The 2012 Firecracker 5k was the first race I ever ran, and I had no idea what to expect going in. The race is run every year, and belongs to a 3 race series for Hutchinson. I still remember towards the end of this race me and 8-ish year old got passed by someone I didn't expect to get passed by. It was then the kid and I looked at each other, and I said "dude, we just got passed by a stroller".

Registration/Packet Pickup: Registration was done online through the recreation commission. We picked up our packet shortly before the race, so it was pretty easy. No expo.

Parking: The race takes place in a park around the zoo and water park, so there is plenty of parking.

Bag Swag: Our shirts were of common cotton, but keep in mind this was back in 2012. Smaller town races hadn't thought much about tech shirts yet. I couldn't blame them at the time, because I was racing in a cotton shirt myself (I didn't know any better yet). We also received a pair of running socks, which I still use to this day.

The Race: The course loops through the park, and around the golf course. Pretty much all of the 5k's in this area share a similar route, as it works very well.

Race Management: I thought the race was handled very well. I didn't have any issues with the management.

Overall: For my first race it went pretty well personally...other than getting passed by a stroller. It's a well run yearly 5k.