Thousands of runners and walkers hit the streets last weekend in the 9th annual Mercer Island Rotary Run. The race featured over 3,700 participants, a number slightly down from last years entries.

“It was great,” said Dawn Naye, the race director. “We had a little over 3,700 participants and it went really smoothly.”

Prior to the race Naye had said they were getting fewer registrants, and weren’t sure if it was the cold weather in February or something else. About 500 people signed up for the race on the weekend of the race, Naye said. She added they weren’t sure it was simply the bad weather in February that kept people from training early, but either way it was a gorgeous day for the race.

“From my perspective it was a very manageable number and the weather was fantastic. All the runners had big smiles on their faces,” said Naye.

Despite the fewer numbers of overall participants, Islanders were well represented in the event, including the two top finishers in the half marathon run.

Mercer Islander Kevin Murphy took the men’s top finish in the half marathon run in 1:11.05, setting a 5:25 mile pace for the race around the Island. Megan Johnson won the women’s title in the half marathon run in 1:20.52, setting a 6:10 mile pace. Evan Blanshan, of Seattle, was second overall in the half marathon with a time of 1:12.22.

In the half marathon walk, John Ravits of Mercer Island was the first man to cross the finish line in 2:21.54, with a 10:50 mile pace. Mavis Butterfield was the first women, shortly behind Ravits, with a finish time of 2:25.09.

In the 10k run around the north tip of the Island, Bellevue’s Glen Weissman took the top spot with a 35.37 time. Mercer Island’s Susan Empey was the first women to finish the 10k race in 38:49.

In the 5k race Keith Laverty, of Bellevue, finished in 16:30, while Sally Bergesen was the first female finisher in 19:41.

Mercer Island’s Ella Green was the fastest youth racer in the half marathon run. The 12-year-old finished in 1:54.34. In the 10k race, 8-year-old Alexander Kruus, from Mercer Island was the youngest finisher, with a 1:01.49 time. In the 5k race, Kade Black, 4, competed the race in 48:34.

Gig Harbor’s Ralph Vedros, 79, was the oldest finisher of the day, completing the 5k race in 38:38.

Photo gallery of Mercer Island Rotary half marathon and other races on Mercer Island on Sunday, March 20, 2011.

See results online through the Rotary Run’s Web site.

To purchase pictures visit the Reporter’s online photo gallery.