Mary Garrity ran the Boston Marathon in the sweltering heat back in April, so she wasn't about to let Thursday's 94 degree temperatures in the Queen City deter her from competing in the Lite Up the Nite for Mental Health 5K at Derryfield Park.

Garrity, who ran the Derryfield hills as a member of the legendary Manchester Central girls' cross country teams that won 12 state titles in 14 years, posted a 20:16 to head the women's field, 2:21 quicker than runner-up Casey Helox of Henniker.

Bedford's Sam Daly, gearing for the upcoming high school cross country season, went out for an early summer training run and completed the 3.1 mile course in 18:18 to win the men's division.

The event, whose proceeds go toward charitable care for clients at the Mental Health Center of Manchester, drew a field of 278 runners and walkers who battled the heat and the demanding scholastic cross country course, one of the most difficult in New England.

In its third year, the Lite Up the Nite 5K has raised nearly $15,000.

“We had the idea to develop our own run/walk, and it offers one of the few opportunities for adults to be timed on the high school cross country course,” said Sandra Seney, director of development for the Mental Health Center of Manchester.

In his first attempt at competing in the run, race creater Humberto Rodriguez finished second to Daly in 18:31.

Garrity, 28, is no stranger to the winner's circle as she won the Manchester Marathon two years ago.

All smiles, Garrity said her time Thursday was much better than her high school times back in 2001.

“I haven't run this course in 11 years,” said the race winner. “The start of the race brought back a lot of memories. It was nice running through the woods again, too. It was nice and shady, much cooler.”

Garrity, who will be married this summer, expects to run the Manchester Marathon once again this year.

“We're going to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and there's a 10-mile race there that I plan to run.”

Daly, a 17-year-old senior at Bedford High, has plans to run in the fall, too. As a sophomore, Daly finished fourth in the Division II Championship Meet with a time of 16:31. A year ago injury prevented him from competing, and he wants to earn a gold medal in October.

“This was a training run for the upcoming season,” said Daly after battling the hills and heat. “It's always rough near McIntyre (Ski Area). You have to be motivated and push through it.”

Daly and 25-year-old Rodriguez of Manchester dueled for much of the race before the high-schooler pulled away as the pair returned to the grassy park after exiting the woods.

“It was a good race, but hot,” said Rodriguez who is originally from Lodi, Calif., and competed at Humboldt State University. “The grass is deceiving. It takes away a lot of traction.

“I thought Sam ran really strong,” Rodriguez added. “He had a good kick and I couldn't keep up with him. When we came out of the woods and hit the lawn, I knew I couldn't catch him.”

Rounding out the top five in the men's division were West Meserve, 23, of Merrimac, Mass., in 19:54, Adam Rosencrantz, 27, of Epping in 20:08 and Adam Lebow, 16, of Candia, in 20:28. Last year at the Division I Cross Country Championship Meet, Lebow, who competes at Central, completed the course in 18:40.

Following Garrity, who was fifth overall, was 15-year-old Helox of Henniker who ended 22nd overall in 22:37. Manchester's Denise Spenard, 45, was third and 25th in 23:29, while Maggie Nugent, 28, of Hudson and Lyn Vinskus, 36, of Concord completed the top five women with times of 24:34 and 25:18.

Click here for race results from coolrunning.com.