Racing into the Future
Running organization hopes the new Hub City Half Marathon will energize the racing community
After Gwenn Leatherman and her daughter ran in the Frederick Half Marathon a couple of years ago, she wondered if a similar event could be held in Hagerstown. Not long after the Frederick race, she attended the closing retreat for Leadership Washington County, a program that helps develop future local leaders, and shared the idea of a running event with some of the others in the program.
“Their enthusiasm was immediate, and we began meeting weekly to turn this vision into a reality,” Leatherman says.
Leatherman, owner of Leatherman Health Care, is now president of the Washington County Running Festival, and the first Hub City Half Marathon will be held on April 6, starting and finishing at Meritus Park. The idea is to make it a staple event of the community.
A number of local leaders, businesses, and runners have already gotten behind the idea, including Tara Sargent, executive director of Leadership Washington County, and Jess Miller, a two-time JFK 50 Mile finisher, as well as fellow Leadership Washington County graduates Toby Long and Tina Fraley.
“There’s a growing buzz around the Hub City Half Marathon, especially within the running community,” Leatherman says. “We’ve also seen great enthusiasm from health-oriented businesses eager to join us as vendors on race day.”
Already runners from the region have started registering. Leatherman says getting to 300 would be great and the possibility of 500 would be incredible.
The Washington County Running Festival is working closely with city and county officials to determine and finalize the best and safest course for the 13.1-mile race.
While the JFK 50 has a lengthy history, having started in 1963 as one of dozens of such races across the country after then-President John F. Kennedy challenged citizens to improve their physical fitness, organizers of the Hub City Half Marathon are hoping their race will be a marquee event, second only to the JFK event held every fall.
The Washington County Running Festival is not only interested in staging the half marathon but will also work to promote health, wellness, and community engagement in the Hagerstown region. The group has begun searching for race sponsors, companies, and organizations that want to help promote a healthy Washington County. To give back to the community, a portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County, aligning with the group’s mission of community engagement and wellness.
“Aside from the JFK 50, we absolutely hope this will become the biggest running event in Washington County,” Leatherman says.