BANGOR – There were Yo-Yo Balloon carts and green balloons, an Italian sausage vendor and a grand stand – all the makings for a Fourth of July parade. But a road race?

Half an hour before the Fourth of July parade in downtown Bangor Thursday you could scarcely tell 377 runners were getting ready in Brewer to dash 1.8 miles down State Street, across Chamberlain Bridge, through Main Street in Bangor and onto the finish in Pickering Square.

Yet at 11:50 a.m. the atmosphere in downtown Bangor quickly changed as the biggest race field in the 16-year history of the Walter Hunt Memorial 3K road race made its way through Bangor. And leading the pack were two former University of Maine runners.

A three-man pack made up of this year’s UMaine track captain Sheldon Young, his training partner Jim Garster of Bangor, and Hampden native Brent Leighton ran neck-and-neck through Bangor. In the end, it was Young who edged his friend Garster to win in 8 minutes, 38 seconds.

Garster finished in 8:40 and Leighton, who came from Worcester, Mass., for the race, came in next at 8:50.

Not too long after, UMaine track alumna Jo-Ann Nealey of Belfast won the women’s race in 10:00 after smashing the 5-minute barrier at the mile mark,running 4:54 to earn a $100 prize.

Christine Snow-Reaser from Augusta finished second in 10:08 and former Narraguagus track star Gladys Ganiel of Harrington, who now runs for Providence College, took third in 10:14

While Young played down his heroics down the stretch, Nealey said she was intent on achieving the double feat of taking the mile challenge and winning the race.

“I’ve been doing more speed work for half marathons,” said Nealey who ran the Boston Marathon in April. “I tightened up after the mile, but tried to hold on because I knew Christine was behind me. It’s downhill but it felt like my legs were going to give. They buckled a few times.”

Young, a Corea native now living in Jay, said since finishing sixth in the 5,000 meters at the North Atlantic Conference Championships, he’s been training on his own for no other reason than to enjoy some competition.

“I was expecting to do well,” Young said. “I’ve been training straight through since school. It’s been going well. As long as I can walk, I’ll keep running. I don’t have any real long-term goals.”

However, the festive frenzy that blew in with the winner’s fast finishes didn’t end when the front runners walked away. The unprecedented field of 377 provided a cluttered finish that played out like a clown act.

The officials at the finish said they were scarcely ready for the onslaught of runners that piled into the tiny chute.

“It was wild,” said Brewer High track coach Dave Jeffrey, who has worked the finish line for the last four years. “They backed up and came sprinting in because it’s a downhill. They came flying in. We didn’t expect that many. But I’d rather have that many. It was a huge success.”

As race officials scurried to prepare for the harried finish, the air – befitting a holiday occasion – rang with excitement.

“They came in 50 at a time,” said race official Ed Rice. “Dave is Mr. Finish Line. He’s the best there is. But there was an onslaught.”

Walter Hunt Memorial 3K Overall

Sheldon Young 8:38, Jim Garster 8:40, Brent Leighton 8:50, Andy Beardsley 9:02, Patrick Sullivan 9:11, Judson Esty-Kendall 9:16, Matt Archambeau 9:18, Tim Caldwell 9:27, Charles Violette 9:28, John Rogerson 9:30, Louie Luchini 9:36, Robert Jordan 9:46, Glendon Rand 9:48, Peter Dauphinee 9:49, Perry LeBreton 9:51, Guy Berthiaume 9:52, Judson Cake 9:55, Dana Lavertu 9:57, Zachary Capehart 9:58,

JoAnn Nealey 10:00, Steve Connor 10:03, Todd Knight 10:06, Christine Snow-Reaser 10:08, Bryce Boynton 10:10, Jerry Charchedi 10:13, Gladys Ganiel 10:14, David Dzurec 10:16, James Beardsley 10:21, Tom Auchoin 10:23, Tim Reed 10:28, Gabe Rubino 10:29, Gary Larson 10:32, Seth Differ 10:33, Phil Chretien 10:34, William Crocker 10:37, Tom Kirby 10:39, Paul Saint-Cyr 10:41, George Wright IV 10:41, Bill Fazi 10:42, K. Scott Hinckley 10:43, Geoff Doyle 10:45, Steve Tuckerman 10:47, Nick Ellis 10:47, Ed Scott 10:49, Paul Butler 10:52, Doug Comstock 10:53, Gary Higgins 10:57,

