Community Corner
Run With the Horses at Shawan Downs
The equestrian center invites runners to compete in 10K and relay races to raise money for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
, host to many of the area’s premier steeplechase and three-day equestrian events, is not just a venue for the four-legged competitor. On Friday, Sept. 23, the equestrian center will host its second annual Run with the Horses 10K and Relay.
If last year’s event was any indicator, as many as 600 runners could compete. The race follows a scenic 6.5-mile route that includes a final loop on the actual Shawan Downs course. Like the horses that gallop to an exciting finish in the fall and spring races hosted by Shawan Downs, runners cross the finish to an enthusiastic crowd of revelers on the hill.
“The finish is genuinely pretty cool and what separates the race from others,” said Owings Mills resident Ben Garner, a top male finisher in last year’s race.
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Race director Danielle Brewster Oster said that, unlike last year, this year’s event will include a two-man relay “for those who do not want to run the full 10K.”
Distance enthusiasts can take the first four-mile portion of the course that loops through Shawan Downs and the adjacent Baltimore County Agricultural Center. Their teammate completes the most grueling part of the race, the final 2.5-mile uphill portion, a winding uphill climb that is not for the faint of heart.
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Garner stressed that while the climb up the Shawan Downs hill is “pretty brutal, it is well worth it for the view from the top.”
Oster explained that, with the help of Charm City Run of Timonium, the course was “tweaked a bit.”
“We took away some distance on the Shawan Downs property and added it on a beautiful trail at the Baltimore Ag Center.”
To celebrate the race’s completion, all competitors can participate in a post-race party complete with food, drink and live music.
“We are really excited about the 10K. We think the runners will really enjoy this unique course,” Oster said.
And Garner is confident that participants will have a good time.
“It is not likely to be a course where many runners set a personal best time, but I guarantee they will love the race!”
Proceeds from the 10K benefit the in Towson. The race will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 at Shawan Downs. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. and the warm-up will begin at 5:45 p.m.
For more information or to register for the race, visit the Shawan Downs website. Online registration runs until Sept. 22. and the cost is $35 per individual runner.
