuffing they consume later Thanksgiving day. The 12th annual edition of the event Thursday morning had a record 1,370 finishers. “We're really happy with it. It's a race, but it's an event, too,” said race director Jaime Dick, who had live music and even an Elvis impersonator to help entertain the crowd. “We get so many people who say it's the only 5K they do all year.” The atmosphere was festive Thursday - and the field at the front was fast.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Steve Spence might be past his prime, but he still casts a mighty large shadow on the starting line. The 48-year-old from Shippensburg, Pa., isnearly two decadesremoved from his days as an Olympic marathoner and world beater, but he can still dictate the pace of a local race -- just by showing up. "I was worried about Steve Spence, so I went out real hard," said Dan DeWitt, 22, of Frostburg, Md., after winning the 29th annual...

WILLIAMSPORT - Clear Spring finally got a taste of what a Washington County cross country team championship feels like. The Blazers' boys won their first team title in school history Saturday afternoon, scoring 41 points to beat Williamsport by 11 and North Hagerstown by 21. "This is by far the best team performance that we have ever had at Clear Spring," Blazers coach Terry Baker said. "The boys came mentally prepared today. I have never seen them this focused before. " Clear Spring senior Jeremy Everitts won a close battle in the boys race with a time of 16 minutes, 52.9 seconds on the three-mile course.

LANDOVER, Md. - Jesse Buchman's anchor leg of Williamsport's state championship-winning 3,200-meter relay on Monday can be described in one word. Guts. Buchman lost the lead to Digital Harbor on the first turn of the final lap, but fought back to regain it on the final turn and held on at the Prince George's Sports Complex. Buchman won by about three meters, helping the Wildcats clock 8:25.18 and give Washington County its first state title of the day. "He passed me on the outside, so I knew I'd have to pass him outside, I wouldn't be able to do it inside," Buchman said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Jaron Hawkins can't turn back time to take care of past disappointments. So he just went out and smashed the clock. Hawkins, 25, of Frostburg, Md., won the 27th annual Gary Brown Memorial 5-Mile Run on Saturday in a course-record time of 24 minutes, 59 seconds. The previous mark of 25:08 was set in 2003 by Steve Spence, the 1992 Olympian, on the out-and-back course on the C&O Canal towpath. "I'm glad I finally got it. It's been a long time coming - five years of second or third here every time," said Hawkins, who competes for Hagerstown's Cumberland Valley Athletic Club.

John Budesky might be a first-time race director, but he's approaching next Sunday's Parks and Rec Trek 5K in Hagerstown like a veteran. "Even though this is our first race, we don't want to run it like it's our first," said Budesky, the director of administrative services for the City of Hagerstown. "We want it to be a world-class race from the beginning. " It sounds like it should be a great race. The certified 3.1-mile course begins at Fairgrounds Park, takes a tour through City Park and finishes in the outfield grass at Municipal Stadium.

Once the thunderstorm was done ripping through Hagerstown on Friday evening, the participants in the second annual Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally 5K were treated to cooler, damper, more ideal conditions for their 3.1-mile footrace. And what a race it was on the streets of Hagerstown's South End. Tony Clement, 25, of Williamsport, repeated as the overall champion, but not without a fight. He topped the field of 582 registered runners in 14 minutes, 57.7 seconds, just ahead of Naseem Haje, 20, of Hagerstown, who crossed the line in 14:59.5.

Participating in the Hagerstown Community College Turkey Trot 5K has become almost as traditional for local runners as the turkey and stuffing they consume later Thanksgiving day. The 12th annual edition of the event Thursday morning had a record 1,370 finishers. “We're really happy with it. It's a race, but it's an event, too,” said race director Jaime Dick, who had live music and even an Elvis impersonator to help entertain the crowd. “We get so many people who say it's the only 5K they do all year.” The atmosphere was festive Thursday - and the field at the front was fast.

