CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hermes Sports & Events on Wednesday dropped a federal trademark lawsuit against St. Malachi Parish that sought to prevent the West Side church from using its own name in an annual benefit race, a move that angered local racers, parishioners and church supporters.

The racing company, a ubiquitous presence for runs across Northeast Ohio, said in a statement that the company will not use St. Malachi's name in reference to any future races in which it is involved.

"We remain sorry that our longstanding relationship with St. Malachi reached this point," Hermes' statement says. "We have no interest in debating this further or in arguing with an old friend, so we believe this is now the best course for all involved and wish St. Malachi well in its future works."

Hermes' decision to drop its federal lawsuit less than a month after it was filed came after public reaction seemed to turn against the company. In the eyes of many angered by the lawsuit, the feud between Hermes and St. Malachi involved a large for-profit company picking on a small Catholic church known for its community outreach.

Matt Cavanagh, St. Malachi's attorney, said Wednesday the parish is pleased that Hermes decided to drop the lawsuit and that the company "couldn't take ownership of the church's 150-year-old name.

"The parish obviously wishes that the realization had come sooner. We see this voluntary dismissal as a vindication of our ownership rights in our own name," Cavanagh continued adding that the church is grateful for the support it received.

St. Malachi has hosted the popular race in March of every year since 1981. The church tapped Hermes to organize the race.

The dispute arose after the church told Hermes that it wanted it find a way to raise more money and felt that it could do so with another race organizer. The church's priest, the Rev. Anthony Schuerger told cleveland.com in July that the church received $3,000 for the 2017 race from money Hermes collected.

The minimum registration fee was $25, and more than 4,500 ran the race that year, so the church reasoned that Hermes took in at least $113,000, not including sponsorships.

The church took in another $3,500 from direct donations from racers. For the 2018 race, the church planned to use Second Sole as an organizer.

That prompted Hermes to file a lawsuit in federal court to prevent the church from using its own name in association with any race. It contended Hermes owned a trademark on any the phrase "St. Malachi Church Run" or any variation belongs to the company, as the public will think Hermes is involved in any race held under that name.

Hermes said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed that the company only took in $15,000 in net profits after costs were paid.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Daniel Gaul, a longtime sponsor of the St. Malachi race, said Wednesday that he was not aware of the settlement until contacted by a reporter. He said he had reached out to both sides to see if he could help settle the case, but couldn't obtain cooperation from both sides.

He was happy to hear of the resolution, though.

"I would hope that the St. Malachi's race goes forward and is more successful than ever," Gaul said.