Hagerstown vs. The World: A True Running Story

by Andy Mason

In the 1980s, an unlikely running powerhouse emerged in Hagerstown, Maryland — a blue-collar city better known for factories, freight rails, and its minor league baseball team than for producing world-class distance runners. Yet from the quiet stretch of the C&O Canal towpath in nearby Williamsport to the ridges that rose above the farmland of the valley, a remarkable group of athletes forged one of the strongest grassroots training scenes in America.

Hagerstown vs. The A True Running Story chronicles this extraordinary era — the rise of Terry Baker, Mike Spinnler, Greg Shank, Chris Fox, Jeff Scuffins, Maria Pazarentzos, Brian Ferrari, Earl Stoner, and the larger community that shaped them, including legendary coach and mentor Buzz Sawyer. Through national championships, Olympic Trials, record-setting road races, and the iconic JFK 50 Mile, their stories reveal how far talent, toughness, and small-town pride can go.

Written by longtime Herald-Mail journalist Andy Mason — who joined the Hagerstown running community years after this group’s competitive peak — the book blends meticulous reporting with vivid storytelling to capture a forgotten hotbed of American distance running. It is a story of friendship, grit, improbable success, and a landscape that shaped champions.

For fans of running history, local sports culture, underdog narratives, and the soul of the sport itself, this is the definitive account of how a small Maryland town punched far above its weight — and left a legacy that still echoes today.

163 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2026

About the author

Andy Mason spent 23 years as a sports journalist at The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, Maryland, including nearly a decade as sports editor. A longtime runner, he has completed 13 Boston Marathons and twice finished in the top 10 at the JFK 50 Mile.

Reviews

[Aiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

6.9/10
Interesting history I was completely oblivious too. Great read.