Narrow Way

The Allegany County FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) has hosted the Narrow Way race annually since 2019 to generate scholarship funding to send more students to local and regional FCA camps.  Students that attend these camps often have life changing experiences. The race include 10K, 5K, and 1K fun run/ walk options. We are looking for competitive runners as well as casual runners/walkers for our 1K. All ages are welcome and encouraged!  

Create and/or join a team for your school, workplace, or church. Team photos will be taken for the Allegany Website. A full year of bragging rights await! A minimum of 3 team members are required to finish the race to obtain a team result, which will be based on the top 3 runners of each team. 

The race's name (Narrow Way) has dual meaning.  The race course follows the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) Trail through a steep sided valley west of Cumberland called 'The Narrows'.  Narrow Way also references the path to eternal life, "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it" (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). 

The start/finish will still be in front of the stage in the Canal Place Festival Grounds. Canal Place is a charming public space, speckled with small businesses and restaurants located at the intersection of two celebrated trails, the C&O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). The C&O canal towpath extends 184.5 miles to Washington DC, winding alongside the Potomac River for much of its length. The Visitor Center for the C&O Canal National Park is also located at Canal Place (https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm). The GAP Trail follows the former path of the Western Maryland Railroad and a branch of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad 148 miles to Pittsburgh, PA. The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (https://wmsr.com/) still shares the GAP corridor between Cumberland and Frostburg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaOAiQ-WRd0). Most of the GAP is crushed stone. However, the GAP is paved between Cumberland and the trestle bridge west of the Narrows (~2.5 miles). 

There are two good routes to access Canal Place coming from the East: 1) I68 to Exit 43B (MD51/Industrial Boulevard/Airport). There is parking on the left at the end of the exit ramp under I-68. 2) I68 to Exit 43C (Downtown), turn left of W Harrison St, cross intersection into Canal Place. Public parking is on the right & overflow parking is available is also available on the SW corner of Baltimore St & Mechanic St (one block west of the Canal Place entrance).

The best route to access Canal Place from the West: I68 to Exit 43C (Downtown), turn left on Queen City Drive, turn L at the 1st stoplight on W Harrison St, continue on W Harrison St to Canal Place. Public parking is on the right and overflow parking is available is also available on the SW corner of Baltimore St & Mechanic St (one block west of the Canal Place entrance).

There are many lodging options in Cumberland, including Fairfield Inn & Suites (located adjacent to Canal Place) @ 21 North Wineow Street Cumberland, Maryland 21502 (301-722-0340); Hampton Inn @ 109 Welton Dr, Cumberland, MD 21502 (301-729-4028); Holiday Inn Express & Suites @ 1076 National Hwy, La Vale, MD 21502 (301-729-4800); Comfort Inn & Suites @ 1216 National Hwy, La Vale, MD 21502 (301-729-6400); and Best Western Braddock Inn @1268 National Hwy, La Vale, MD 21502 (301-729-3300).

Other Race Info Media

Here are some video links related to this race,

One of our 2025 marketing videos: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18uuSG8WGj/ 

Michigan couple's 2023 review of this Maryland race in their quest to run a 5K in all 50 states: https://youtu.be/xvBLKbdz72A