What to know about the 2022 Fort Collins FireKracker 5K, including its new date
Fort Collins’ annual FireKracker 5K will be held on a different day this year in order to coincide with the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration at City Park, but everything else about the event remains unchanged, race director Lisa Sinclair said.
More than 1,000 runners and walkers are expected to participate in this year’s event, she said. That’s down from the all-time high of 1,500 or so in 2018 and 2019 but slightly more than the 900-plus last year when the race returned to an in-person event after going virtual in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns and restrictions.
Other events at City Park on Saturday include a Stars & Stripes golf tournament, a parade, old-timers baseball games, free trolley rides, a food-truck rally, live music and a night-time fireworks show, beginning at 9:35 p.m.
Whether you’re heading over to run or walk the citizens 5K, watch elite runners compete for first-place prizes of $600 apiece, take children to the 1-mile kids run, or cheer on friends or family members, here’s what to know about this year’s FireKracker 5K:
Online registration available through Friday
Participants can register online through Friday at FireKracker5K.com, although prices increase after Thursday, or in person from 6:15 to 7 a.m. Saturday near the starting line. Race T-shirts are available to registered participants while supplies last but are not guaranteed.
Through Thursday, prices for the citizens race are $40 for adults, $35 for youths ages 17 and younger, and $35 for veterans and active military. Each of those prices increase by $5 on Friday and are $50 on race day. The kids run costs $7 through Thursday and $10 if signing up Friday or Saturday.
Race packets for those who have signed up in advance will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday at Raintree Athletic Club, 2555 S. Shields St., or at a tent near the starting line beginning at 6:15 a.m. Saturday.
More: Fourth of July fireworks are back in Fort Collins. Here's your guide to the holiday weekend.
Starting times for the various events
The citizens 5K begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by the elite race at 8:30 a.m. and the kids run at 9 a.m. The national anthem will be played at 7:25 a.m., just before the start of the citizens race, and an awards ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
Races begin and end in Fort Collins City Park
The start and finish lines for all races are in the middle of Fort Collins City Park, near the intersection of Sheldon and City Park drives northeast of Sheldon Lake.
The citizens 5K starts and ends on City Park Drive northeast of Sheldon Drive. The course follows City Park Drive out of the park, then goes north on Jackson Street and around the outer edge of the park along Mountain, Grandview and Laporte avenues, Taft Hill Road and Mulberry, Scott and Oak streets, and back into the park for a 100-meter sprint to the finish along City Park Drive.
The elite racers will run four laps around Sheldon Lake on the south side of the park, while the kids run is a 1-mile loop.
Road closures and parking restrictions around City Park
Roads in City Park will be closed all day Saturday, and several of the surrounding streets will have closures in place because of the race and other holiday activities. There are no vehicle drop-off areas within the park, and vehicles driving around traffic barriers will be ticketed and or towed, organizers said.
Participants and spectators are encouraged to walk or ride bicycles to the park or arrive early enough to park on nearby neighborhood streets, as permitted. There will be plenty of bicycle parking available in the park, organizers said.
Grandview Avenue will be closed from Mountain to Laporte; Oak Street will be closed from Scott to Jackson; and Jackson Street will be closed from Olive to Mountain. Other road closures include eastbound Mountain Avenue from Grandview to Jackson, eastbound Laporte from Taft to Grandview, a northbound lane of Taft Hill Road from Mulberry to Laporte, and westbound Mulberry from Shields to Taft Hill.
Top finishers in each age group will receive custom piece of pottery
The top three male and female finishers in all adult age groups will receive a custom piece of pottery, handmade by local artisan and runner T.S. Berger. Medals will be awarded to the top finishers in each youth age group.
Cash prizes will be given to the top five overall and masters (age 40 and older) men’s and women’s finishers in the elite race.
More: 'We help each other dream bigger,' founder of Fort Collins women's elite running team says
Who are the elite runners?
Fort Collins’ AnnMarie Kirkpatrick, winner of the 2019 elite race and a top-five finisher several other times, is in a field of elite runners that also includes local runners Carson Hume, Tyler McCandless, Lauren Offerman, Kenyan Evans Kibet, recent Colorado State University All-American Lily Tomasula-Martin and several members of the local Front Range Elite professional women’s team.
Six men in the elite field have run 5K races in less than 15 minutes, and eight of the women have run 5Ks in less than 18 minutes.
Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. If you 're a subscriber, thank you for your support. If not, please consider purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins FireKracker 5K details: Registration, the route, kids run
