Sierra Madre 4th of July 2011 – Firecracker 5k Fun Run

Back to Main 4th of July Page (all years)

Back to Main 4th of July 2011 Page

More than 100 people pre-registered to be part of this first time event, and with walk-ins, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were closer to 150 who participated. No timers, nothing “official,” but there were t-shirts and an early morning run for those who did it.

First place was taken by Simon Cooper (he was 3rd in the 2010 Mt. Wilson Trail Race, so he was just getting warmed up when this was over…). Second place was Colin Hurlbut and Tom Augustin was third place. Sierra Madre’s Jill Liston was the first place woman.  It has been brought to my attention that my initial post naming Jill Liston as the first place woman was inaccurate (sort of).  While I did hear one of the race officials announce “we have our first woman” as Ms. Liston crossed the line, I had apparently not been there when the race’s first “female” crossed the line.  I’ve now been informed that twelve-year old Natalie O’Brien crossed the line ahead of Ms. Liston.  Congratulations, Natalie!  (and, my apologies!)

Here’s the “official” press release we received from the Spero Foundation, the race sponsors:

This year the Sierra Madre July 4^th Committee and the Spero Foundation hosted the inaugural Sierra Madre 5K Fun Run.  With the streets blocked in anticipation of the annual July 4^th parade; over 100 pre-registered runners arrived at Kersting Court at 6:00 am to check in and our same day registrations pushed the number of runners close to the 200 mark.

Jerry Carlton was our race starter and at 7:00am the race began.  Our 5K course sent the runners from Kersting Court east on Sierra Madre Boulevard.  They made the turn-around at Sierra Vista Park and returned on Sierra Madre Boulevard to Sunnyside, where they made a u-turn and returned to the finish line at Kersting Court. 

Medal winners of this year’s inaugural run were given in the following four categories:  Male 18 years and older: 1st Place: Simon Cooper and 2nd place: Colin Hurlbut.  Male 17 years and under: 1^st place Spencer Mc Faul, 2^nd place Jack Griffin.  Female 18 years and older: 1^st Place Jill Liston and 2^nd Place Jill Riehl.  Female 17 years and under: 1^st place Natalie O’Brien and 2^nd Place Thamra Peterson.  In addition, participation ribbons were given to all children in strollers.

The Sierra Madre July 4^th committee thanks the generous sponsors and all the volunteers that helped make this inaugural run a safe and fun event.  Proceeds raised will support the July 4^th committee for future events.

Enjoy these pics from the event: