Claremont Freedom 5K brings back fun

Participants in the cityÕs annual Freedom 5000 1K fun run leave the starting gate at Memorial Park on Saturday for their short run around the Claremont Village. The fun run and the competitive Freedom 5000 5k were held on Saturday this year, a break from the tradition of holding the race on the Fourth of July. COURIER photo/Andrew Alonzo

by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Bright and early Saturday morning participants and volunteers began to arrive at Memorial Park for the city’s yearly racing tradition, the 2022 Freedom 5000, sponsored by the City of Claremont and Claremont High School cross country team and boosters.

Spirits were high despite the event being held in the early morning hours as it was the first time in two years — since the COVID-19 pandemic — that the Freedom 5000 races were held. It was also the first time the event was shifted from its designated date of Fourth of July and held days prior.

That didn’t seem to hinder the community’s response however as over 600 participants from Claremont as well as neighboring cities partook in the holiday festivities.

This year, 418 participants signed up for the competitive 5K segment, with another 66 participating in the walking race. The children’s 1K fun run saw about 100 participants, mostly made up of youngsters and their parents.

At 7:30 a.m. racers in the children’s 1K took off. The children’s race starting line began on the East end of the park on Yale Avenue. Runners headed north and turned east on Twelfth Street, then headed south on Harvard. Runners then went West on Eighth Street before finishing back at the park.

At 8 a.m., a sea of runners for the competitive 5k run, wearing this year’s blue colored Freedom 5K running shirt, made their way north up Yale Ave., also turning east on Twelfth Street. Runners went down all the way toward Mills Ave., turning south on the street before going further east on Ninth. Ninth spills out to Claremont Boulevard, and runners made their way south on the city-named street.

Participants then turned west on Sixth street, south on Mills, west on First, made a long run north up College Ave. before turning west on Eighth Street. The final turn at the end of Eighth was right on Yale Ave., where runners saw the blue inflatable starting gate.

Winners of this year’s 1K an 5K races — well, those that stayed — were honored on Memorial Park’s main stage at 9:30 a.m. Twenty-one-year-old Claremont resident Aaron Reyes was the first to cross the finish line of the competitive 5K, finishing with a time of 16:21.00. Seventeen-year-old Barstow native Angelina Vasquez was the first female runner to cross the finish line, finishing with a time of 19:21.00. Each received a $100 gift card to Fleet Feet footwear.

Racewire took the times of those who participated in the 5K run and walk. To view the times of those who partook in the races, visit https://my.racewire.com/results/37047.

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