500 people run in Fleet Feet’s Firecracker Four Mile in Fairport

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — There were a slew of events to celebrate Independence Day and one of them is the oldest Fourth of July run in our area.

“My father and I have been doing this race together for years — for us it’s tradition and I’m super excited that my son Deklin gets to join the running club,” said Annemarie Pipityone.

“It’s my first race and it’s like famous because it’s on the Fourth of July,” added Deklin Monaghan.

This has been an Independence Day tradition since 1976. For the 2024 Firecracker Race, runners had a four-mile course through the beautiful Village of Fairport. This year, over 500 people participated in the run.

“Fairport’s an old town, I think people like tradition in general,” said Tracy Hardes. “They have a nice parade that follows and, yeah, I think it’s just a good event for the community.”

“It’s just a lot of fun, a lot of people show up, everyone’s got good energy, everyone’s cheering you on, it’s just a good event for the community,” said Tim Berends.

At the same time the Firecracker race was going on, Yellowjacket Racing hosted the Brighton Fourth of July 5K. The team had to split up.

“Firecracker is more popular and it’s just because maybe has a longevity. I can’t really put a finger on it,” said FleetFeet and Yellowjacket owner Ellen Brenner-Boutillier.

Brenner-Boutillier and her husband organize these events. She said the Fourth of July is the biggest racing day after Thanksgiving, so they put a lot of effort into planning the event.

“Logistically it’s everything from gathering registration to making sure that everything is set with the townships, getting the shirts, the bibs, any food, any of the preparation for what needs to be on course or at the finish line, timing, you name it,” said Brenner-Boutillier. “There’s a whole slew of items that go into prepping for a race.”

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