I absolutely love this local 5k race on the 4th of July. Its actually one of the largest, longest running, and most popular 5k races in the Tri-State area (PA, OH, WV). 9am start is a bit odd, as most races tend to start sooner, but they have this lined up so as the last runners are finishing the local 4th of July parade starts.

Packet pickup is available at multiple locations, days, and times, which is incredibly convenient. They gave out local coupons, a branded drifit shirt, and a collapsible branded lunch box for 2018.

This year was actually the hottest race on record, but luckily there were a bunch of water/Gatorade stops, and many residents actually had their garden hoses out, sprinkling the runners, which was amazing.

The best part of this course is that it is LINED with people, shoulder to shoulder. This race, along with the parade that follows is a BFD in the area. You won't have any shortage of spectators cheering you on as you run along Brownsville Road. It's a down and back course- start at Giant Eagle at Brentwood Town Square, and the turnaround is at Italian Village Pizza. The course has very small rolling hills (about 5 to the turnaround), and about 226ft in elevation gain. The last maybe 0.25mi is slightly uphill so make sure to save some in the tank for the end.

As you finish the race there's free photos taken of you crossing the finish line, and misting fans to cool you off. After the finish you're corralled into the upper parking lot of Brentwood Town Square, where there's your standard post-race snacks- water, Gatorade, bananas, cookies, plus bonus points for having popsicle and free beer! No medal is given out, which I like. It's old-school like that- only medals for those who win the race or age group. A bunch of vendor tents are set up as well, one was giving out massages, and there's a DJ blasting jams throughout. Local running clubs are there with tents as well, and there's food and snacks available to buy. All in all it's a great post-race experience that you can stick around for, and there's even the parade afterwords.

FYI- parking is a bit tough depending on where you're coming from so definitely plan ahead. Luckily it's in a suburban area with tons of side roads and street parking. Just note that they block off the upper portion of Brentwood Town Square so you can't park there in the morning.