Jason Tuck 11:00, Chuck Murphy 11:02, Brent Pawson 11:04, Rick Guyer 11:05, Bill Pinkham 11:06, Dale Nealey 11:07, Peter Reid 11:08, Katrina Bisheimer 11:12, Gregory Herz 11:15, Brad Rand 11:18, Sheila Hodges 11:20, Dale Dickie 11:22, Scott Craig 11:24, Josh Lake 11:25, Peter Aucoin 11:27, Mike Lee 11:29, James Deere 11:30,

Forest Haiss 11:31, Lara Rand 11:32, David Baldwin 11:35, Brian Goodness 11:35, Kevin Mooney 11:36, Dan Soucie 11:37, Francis Arsenault 11:38, Erin Semba 11:39, Dave Farley 11:39, David Fourman 11:41, Jonathan Plucker 11:42, Pauly Dzurec 11:43, Jim Soucie 11:45, Nichi Farnham 11:48, Alicia Hughes 11:49, Tina Michaud 11:54, Rachael Bodkin-Rubino 11:55, Julie Ludden 11:55, Ray McCann 11:55, Jane Rau 11:56, Dale Post 11:57, Jennifer Michaud 11:57, Dick Storch 11:58, Hollie Harnish 11:59,

Tim Nightingale 12:01, David Atwood 12:03, Adam Hess 12:04, Elsie Lisie 12:05, Don O’Halloran 12:06, Adam Boynton 12:07, Paul Aucoin 12:08, Chris Oster 12:09, Jamie Russell 12:10, Patrice Lastufka 12:10, Dena Flye 12:18, John Condon 12:18, Mary LeBrun 12:18, Gary West Jr. 12:20, Connor LeBlanc 12:21, John Larson Jr. 12:23, Andrea Bassi 12:23, Matt McCourt 12:24, Rhonda Arsenault 12:25, Dannty Coffin 12:27, Robert Welch 12:28, Chuck Lawrence 12:28, Jon LeBlanc 12:29, Ted Cake 12:29, Johanna Riley 12:30,

Kate Muir 12:32, Oriana Farley 12:34, Lester Hatfield 12:37, Doug Townsend 12:40, Jana Crocker 12:47, Jay Jeffrey 12:47, Tayna Dickey 12:50, Edward Hughes 12:50, Rick St. Peter 12:52, Stephanie Peavey 12:53, David Silk 12:54, Heidi Bubar 12:56, Darrell Donahue 12:58, Kate McGuire 12:59,

Evan Farley 13:00, Patti Tableman 13:00, Jake Jentzer 13:01,13:02, Emily Capehart 13:02, Tom Drummond 13:03, Joan Merriam 13:04, Jeanne Butterfield 13:05, Peggy Ross 13:09, Megan McNichol 13:10, Randy Wadleigh 13:12, Joey Tuck 13:12, Rene collins 13:13, Teresa Breault-Wagner 13:14, Molly Walsh 13:20, Stephen Motoian 13:20, Gary Fessler 13:23,

Jana Stabile 13:32, Meredith Libby 13:33, Nicholas Larachelle 13:35, Colleen Motoian 13:36, Michael Bassi 13:38, Erin Hughes 13:39, John Rubino 13:40, Bill Kemper 13:41, Lisa Alley 13:43, Stephaine Dowling 13:48, Scott Trochimowicz 13:49, Michael Larachelle 13:49, Matthiew Larachalle 13:51, Deedra Dapice 13:54, Terry Hunt 13:55, Ben Bragdon 13:51, Merril Boynton 13:58,

Margaret Capehart 14:00, Jen Poliquin 14:00, Matt Lock 14:02, Kimberly Rice 14:02, Gerry Tracy 14:02, Emily Throckmorton 14:07, Tom Bennett 14:07, John Bennett 14:08, Ronald Hunt 14:09, Abby Weissman 14:09, Joe Walsh 14:09, Paul Hammond 14:14, Daniel Hawkes 14:16, Mark Fitzpatrick 14:18, Peter Burke 14:20, Kristen Dame 14:20, Fred Barry 14:22, Trista Curtis 14:23, Janice Talbert 14:23, Jen Piper 14:27, John Riley 14:27, Norman Fitzgerald 14:29, Scott Johnson 14:30,