The third annual Great Pumpkin Race 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run is at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, at Summers Farm, 5614 Butterfly Lane, Frederick. The event benefits St. Jude's Children Research Hospital. The cross-country 5K course will run throughout Summers Farm, including a run through the corn and adjoining fields. The 1-mile fun run will feature a shorter trip around the farm. All participants will receive refreshments and a free ticket to Summers Farm for the 2012 season. For more information, contact Teresa Summers at 301-620-9316 or teresa@summersfarm.com .

Once the thunderstorm was done ripping through Hagerstown on Friday evening, the participants in the second annual Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally 5K were treated to cooler, damper, more ideal conditions for their 3.1-mile footrace. And what a race it was on the streets of Hagerstown's South End. Tony Clement, 25, of Williamsport, repeated as the overall champion, but not without a fight. He topped the field of 582 registered runners in 14 minutes, 57.7 seconds, just ahead of Naseem Haje, 20, of Hagerstown, who crossed the line in 14:59.5.

Every second counts in the sport of cross country, and Saturday was a big day of seconds for Washington County boys at the Maryland state championships at Hereford High School - in more ways than one. Senior Evan Hardy placed second in the Class 2A race, leading Williamsport to a second-place team finish, while Smithsburg junior Luke Daigneault finished second in Class 1A. “I'm really disappointed that I didn't win,” Hardy said. “But I'd take second any day as long as the team got second instead of third or fourth.” The Williamsport boys, who haven't won a team title at states since 1975, hadn't placed as high as second since 1978.

The Hemmings Motor News Great Race motored into Chambersburg on Tuesday as hundreds of local car buffs waved them into the historic downtown and they received a personal greeting from Ben Franklin. Memorial Square in Chambersburg was transformed to a bygone era as more than 55 of the Great Race antique automobiles parked around the square. The race, featuring cars from 1911 to 1969, began Saturday in Chattanooga, Tenn., and will end Friday in Bennington, Vt. Scott Hershberger of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau was pleasantly surprised by the large crowd that came out to greet the antique car rally.

"The Great Race," America's premier old car rally, is coming to Chambersburg for lunch today, bringing a variety of antique automobiles to  Memorial Square. Live music and other festivities in the square will welcome the trucks, Hot Rods and other classics as they begin arriving in the heart of Franklin County shortly after noon. Cars will arrive each minute for an hour and a half and will remain parked around the square to allow spectators to visit with the participants and to look at the automobiles, according to a news release.

The Hemmings Motor News Great Race will make a pit stop in Chambersburg's Memorial Square on June 14. The antique auto race will travel through eight states, starting June 11 in Chattanooga, Tenn., and ending June 17 in Bennington, Vt. The vehicles will stop in Chambersburg on June 14 from noon to 2 p.m. During that time, Memorial Square and adjoining roads will be closed to through traffic, said Scott Hershberger of the Franklin County Visitors...

WILLIAMSPORT -- Steve Spence might be past his prime, but he still casts a mighty large shadow on the starting line. The 48-year-old from Shippensburg, Pa., isnearly two decadesremoved from his days as an Olympic marathoner and world beater, but he can still dictate the pace of a local race -- just by showing up. "I was worried about Steve Spence, so I went out real hard," said Dan DeWitt, 22, of Frostburg, Md., after winning the 29th annual...

Racers grateful for all the help To the editor: On Sept. 26 and 27, nearly 1,300 runners came through Washington County. This was the Inaugural Cumberland to Washington, D.C., Ragnar Relay. The first runners left Cumberland at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, and the last runners reached D.C. at about 6 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 27. As captain of the RunnerzInTheNight team, I would like to thank Karen Abbamonte, Jerri Lapole and Ray Jackson for their dedicated help in the middle of the night.

WILLIAMSPORT - Jaron Hawkins can't turn back time to take care of past disappointments. So he just went out and smashed the clock. Hawkins, 25, of Frostburg, Md., won the 27th annual Gary Brown Memorial 5-Mile Run on Saturday in a course-record time of 24 minutes, 59 seconds. The previous mark of 25:08 was set in 2003 by Steve Spence, the 1992 Olympian, on the out-and-back course on the C&O Canal towpath. "I'm glad I finally got it. It's been a long time coming - five years of second or third here every time," said Hawkins, who competes for Hagerstown's Cumberland Valley Athletic Club.