Drew Staley and Acquawon Stallworth were the big winners on Saturday morning in the Rowan Hospice Share the Care 5K. Cool temperatures and a light wind helped many runners record fast times on the course that involved a long period of flat running before climbing the Grove Street hill to the finish. Staley was the overall winner with a time of 17 minutes and 21 seconds while Stallworth added another win with a time of 22 minutes and 30 seconds.

Staley took advantage of the long downhill start on Mahaley to get a lead that he wouldn’t relinquish. Staley said, “I just ran my own race. I looked back several times to see Miller back there but was able to stay in front of him.”

Robert Miller and Thomas Waldo were second and third for the men with times of 17:30 and 18:38. Florelay Brown and Emberleigh Pauley Brown took second and third for the women with times of 22:56 and 24:15. Pauley Brown, nine years old and always smiling, said, “I enjoy the hills and the long uphill before the finish was fun.”

Top masters runners were Rusty Smith at 21:51 and Laurie Ward at 24:21. The winner of the fun run was six year old Kenneth Pollard with a time of 2:46.

Race director Edwina Ritchie said, “Rowan Hospice & Palliative Care is our community’s nonprofit hospice, and on any given day in Rowan and surrounding counties, we are providing compassionate care to nearly 90 patients and families who are our neighbors and friends. At Rowan Hospice & Palliative Care, we help our patients, and their families, live fully and comfortably so that they experience the best quality of life possible in their final chapters.

“The proceeds from this Share the Care 5K will support our mission,” Ritchie said. “We were thrilled with the support from the community, our sponsors and our participants. This will be an annual event and we look forward to hosting this for years to come with bigger crowds.

“We hope that this event will raise both funds and awareness,” she added. “Once people have a first-hand experience with our care, the most common comment we hear is ‘…we wish we had called sooner.’ ”

Sponsors for the Share the Care 5K included Summersett Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Kepley Construction, Image First, Faith American Legion, Godley’s Garden Center, Powles Staton Funeral Home, Landis Plumbing and Heating Supply, Lyerly Funeral Home, Faith Lutheran Church, Tim and Becky Williams, Lonnie and Jackie Vanhoy and Greg Peeler.

Complete results are available at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org