Phil Locke 14:32, Bory Kiss 14:32, Margaret Guthrie 14:33, Jaime Wells 14:34, Bob Johnson 14:36, Kim Farley 14:36, Jon Farley 14:37, Garrett Kerndt 14:40, Aaron Sines 14:41, Amy Basford 14:43, Erica Dame 14:50, Katie Woodcock 14:53, Wendy Flynn 14:58, Dallas Adams 14:59,

Ryan Jeffrey 15:01, Aimee Post 15:05, Sam Fray 15:06, Scott Gray 15:09, Patrick Rice 15:10, Michael Curtis, Jr. 15:10, Brandon Silk 15:11, Michael Curtis 15:13, Ryan Trochimowicz 15:14, Matt Guetler 15:18, Greg Aucoin 15:23, Deb Hodgson 15:29, Judi Stone 15:29, Kathleen Whitman 15:29, Amy Kelly 15:30, T.C. Bragdon 15:30, Mary Alice Bruce 15:30,

Jonathan Schwarze Sr. 15:31, Micheal Grondin 15:32, Joe Guaraldo 15:32, Jillian Beal 15:33, Katherine Miller 15:33, Barbie Beal 15:35, Austin Kerndt 15:38, Carol Cowie 15:39, Jen Malmstrom 15:40, John Snow 15:41, Chris Tibbdtts 15:48, Carol Jankowsky 15:49, Rebecca Phillips 15:49, Alayna Farley 15:51, Mark Farley 15:52, Diane Noah 15:52,

Jon Mitchell 16:01, Donna Hartford 16:03, Steve Hunt 16:03, Michael Jeffrey 16:04, Cameron Masters 16:05, Melissa Coutts 16:07, Peter Weatherbee 16:09, Christopher Morse 16:11, Charles Clapper 16:13, Ryan Freeman 16:15, Rowena Williams 16:15, Micho Ntacyo 16:16, Emily Morse 16:17, Vi Thai 16:17, Julie Pancoe 16:18, Judy Dickie 16:20, Ruth Grondin 16:20, Gabriel Winn 16:24, George Hills 16:26, Kasey Pelletier 16:27, Ron Pelletier 16:28, Melanie Craig 16:28, Pattie Craig 16:29,

Nicholas Estabrook 16:35, Chelsie Snyder 16:30, Tim Estabrook 16:35, Jamie Lamson 16:37, Mary Rytky 16:38, Ron Howell 16:38, Tom Watson 16:43, Jeremy Yardley 16:43, Josh Yardley 16:45, Megan Curtis 16:46, Patricia Kennedy 16:46, Al Moreno 16:46, Al Moreno 16:46, Troy Canavan 16:47, Beth Dauphinee 16:51, Mike Mahoney 16:52, Jordan Brooks 16:52, Nate Bond 16:52, Tina Everett 16:53, David Brooks 16:53, Jason Tillotson 16:54,

Shane Yardley 17:09, Zachary Kubetz 17:09, Berney Kubetz 17:17, Dottie DeBruyne 17:23, Zach Bennett 17:23, Jim Russell 17:32, Matthew Dowling 17:35, Christian Larochelle 17:35, Jacque LaRochelle 17:43, Ricky England 17:44, Justin Boudreau 17:45,Heather Russell 17:46, Libby Russell 17:48, Joe Rice 17:53, Melody Dauphinee 17:55,

Joe Cheney 18:00, Albert Beam 18:01, Elaine Hodge 18:02, Nicholas LaChance 18:15, Scott Jordan 18:16, Robert Conner 18:17, Jenna Dauphinee 18:24, Jen Chapman 18:26, Kristi Brooks 18:28, Nataxh Whalen 18:28, Kelly Blackwell 18:28, Hannah Bennett 18:29, Tony Beardsley 18:29, Chole McCleave 18:31, Eddie Meisner 18:32, Nicole Klam 18:33, Michelle Klam 18:35, Jo-Jo Hwalek 18:36, Ben Mitchell 18:37, Cathy Atwood 18:52, Carolyn DeRoche 18:54, Kenneth Jordan 18:55, Amy Dauphinee 18:56,

