Summertime and the Livin’ Is Easy

By Laura Clark

Many of our favorite summer activities are all within an easy radius of Saratoga Springs. And now that we have made it through the Belmont Stakes weekend, we can concentrate on our own local events with Saratoga hosting two of the area’s largest July running attractions: Firecracker 4 and Silks & Satins 5K road races, both produced by the experienced FC4 Events team.

The 18th annual Firecracker 4 always occurs on the same date, July 4, so this year it’s on a Thursday. And what better place to celebrate our nation’s birthday than in Saratoga Springs, a few miles from the Saratoga Battlefield, the turning point of the Revolutionary War. This race serves as the opener for citywide festivities stretching throughout the day and culminating in a breathtaking fireworks display. 

Firecracker 4 was conceived in 2006 by Peter Goutos and Bob Vanderminden as a fundraiser for the award-winning Saratoga Springs High School running teams and the Kinetic Running Club. Now ranked as the longest-running and largest 4th of July race in the Northeast, it fields an average of 2,000+ runners, which is a huge increase from the 200 runners in the inaugural event. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it boasted a strong virtual presence. In fact, one of my favorite memories was my virtual Firecracker trail run on the four-mile Saratoga Battlefield route, where I met several individuals who also chose to trace the footsteps of our revolutionary soldiers.

Anticipation mounts in June with the Fleet Feet and ASICS sponsored twice-weekly Lead-Up Series. On Saturday, June 15, 9am: Speed session at the Saratoga HS Track. Post-workout at Thorn + Roots for breakfast. On Thursday, June 20, 6pm at The Thirsty Owl: FC4 course prep and Congress Park workout. ASICS will attend with swag and shoes to demo. On Saturday, June 22, 9am: Speed session at Saratoga HS Track. ASICS will be there with swag, raffles and shoes to demo. Enjoy coffee/bagels courtesy of Fleet Feet. On Thursday, June 27, 6pm at 9 Miles East: FC4 hill workout. Enjoy a post-workout beverage courtesy of 9 Miles East – stay or takeout dinner. On Saturday, June 29, 9am: Speed session at Saratoga HS Track. Post-workout at Wheatfields for series-end traditional patio breakfast. Attend these sessions and you’ll make plenty of new friends with which to toe the starting line!

Race day traditionally begins at 8:15am with a Sparkler Kids Fun Run, launching from Olde Bryan Inn and covering 0.2-mile down Maple Avenue to the FC4 finish line. Open to all ages and mobility-device friendly, the cost is $5 (register in advance). At the end, children get a race medal and enjoy a Kids’ Zone with activities and giveaways. The Sparkler Run is hosted by Building on Love, which provides financial stability for families facing mental illness difficulties.

The main Firecracker 4 event launches from Broadway in front of the Saratoga City Center, shortly before 9am with a heartfelt rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, propelling runners down Broadway, then through older residential areas, with people cheering of all ages lining the streets – prepared with sprinklers and hoses. Consider the route a four-mile version of those Rock ‘n’ Roll marathons, with musicians, bands and boom boxes quickening your step. 

For this journey is not an easy flat-and-fast giveaway, but requires effort, especially during an unshaded uphill before enjoying a gradual downhill finish. Look up and you’ll be inspired by the sight of the Saratoga hook and ladder fire engine, proudly masting a giant American flag. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three male and female overall, masters and age-graded winners, and to the largest Run Your Colors and High School Alumni teams. This year, Firecracker 4 has been chosen as a USATF-Adirondack Grand Prix Race, so expect even more top-notch competition. 

A joyful community atmosphere pervades, with former residents and students returning every year to celebrate with their family and friends. FC4 Events support community athletics, trail development and veterans programs. To register, visit: zippyreg.com. If you register for the Firecracker4 and Silks & Satins 5K combo, you save $10.

If you are up for a shorter, less-crowded jaunt, run or walk Clifton Park Freedom Mile on July 4th at 11:30am, with proceeds to the Shen Track Booster Club. This family-friendly event starts at the Shenendehowa Central Schools main entrance (Route 146) and finishes in the Clifton Common recreational hotspot. To make things affordable, there’s a discount for families of four until July 3. Race director Kristen Hislop recommends parking near the Karigon/Orenda elementary schools, with a short walk to the start and then take a direct route through the park/campus back to your car. 

As the Independence Day Parade follows directly after the runners, spectators do double duty and are ready to encourage your fastest times. In fact, your support team can register as a “Route Rooter” and receive a cowbell to enhance their efforts. Afterwards, head to the Commons for a full day of fun with food and craft vendors, carnival and pony rides, and live music – and fireworks at 9:30pm. Age group awards will be a fun assortment of “pick your own prizes.” To register, visit: runsignup.com.

