FIRECRACKER 4K
About this race
2026 FIRECRACKER 4K
Our 22nd annual Firecracker 4K run/walk kicks off the Central Pa 4thFest's July 4th celebration. Last year 870 runners/walkers kicked off our annual celebration of America's birthday. Thanks for making it such a big success! *This year is extra special as we all celebrate America's 250th!* This year's race will once again be run on the beautiful Penn State main campus starting near Beaver Stadium located on the east side of campus. Don your most patriotic apparel and join in the fun. Following the race return later in the day with your friends and family to enjoy another amazing Central Pa 4thFest fireworks show!! Where/When: Friday, July 4th @ 9 a.m.NOTE: Day of race registration is available from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. on the mezzanine inside the PSU Medlar Field Baseball Stadium located on the east side of the PSU main campus.
ONLINE REGISTRATION ONLY! - use your smartphone, tablet or computer to register.
T-shirt: 2026 Firecracker 4K race T-shirts are guaranteed to all race registrants registered during
the early signup periods (ends June 25th).
(Tech style shirt available in both Youth (Y) and Adult (A) sizes: Y-S, Y-M, Y-L, A-S, A-M, A-L, A-XL,
A-XXL, A-XXXL)
AWARDS:
* Overall: Top male (1) and Female (1)
Top 3 (M&F) each age category: 10 & under, 11-14, 15-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+
* Post race refreshments will be provided. Race route will have a water station mid-route.
* All proceeds from the race go to supporting all 4thFest activities
* Race will be professionally timed by the Bryn Mawr Racing Co.
Pick your distance
Running
FIRECRACKER 4K
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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2026 results — FIRECRACKER 4K
FIRECRACKER 4K · 933 finishers
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Fritzsche | 12:23 | 4:59 /mi |
| 2 | Kristian Mizdail | 12:32 | 5:03 /mi |
| 3 | Jonathan Gasper | 12:53 | 5:11 /mi |
| 4 | Andrei Ciulei | 13:19 | 5:21 /mi |
| 5 | Dexter Walker | 13:39 | 5:30 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
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Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 3 University Park events
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