Brentwood Firecracker 5K offers something for every runner
The Brentwood Firecracker 5K attracts a variety of runners. Casual to serious. Some are there for the prize money. Some are there for the free beer.
“The beer line is longer than the race course,” mused one spectator.
Close but not necessarily as the course meanders along Brownsville Road, out and back, for 3.1 miles, in front of an engaged audience awaiting the start of the annual Fourth of July parade.
“I really love the race. It’s really a great time and they really do a nice job,” said Robert Barnes. The Jefferson Hills resident was competing in the run for the 12th time in its 42-year-old history. “I love the great community involvement and all the people on the sidelines. It’s encouraging. It absolutely inspires you.”
Roman Barnes, 6, was particularly proud of his dad, who finished the run in 23:17 and placed 25th in the competitive men’s 35-39 age group.
“He did good,” Roman said.
Sam Snodgrass and Maddie Salek did the best. Snodgrass was the first overall finisher, clocking in with a winning time of 15:14. Salek was the first female finisher, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16:55.
Joe Winans predicted Snodgrass’ strong showing in the absence of two-time champion Tim Wolk from McMurray. Winans coached Snodgrass when he ran at South Fayette High School.
Snodgrass was the 2017 WPIAL Class AA cross country champion. A 2018 South Fayette graduate, he went on to run at Duquesne University. Snodgrass currently works at Pro Bike and Run.
His fiancé is Salek. A West Allegheny High School graduate, she ran collegiately at Oklahoma State. She runs professionally for Pro Bike and Run Elite.
Meanwhile, Winans finished a respectable ninth in the male masters and 64th overall. At 41, he clocked a 19:28 for a 6:15-mile pace.
“It’s always a tradition to come here. Run the Brentwood 5K, watch the parade and go to Chris Ritter’s house for a cookout,” said Winans.
A South Hills native, Winans attended Baldwin High School before running at Duquesne University. An educator, Winans also helps coach the track team, particularly the long-distance runners at South Fayette, in addition to his head coach duties for the cross country teams.
In addition to the Brentwood Firecracker 5K being a “great tradition,” Winans says the Fourth of July is a “great day” for running.
“It’s the biggest racing day of the year,” he said. “No matter where you are in the country, you can find a race.”
Winans encourages his South Fayette runners to participate in the Brentwood 5K or the Whiskey Rebellion race if they are in town.
The scholastic cross country season is just around the corner. Workouts and training commence Aug. 11. The first meets can be held Aug. 22.
Two of the top competitions are the Marty Uher Invitational at the end of August at PennWest California and the Red, White & Blue Invitational at the start of September at White Oak Park, site of the WPIAL Championships later in the fall.
“So, find a race that you can get into just for a little bit of a fitness check during the summer,” he said.
The 2025 Brentwood Firecracker 5K attracted its largest crowd with 2,342 official entrants.
Some like Jeffrey Schuckert were just happy to get the number 1989. “That was the year I was born,” he said when he checked in for the start of the race. Schuckert finished 79th in his age group of 35-39 with a 29:30 time.
Others participated as couples rather than athletes, like Erik and Grace Brinkhoff. Erik was a standout swimmer at Bethel Park High School but at age 30, he no longer swims. “I love to hang around the pool,” said the now Brentwood resident.
Bethel Park had some of the bigger contingent of runners, with the baseball team having one of the largest representation.
Evan LeJeune and Sebastian Schein played on WPIAL runner-up and PIAA state championship clubs before graduating in 2023. In fact, Schein finished with a 6-1 record and two saves with a 2.19 ERA his senior year.
LeJeune’s younger brothers, Noah and Zach, also competed in the Brentwood 5K as did their father, Brian. It’s a family tradition and Brian races in memory of his father.
“The race means a lot to me and there is a lot of sentimentality attached to it,” Brian said. “It brings back memories and it’s pretty awesome to have friends and family here. So it’s a great opportunity to be able to race together.”
Noah and Zach concurred.
Noah graduated this June and the first baseman will continue his baseball career at Seton Hill University. He finished the race in 26:01.
“When I ran this race for the first time with my dad, it was a pretty good time. So I continued to do it. Because it’s fun, I probably will keep up the tradition,” Noah said.
Four years younger than Noah at 14, Zach aspires to become the best baseball player in the family. He is a third baseman for the Black Hawks. He ran with his friend, Lucas Skerbetz, a fellow freshman.
Zach noted though that running together as a family “is fun.” He noted that his father grew up in Brentwood and added that since he’s been doing the run, the rest of the family also participates.
Nate Griffin is a neighbor of the LeJeunes and he picked up their race packets at pre-registration. A 2025 BPHS graduate, he is headed to Stanford to study engineering.
“It was fun to run with my friends for the last time before I ship off to California,” he said. “It’s was more of a forced thing to be here than willing,” he added with a laugh. “But, it’s still a good time. A good workout.”
According to Nora and Gemma Silvis from South Park, the best part of the run is the reward at the end of the race. The siblings enjoyed treats from Wu’s Shaved Ice stand.
“It goes down easy after a hot race,” Nora said. “It feels amazing. With the heat and everything, it’s very refreshing.”
As she tasted her concoction, flavored with blue raspberry, strawberry and Pina colada syrup, Gemma said, “It’s a great combination, particularly after a race.”
Editor’s Note: Visit www.athlinks.com/event/26393/results/Event/1105527/results for a complete list of race results.