Mark Gilmore started running his freshman year at Westminster (MD) High School, where he was a three-time Carroll County Runner of the Year and three-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection. On the national level, Mark finished 7th at the AAU Jr Olympic (Boys 15-16) 1500m run his sophomore year in 4:09.2, and 9th place in the AAU (Boys 17-18) Jr Olympic Cross Country Championships his senior year. He continued running collegiately at the US Naval Academy, where he established a Freshman record in the indoor 3 mile in 14:16.5, which still stands today, 26 years later. During his Junior year at the Naval Academy , Mark qualified for the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships.
Mark joined the Striders in 1995 after relocating from San Diego for his last tour as a Naval Officer. As a Strider, Mark established most of his lifetime PR’s, which include: 14:10 – 5k, 23:54 – 8k, 29:28 – 10k, 50:40 for 10 miles, 1:08:06 for the half marathon, and 2:28 for the marathon.
During the same era, Mark twice won the RRCA 10 mile challenge, the Clyde’s 10k, the Metric Marathon, Run thru the Grapevine, and the Meet of Miles, where his record time 4:21 still stands today. Mark also was named HCS Runner of the Year five times between 1997 and 2006, and served on the Striders’ Board of Directors and co-directed the Run Through the Grapevine race.
While his own competitive racing has taken a back-seat to his children’s athletic pursuits in recent years, Mark can still be seen out running most mornings along the bike paths of Columbia, with his long time training partner and fellow Hall of Famer Chris Chattin.