And yes, if you are like me, you’re already crunching the numbers. A fair number of people “double” with the early Firecracker in Saratoga, followed by the Freedom Mile in Clifton Park – try it!

The other “summer place to be” race is the Silks & Satins 5K, Jeff Clark Memorial Race, traditionally held on the first Saturday of track season, this year on July 13. Originally called the Satins, Silks & Stars, the silks are the jockey’s uniform, representing the horse owner’s colors and logo, and satins, a material that was traditionally used in their construction. The Stars part of the title is a bit less obvious but referred to the celebrity galas that socialite and philanthropist Mary Lou Whitney hosted to inaugurate each track season.

Bill and Cathy Taylor originally partnered with Special Olympics to direct the first few events and then my husband, Jeff Clark, took over, backed by Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation. The Saratoga Stryders Running Club still supplies the vast number of course marshals needed to staff all 23 intersections. One of our favorite activities was packet night, where over 1,000 goodie bags were filled with sponsor donations. It was rather like the I Love Lucy show’s assembly line factory episode and quite a challenging race in its own right.

Jeff fully embraced the extracurricular duties incumbent on race directors! This included driving a box truck fully loaded with race supplies through downtown’s pre-race Hat’s Off celebration; to nearly getting arrested for defacing public property while trying to mark the course at 2am; to making a toilet paper run to address a crucial deficiency – he did it all. After he succumbed to Agent Orange-related cancer in 2014, the event he had cared about so much was renamed in his honor.

Beginning and ending at the Fasig-Tipton pavilion, home of the thoroughbred horse yearling sales, where millions of dollars change hands, runners trace a flat and fast route around the East Side track neighborhoods. Plan to arrive early and enjoy a camera-worthy view of the thoroughbreds as they circle the historic Oklahoma Training Track.

Feel good about your experience knowing that a part of your race fee supports the Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, a national nonprofit headquartered in Saratoga Springs. Through their auspices, retired racehorses are offered the peace they deserve in their final years. Others are introduced to forever families and still others become partners in the Second Chances program where intimates care for and bond with the animals. To register, visit: zippyreg.com.

Finally, the Saratoga Stryders 22nd annual Camp Saratoga 5K Trail Race Series begins Monday, July 29 at 6:15pm and replays every Monday in August at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. The Trail Series was modeled on the Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners Club’s Tawasentha Cross-Country Series. This is because I got tired of leaving work early in Saratoga, so I could drive my daughter and her running teammates an hour each way for yearly XC tryouts. Like most light bulb moments, there were glitches. While Camp Saratoga was an easy decision for Saratoga locals, as race director, I simply replaced a long drive with all the race preparation tasks! Still, I was happy to give my friends the opportunity for a similar experience closer to home. 

Unashamedly, I copied Tawasentha’s Dollar Store raffle concept, but gradually it has expanded to include “valuable” yard sale items. Camp offers watermelon and squeeze ices and the final day we celebrate with BJ’s cookies. Saratoga’s iRun Local also brings in a variety of shoe and equipment reps who have running shoes and gear for us to demo. 

What I enjoy most about this event is that it pretty much runs itself. Many of the same local and out-of-town families show up every year, and for some people this is the only organized race or walk they do. Others enjoy the fact that the casual weekday atmosphere sets it apart from weekend events and they enjoy the friendly rivalries that develop. While there are no formal awards, overall and age-graded winners get first pick at the upgraded final raffle, which features gift cards from iRun Local, and free entries to upcoming local races. We have a family award for the family with the most members (including aunts, cousins, etc.) over the span of the five races. In my mind, the most difficult is the Continual Improvement award for those who run faster during each consecutive race. I achieved that once, and it is the most stressful thing I have ever done as the momentum builds relentlessly over the five weeks.

As with all popular events, there is always room for change. This year, with Matt Miczek’s considerable mapping skills, we’ve created a slightly revised route that bypasses the endangered Karner Blue habitat. The Saratoga Stryders have also entered the 21st century with online registration via RunSignUp, so visit: campsaratoga.saratogastryders.org. The goal is to make this an accessible family affair, with low race fees: children 1-12 free, 13-18 $5, and adults $10. Before July 29, registration for the complete five-race (or walk/hike) series, online or in-person, is $20 for ages 13-18 and $40 for adults – a bargain. Profits are donated to the Camp Saratoga trails at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.

My husband Jeff often said, “It’s a privilege to live in Saratoga Springs.” Come and join us this summer and experience the magic!

Laura Clark (snowshoegal133@gmail.com) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, ultramarathoner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.