Brentwood Firecreacker 5K readies for 36th edition

It’s back, and it returns with much anticipation and fanfare.

The 36th annual Brentwood Firecracker 5K Run, which begins and ends at Brentwood Towne Square and annually kicks off Brentwood’s Fourth of July holiday festivities, takes place at 9 a.m. on July 4.

The 3.1-mile race course runs on Brownsville Road on the Brentwood holiday parade route.

“One new thing we’re adding this year is the Spartan division,” race director Kira Kellner said. “We’ve been asked each year for a few years to add this (traditionally the Clydesdale/Athena division). GNC is going to assist by providing a scale for weigh-ins.”

Males weighing a minimum of 220 pounds and females weighing a minimum of 165 pounds can opt to register for the Spartan division.

Participation in this category is optional, and weights will be verified on race morning at the check-in inside GNC at Towne Square. Entry will supersede qualifying in any other divisions.

“We’re also excited to have a few new committee members joining us this year, Tina Famiglietti and Pat Cunningham,” Kellner said. “We are working with a brand-new timing company this year: Big River Race Management out of St. Louis. Nick Walton, previously with Light Speed/ProBikes, works with them and will be joining us to make sure the timing is accurate. He’s been working with us for the past four or five years.”

This year’s race committee members consist of Kellner, Famiglietti, Cunningham, Jeanne Berk, Steve Evans, Mary Lou Nees, Alicia Reece, Laura Wenger and Rich Wright.

Registration for the race is open at brentwood5k.com. Online registration will remain open until 15 minutes before the start of the race.

The registration fee is $22 until June 28 (race week). The fee is $25 from June 29 to July 4. For junior racers (11 and under), the cost is $10, which increases to $15 during race week.

The 5K race annually is one of the largest in Western Pennsylvania. There were 2,092 registrants and 1,927 people who crossed the finish line at last year’s contest.

According to a Facebook post last year, the Brentwood Firecracker ranks among the top 10 in the country of 5K races held on the Fourth of July.

Trophies and cash awards will be presented to the top three males and females overall and to the top male and female masters (ages 40-plus) finishers. Trophies also will be awarded to the first male and female runners from Brentwood and the top three competitors in each age division.

And each year, the race donates a sizeable contribution to the Fourth of July committee and supports other charities on a rotating basis.

On the day of the event, there will be music, refreshments and door prizes, plus a $500 grand prize in a random drawing.

“We’ve also added youth sizes for the T-shirts this year,” Kellner said.

For questions or more information, email info@brentwood5k.com or visit brentwood5k.com.