The Firecracker 4 Road Race on July 4th Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

The Firecracker 4 Race will celebrate its 20th anniversary at this year’s event. Proceeds from the Firecracker 4 benefit trail development, recreation programs, and other healthy lifestyle programs.

To help prepare adult and teen runners for the race, a twice-weekly training program in Saratoga Springs begins on June 11. Runs through local neighborhoods will be held on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. Outdoor track workouts at Saratoga Springs High School will be held on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. The program will offer a combination of speed work, hill training, and course previews. 

On race day, preceding the Firecracker 4 race, the Sparkler Run for young children begins at 8:15 a.m. on Maple Avenue behind the Saratoga Springs City Center. This short 0.2-mile race is held on the final segment of the main race, so kids experience the fun of crossing the real finish line. Parents or older siblings are welcome to accompany their young runners

The Firecracker 4 four-mile race starts at 9 a.m. on Broadway in front of the City Center, proceeds through the downtown shopping district, and then winds through the streets of Saratoga’s East Side neighborhood, where numerous bands will play on street corners and residents cheer and set up garden-hose misting stations to benefit the runners. 

Participants finish this Independence Day race under a giant American flag hoisted by the Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa Fire Departments. Continuing for 2026 is a Team Village in the Ellsworth Jones lot behind the City Center where teams may set up canopies prior to the race where their athletes may gather.

Registration is open at firecracker4.com for both the Firecracker 4 ($43.33, including the processing fee) and the Sparkler Run ($6.30, inclusive of fee). Packet pick-up will be July 2 (Fleet Feet in Albany, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.); July 3 (Fleet Feet in Malta, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.); and at the Saratoga Springs City Center on July 4 beginning at 7 a.m.