AUBURN - The Great Race took time Sunday to remember some key contributors who have passed away.

When John Trowse died last month, at just 38, it shocked all who knew him and with whom he shared his love of running.

"John was somebody we all looked up to," longtime friend Rob Schemerhorn said. "Even as he got older and was no longer winning races all the time, he was still strong competitor.

I was always trying to catch up to him, but I was never fast enough."

Trowse's passing left a void among his friends and teammates.

"There is an empty hole in our heart," said Susan Michaels, who recently was a member of a Winter Great Race team with Trowse. "He was a great team player and we miss him dearly."

This year, the race committee decided unanimously to dedicate the race in Trowse's honor.

"We proposed the idea and everyone on the committee agreed," committee member Lee Michaels said. "That is something that makes us feel good to pay him this honor."

This gesture was appreciated by those who knew him best.

"It is a nice tribute," Schemerhorn said. "It is real nice. The race is bigger than any one individual. But it is nice to recognize the individual. It was the right thing to do."

Trowse was well known in the running community for his love and dedication to the sport and to others.

"He was always telling people how they look and they look fit," Schemerhorn said. "He encouraged everyone. He never asked what time anyone had and he would never brag about his times; you would have to pull it out of him, he was very humble."

Trowse's generosity is well remembered.

"He was extremely friendly," Lee Michaels said. "He was generous with his time and his money. He was a great character. I've never met anyone that didn't have something marvelous to say about John."

Team Trowse pulled out a fourth-place overall finish, something the team is proud of and believes Trowse would be proud of too. Through the whole race, their thoughts turned to their missing teammate.

"We really missed him out there," John Potter said. "We knew we could always count on him in the race. The fourth-place finish is nice, we did really well, but we missed him."

Trowse's friends say they plan to do more in the future to honor Trowse and his dedication to the running community.

"This is just the beginning," Susan Michaels said. "We plan to get a race named after him and we hope it will help raise money to help his family."

The Great Race committee in an effort to help Trowse's family through this difficult time, are taking donations.

"We feel a tremendous sadness for his family," Race director Marty Keough said. "He was a good runner who we all looked up to and we all enjoyed. So through our website www.greatrace.com, people can make donations to help his family."

The race also recognized Brian Hanley who was an active participant and volunteer for a number of years, before he passed away six years ago.

"That is a new award this year," said Jim Hanley, Brian's father. "It is really special to me because it recognizes my son and my other son Tim is going to present it. It is very special to my family."

The Brian Hanley Memorial Award went to the first all-female team to finish the traditional race. This year's inaugural recipients were the members of The Right Stuff, who have won the women's division the past few years. They said it was a great honor.

"It is really exciting," Murphee Hayes said. "We are all pretty dedicated to our sports and when we bring it all together, that really helps. We've never been recognized before, so this is great, it is really exciting for all of us."

Also new this year, was the Harriet Tubman Award, in honor of Tubman's accomplishments; going to the first female team to complete the short race.

"It is wonderful, really wonderful," Lynn Amy said. "It is such a fun event and we al really enjoy it. It has been a great experience for all of us."