The bright sunshine that greeted participants in the sixth annual Marietta Times Y5 Road Race Saturday was a rather pleasant surprise, given the rainy conditions that lasted well into the previous night across most of Washington County.

Rather than gloomy skies the 277 runners and walkers to join this year’s Y5 were greeted with crystal clear blue skies and cool temperatures, perfect for a five-mile run, 5K walk, one-mile run or even the Tot Trot.

“It was a great morning for a run,” said overall 5-mile run winner Brian Hesson, 32, of Macksburg.

Hesson led the field in the feature race of the Y5, finishing in an impressive 27:34.95, a pace of about 5:46 per mile.

While he was pleased with his run Hesson noted it wasn’t quite down to his goal times.

“I was hoping to get under 27 minutes,” Hesson said.

Marietta resident Katie Wieferich claimed the female title in the five-mile run in 32:34.44.