Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Collins Hill grad Carlos Galindo is familiar with the Dennis McCormick Road Race, having run in it in high school.

Now a runner at Georgia State, Galindo returned to his alma mater on Saturday to win the 16th annual race.

"It's fun and good training for the upcoming season at Georgia State," Galindo said.

The 16th annual Dennis McCormick 5K Road Race hosted by Collins Hill featured more than 500 runners for the 3.1-mile trek around the high school and surrounding Richland Hills neighborhood. The group included current cross country runners, alumni runners, parents of students and alumni, future Eagle runners and even runners from fellow Region 7-AAAAAA school Meadowcreek, as well as current Collins Hill cross country and track and field coach Andrew Hudson.

Galindo, 20, was familiar with the course, running it for the fourth tiem and finished with a time of 16 minutes, 12 seconds. The 2010 Collins Hill grad was more than a half minute ahead of his closest competitor.

The first overall female into the finishing lane was current Collins Hill junior Mariah Maring with a time of 17:24. The 16-year-old Lawrenceville native began running competitively for her high school in her freshman year and has ran in the McCormick the past three years as well.

"It's good to see how fast I can go and push myself before the season begins," Maring said.

Adding to the festive 5K race, there was also a one-mile fun run, raffle drawings and door prizes, including a Brian McCann signed baseball, which was donated by one of the sponsors of the race. Participants and volunteers were also given "Run DMR" race T-shirts symbolizing the real reason behind the annual Collins Hill event, which celebrates the life of Dennis McCormick who lost his battle with cancer in 1997.

The fundrasier continues what its namesake would have wanted it to do by helping continue the running program he helped begin 18 years ago when the school first opened.

"Everybody's happy (the race) has continued," Hudson said. "It's one of the longest standing community events we have. It's also (the running program's) biggest fundraiser all year."