Sacramento Running News

There you are, standing outside in the hot Valley afternoon, staring down another bratwurst on a sourdough roll.  You know you shouldn’t but you think “Hey!  It’s Independence Day!” You bask in the knowledge that you are one of the 74% of Americans who know what country our founding fathers declared independence from.  So you decide to grab that dog and wolf it down.  It settles into your stomach and curls up next to the first one, and they slosh gently in the beer (or soda) you washed it down with.  You pat your stomach and catch yourself admiring the elastic waistband of your host’s trousers.

The dog was good, almost as good as the first one, but you’re left with a greasy taste in your mouth and a wish that your morning had included a decent run—maybe even a race.  Well, today is your lucky day because wishes—with a little planning—can come true!

For the past 35 years, there has been a free, five-mile race on July Fourth.  It is the aptly named Fourth of July Five Miler, and it starts and finishes at Glen Hall Park in the River Park neighborhood.   It is a free race, so don’t expect a lot of swag but it’s a nice way to start the day.  Walkers and baby joggers are plentiful and the neighbors come out to participate or cheer on the runners.  If you’re in the mood, there is usually a neighborhood parade shortly afterward.

If you need to start your festivities early, there are a couple of Saturday options in the area too.  They aren’t free but are still sure to offer a good time.  These are the Run for Independence 10 and 5K in Elk Grove, and the Sacramento Firecracker 5 and 10K in Land Park.

I’m not sure what kind of runners the founding fathers were, but I’m sure if they had waffle trainers they’d take the time out for this kind of festivity before casting off the shackles of tyranny.

Update:

Once again, hundreds of area runners took advantage of the many Independence Day weekend runs.  If you wanted to see the fastest folks this weekend, you needed to be at River Park for the Free Five Miler, where the top times included Kevin Pool running 25:17 for the men, and Katie Abbott running 31:37 on the women’s side.  Results here. At the start of the race, there were chuckles from the crowd when director Ed Randolph asked for a volunteer who would be willing to sing the Star Spangled Banner.   A minute later, jaws were dropping as aspiring and talented Sacramento vocalist Megan Ugarte unleashed a powerful rendition of the national anthem.

You can find results for the Elk Grove Run for Independence here, and results for Robert Mathus’ inaugural Firecracker 5/10K here.  I couldn’t find results for the Grass Valley Freedom 5K yet, but rumor has it Steve Bond ran well and took second in his age group with a 20:52.

Happy Independence Day everyone!