Sheets of rain didn’t dampen the spirits of Ann Arbor-area runners and walkers who participated in Saline’s inaugural Summerfest 5K Run/Walk on Saturday morning in Saline.

In fact, many preferred the cat-and-dog weather.

“It was more fun with the rain,” said Saline resident Kate Carter (shown at left), a 16-year-old who clocked in at 18 minutes, 35.7 seconds, taking first place overall on the female side. “It cooled everything off. The socks were a little soggy, but that’s typical [with any race].”

Saline’s Robert Garrison, 45, who claimed the Masters Division in 18:41.9, welcomed the rain as well.

“It’s better to run in the rain; you’re not getting overheated,” said Garrison, adding, “but you have to watch out for the puddles.”

Others, such as Female Masters winner Kimberly Shankland (23:29.5), 44, preferred puddle-less weather, but managed nonetheless.

“I wouldn’t describe it as fun,” the Saline resident said of running in rainfall, “but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“It was a good first year [of the race],” continued Shankland, a cross country and track alum of Eastern Michigan University.

The near-250 participants of the 5K toed the starting point on North Harris Street at 8:38 a.m., before flocking through the countryside and looping back to the finish line on Harris Street. The well-marked, well-laid out course, according to Shankland and Garrison, made the run all the more enjoyable.

“Even with the rain, you couldn’t ask for a better course or a better race to run,” added Garrison, a former Marine whose been running competitively for the past 10 years. “I think they had a much better turnout than they expected.”

With Saline’s Summerfest 5K Run/Walk chalked up as a success, many, like the female winner Carter, will likely have this event circled on their calendar next summer.

“It would be cool to come back and defend my title,” said Carter, smiling.

The overall male winner was Monroe’s Austin Whitlaw, 16, who crossed the finish line at 15:40.7. (Note: Whitlaw did not attend the awards ceremony, therefore couldn’t be reached for comment.)

For complete results of the Saline Summerfest 5K Run/Walk, click here.