The annual 23rd Walter Hunt Memorial 3K road race July 4 was a time for top runners to show off their talents while running through Brewer to Bangor.

Not only did adults and young men and women in high school take part, but so did middle schoolers and those younger.

Young runners like Shannon Dapice from Brewer said that she has been doing the 3K for three years.

“I like running it,” said Dapice, who ran the race with her mother, Deidre Dapice, a Brewer High School teacher.

The young crowd seemed to enjoy the challenging race, which was held on a muggy, 80-degree day.

“I just tried to run my best and try to keep catching the people in front of me,” said Nate Brown of Old Town.

While watching the determined look of many young runners in the race, it was evident that the children put as much effort into their running as the adults. Some even had better times than the older runners, such as Collen Carr of Brewer. She finished about in the middle of the pack of the 400 runners with a time of 15:43.

All the children were doing an exceptionally good job of getting out in the heat and were cheered on by spectators waiting for the parade. Though they weren’t first, the young runners battled the older runners with a competitive zest.

Most of the young runners were happy with what they had done.

“I’m happy with the effort I put in. I’m young and I think I did pretty good and I like running,” said Blaine Silk of Orono.

Michelle Haluksa of Brewer had some added motivation.

“I enjoy running these types of races, it’s fun and you get prizes,” said Haluksa, whose older brothers, Nathan and David, run for the Brewer High teams.

The race is a tradition in the Bangor-Brewer area and a review of past results shows that many of the same runners return each year.