Amy Stubbs 19:03, Jacqueline Just 19:07, Donna Just 19:07, Barbara Fifield 19:09, Whitney Boudreau 19:14, Kailey Walsh 19:18, Zachary Brochu 19:23, Aimee Cyr 19:23, Matthew Grant 19:26, Elizabeth Morse 19:26, Wendy DeRoche 19:30, Andrew Mahoney 19:37, Maureen Capehart 19:39, Gary Capehart 19:40, Ryan Stubbs 19:46, Ty Taylor 19:47, Eric Taylor 19:47,

Dennis Stubbs 20:01, Mary McGraw 20:05, Blaine Silk 20:05, Linda Ronan 20:10, Melanie Robbins 20:24, Ashlee Page 20:25, Tim Page 21:03, Hannah Whitney 21:03, Lisa Whitney 21:09, Mallory Boudreau 21:09, Jaime England 21:11, Jennifer Hutchins 21:11, Elise BAldacci 21:13, Amy Baldacci 21:16,

Leona Clapper 22:04, Seth Dwyer 22:23, Paul Holyoke 22:23, Vaughan Holyoke 22:24, Serena Dubois 22:24, Angela Dubois 22:29, Randy Hunt 23:00, Charles Boyd 23:01, Ed Boyd 23:01, Justin JOrdan 23:02, Khara Bennett 23:09, Whitney Dwyer 23:15, Paul Baldacci 24:11, Desiree Hills 24:17, Alissa Dubois 24:42, Raynold Dubois 24:42, Johnny Diamond 25:12, Marcia Diamond 25:15, John Diamond 25:16, Lynn Hunt 26:06, Kerri Lynch 26:07, Joseph Hutchins 27:30, Michael Hutchins 337:31

Women’s open: JoAnn Nealey 10:00, Christine Snow-Reaser 10:08, Gladys Ganiel 10:14

Girls 10-under: Jillian Beal 15:33, Alayna Farley 15:51, Kasey Pelletier 16:29

Girls 11-14: Rachel Bodkin-Rubino 11:55, Mary LeBrun 12:18, Katie Muir 12:32

Girls 15-18: Alicia Hughes 11:49, Hollie Harnish 11:59, Heidi Bubar 12:56

Women 19-29: Lara Rand 11:32, Tina Michaud 11:54, Julie Ludden 11:55

Women 30-39: Katrina Bischeimer 11:17, Erin Semba 11:39, Nichi Farnham 11:48

Women 40-49: Sheila Hodges 11:20, Jane Ray 11:56, Patrice Lastufaka 12:10

Women 50-59: Rene Collins 13:13, Mary Alice Bruce 15:30, Judy Dickie 16:20

Women 60-over: Leona Clapper 22:04

Women’s teams: SUB 5: Lara Rand, Erin Semba, Nichi Farnham

Men’s open: Sheldon Young 8:38, Jim Garster 8:40, Brent Leighton 8:50

Boys 10-under: David Silk 12:54, Evan Farley 13:00, Nicholas Larachelle 13:35

Boys 11-14: Dan Soucie 11:37, Pauly Dzurec 11:43, Jim Soucie 11:45

Boys 15-18: John Rogerson 9:30, Lewey Luchini 9:36, Judson Cake 9:55

Men 19-29: Matt Archambeau 9:18, Tim Caldwell 9:27, Charlie Violette 9:28

Men 30-39: Andy Beardsley 9:02, Pat Sullivan 9:11, Robert Jordan 9:46

Men 40-49: Judson Esty-Kendall 9:16, Dana Lavertu 9:57, Tim Reid 10:28

Men 50-59: Guy Berthiaume 9:52, Gary Larson 10:32, Bill Pinkham 11:06

Men 60-over: Charlie Clapper 16:13, Al Moreno 16:46, Albert Bean 18:01

Men’s teams: SUB 5: Pat Sullivan, Judson Esty-Kendall, Glendon Rand