Pacific Northwest overcast morning that gave way to rain wasn't enough to keep away approximately 500 Soldiers, civilians and members of the greater South Sound community and beyond from taking part in Joint Base Lewis-McChord's annual Half Marathon, 5K run and 1K fun run at JBLM Lewis Main, Saturday.

Specialist Aaron Catlin, a Soldier from the 42nd Military Police Brigade, led the way in the half marathon with a time of 1 hour, 17 minutes, 55 seconds during the FMWR event organized in the name of fun, fitness and community.

With help from multiple military units and organizations from both on and off post, Sheridan Sports and Fitness Center was transformed into race central, complete with entertainment provided by the 56th Army Band's "Heavy Left," its modern rock ensemble.

Kathleen Salcedo, the intramural sports coordinator with Lewis-McChord FMWR, said she was pleased, but not surprised by the support she received in arranging the event. She was glad for the number of servicemembers who took to the routes.

"It's never difficult to get this type of support here for events like this," she said, "and I'm glad about half of our runners were military - they are our No. 1 customers."

Salcedo said participation by Family members and the general public was also appreciated. Salcedo also added that sponsors were vital to the event's success and FMWR received great support from many companies like Bike Tech, SDC Homes, Fleet Feet Sports, America's Credit Union and GNC.

Catlin, 22, finished first overall, but wasn't in a class of his own in terms of impressive athletes who took to the Lewis Main course for either the half marathon or the 5K. Jeremy Rene, 22 years older than Catlin, finished less than two seconds behind the leader with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes, 51 seconds, and Tana Kornachuk was tops in the female divisions, less than eight minutes behind Rene at 1 hour, 27 minutes, 15 seconds.

Runners in the 5K also pushed themselves to exceptional times with Joe Borg finishing the course in a speedy 17 minutes, 25 seconds, with Steven Hanson close behind with a finishing time of 19 minutes, 3 seconds.

Catlin ran for Ithaca (N.Y.) College, from which he is a graduate, and is currently a member of the JBLM Army 10 Miler Team. He said when he switched to running longer distances in school, he found it harder to stay interested during the longer routes, so he appreciated getting the opportunity from FMWR to compete in the installation's half marathon.

"Sometimes it can get boring out there, so being able to compete against so many other impressive runners was great," he said. "From what I've seen, FMWR (at Lewis-McChord) does a good job in putting these events on."

Stationed in the Pacific Northwest for less than a year, he said he sees a lot of similarities between his new home and upstate New York because of both areas' apparent dedication to fitness and outdoor sports.

"There are all kinds of running clubs or groups throughout the area, so it's easy to get involved with them," Catlin said.

The MP Soldier said for him, any race is equally a competition against others and himself, as well as a lot of fun; maybe equally competitive Tallie Gustin, 4, who took part in the day's 1K fun run agreed.

"I had fun and won," she said as she showed off her medal. "I like running."

More online

• While FMWR may have said the installation's half marathon was the last competitive running event of the year, fitness opportunities continue year-round. For more information on all things sports at JBLM, visit www.jblmmwr.com/fit_admin

• To keep up with the 56th Army Band's "Heavy Left," connect with them on Face book at www.facebook.com/heavyleft