Hampton Rotary sponsors annual Firecracker 5K

This year’s Firecracker 5K in Hampton will be held on July 4, just as it has been for the past 18 years.

The Hampton Township Rotary Club sponsors the event, which brings roughly 120 runners from all over the Pittsburgh area.

“We think it’s a great opportunity to bring people together on such a special holiday to celebrate the Fourth of July with a bit of exercise,” said Tom Baker, club president. “You can have 3.1 miles of exercise in by 9 a.m.”

The 3.1-mile race begins at 8:30 at the Alcoa Pavilion in Hampton Township Community Park. Proceeds from the event go to causes that are near and dear to the Rotarians, such as awarding scholarships to Hampton High School students and sponsoring a “Milk, Eggs, Butter, Cheese” event,” during which club members deliver food to North Hills Community Outreach.

Race entrants can choose to either walk or run the course.

“As long as we all keep moving forward it really doesn’t matter,” said Baker.

He complimented Rock Kernick, who chairs the event, for “an incredible job organizing and getting everything together, so a special thanks to him.”

“The Hampton Rotary has a membership focused on community service and fair dealing,” Kernick said, including a weekly Meals on Wheels route and helping with storage room organizing at HEARTH, which provides safe, affordable housing to mothers in need.

The club also takes on a major annual project.

“In the past, we’ve made a trail bridge and built a park pavilion,” Kernick said. “We like to think that every one of our sponsors and every race participant is helping us to give back to the community.”

To register for the Firecracker 5K, visit runnersplan.com/races/2023-hampton-township-rotary-club-firecracker-5k.