FIRECRACKER 5K & 1 MILE

2026 RACE DAY INSTRUCTIONS

We are thrilled to welcome you to the Morningside Baptist Church Firecracker 5K & 1 Mile!

As far as we know, this is Huntsville's oldest 4th of July race, and we're honored to continue this great tradition.

We've made several exciting improvements this year, and we think you're going to love them!

With registration nearly double last year's race, please plan aheadespecially for packet pick-up, parking, and arriving early on race morning.


SOLD OUT!
The race is officially SOLD OUT!

There are NO refunds, transfers, swaps, or bib exchanges.

One Last Chance!
We will release ONLY 30 additional entries beginning:

Thursday at 11:00 a.m.

Fleet Feet Huntsville
2722 Carl T. Jones Drive
Huntsville, AL

These entries will be available first come, first served and are expected to sell out quickly. Once these 30 spots are gone, registration will officially close.


PACKET PICK-UP
Thursday
11:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
Fleet Feet Huntsville
2722 Carl T. Jones Drive
Huntsville, AL

Friday
12:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Fleet Feet Huntsville

Race Morning
6:00 a.m. 6:45 a.m.
Morningside Baptist Church
15001 Bailey Cove Road
Huntsville, AL 35803

Please do not wait until race morning to pick up your packet if possible. Race morning will be very busy, and picking up early will make your experience much smoother.


RACE SHIRTS
Participants will receive either a:

Black CRAFT Performance Tank
White & Red CRAFT Short Sleeve Shirt
Shirts are gender-specific and first come, first choice.

Please pick up the size and style you ordered. If you need a different size or style, we'll gladly exchange shirts after the race, if inventory allows.

Last year many participants requested short sleeves, so we added that option this year.

Thank you for your understandingand yes, it's a CRAFT shirt. We think you'll love it!


PARKING
With registration nearly double last year's race, we ask everyone to arrive early and help us keep race morning running smoothly by using our designated parking areas.

Preferred Parking Southside Park
16159 Chaney Thompson Road
Huntsville, AL 35803

This is our recommended parking location.

Southside Park has plenty of parking, restrooms, and easy access to the Greenway. From the park, it's just an easy 1/2 -mile walk or jog to Morningside Baptist Church and the race start.

Additional Parking McGucken Park
13020 Bailey Cove Rd SE
Huntsville, AL 35803

If Southside Park fills up, additional parking is available at McGucken Park. Please note it is approximately 1.2 miles from Morningside Baptist Church, so allow extra time if you choose to park there.

church Church Parking (Last Resort)
Parking at Morningside Baptist Church is very limited and should be used only as a last resort.

We will be parking vehicles in designated grass areas. Please park only where directed, do not block other vehicles, and follow the instructions of our parking volunteers.

Parking signs will be posted throughout the area. Please follow the signs and directions from our volunteers to the appropriate parking locations.

Thank you for helping us accommodate a record number of runners this year!


CHILD CARE
Complimentary child care is provided by Morningside Baptist Church.

Please arrive early to get your child checked into the nursery before the race begins.

RESTROOMS
Restrooms will be available inside Morningside Baptist Church throughout the event.

In addition, portable restrooms (Porta-Johns) will be located outside near the start/finish area for your convenience.

Please allow yourself enough time before the race, as lines may be longer than usual with our record number of participants.


5K RACE INFORMATION
Start Time
7:00 a.m.

NEW FOR 2026!
The 5K Start and Finish are now on the Greenway!

Instead of starting in the church parking lot, you'll enjoy an even flatter and faster USATF-certified course. [https://certifiedroadraces.com/certificate/?type=r&id=12128]

The course is an out-and-back on the Greenway with the finish at Morningside Baptist Church.

There will be one aid station at the turnaround.

Course Instructions
Please run on the RIGHT side of the Greenway at all times.
Line up according to your expected pace.
Faster runners should line up near the front.
Parents, please encourage younger runners to line up behind the faster runners for everyone's safety.
The course is clearly marked with volunteers, cones, and directional arrows.
You can't get off course!

All 5K finishers will receive a custom 2026 finisher medal.


ONE MILE RACE
The One Mile is a USATF-certified [https://d368g9lw5ileu7.cloudfront.net/races/race180341-customSectionAttachment6a3c26b37952d9.15568237.pdf], flat and fast course.

The race begins approximately one mile from the 5K start and finishes at the same location as the 5K.

Many runners enjoy using the walk or jog to the start as their warm-up.

Families
If you have younger children participating in the One Mile, you may drive to Ditto Landing and park closer to the start.

Please refer to the race website or ask during packet pick-up for directions.

All One Mile finishers will receive a special commemorative 2026 finisher ribbon.


FINISH LINE FOOD
Come hungry!

Morningside Baptist Church will be serving:

Homemade baked goods
Snacks
Refreshments inside the Fellowship Hall
Fleet Feet will also be providing:

Hot Dogs
Coca-Cola products
Chillz on Wheelz Ice Cream
hot beverage Coffee Break Iced Coffee

SNOWFLAKE FINISH LINE ACTIVITIES
Stick around after the race and enjoy:

snowflake Swift Recovery Cold Plunges
Return 2 Sport Recovery Services
Functional Chiropractic
TOPO Demo Shoes
ALTRA Demo Shoes
Recover, enjoy the food, visit our vendors, and celebrate Independence Day with friends and family!


RESULTS & AWARDS
Awards are generously provided by:

Fleet Feet
Swift Recovery
LMNT
ON
We plan to begin the awards ceremony around 830 a.m.

Please stay and help us celebrate our overall and age-group winners.


Thank You!
Thank you for joining us for Huntsville's oldest 4th of July race!

On behalf of Morningside Baptist Church, Fleet Feet Huntsville & Madison, our volunteers, sponsors, and community partners, thank you for celebrating Independence Day with us.

We hope you enjoy the new course, great food, family atmosphere, and an amazing morning of running.

Have a safe, fast, fun, and memorable Fourth of July!

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Heads up, Huntsville runners!

The Firecracker 5K entry fee increases April 30th dont wait to lock in your spot!

This years race is better than ever:
check mark button USATF-certified 5K course
check mark button NEW certified 1-Mile race point-to-point, no turns, and flat as a pancake high voltage
check mark button Post-race food & childcare provided by Morningside Baptist Church

The Firecracker 5K will be Huntsvilles go-to Independence Day Run.

Spots are filling fast sign up now and celebrate the 4th with us the right way! male sign

We are excited to bring you Huntsville's oldest and favorite local 4th of July Race!

Race start time is 7:00 a.m. at Morning Side Baptist Church. Woo hoo! We get to beat the heat.

The traditional post race food will be provided by the church in the followship hall as in the past

Great News! The church will also be providing child care from 6:45 a.m.- 9:00 a.m.

VOLUNTEER:

VOLUNTEER HERE [https://signup.com/go/ZgZZRPe]!

PACKET PICK-UP:

Packet Pick-up will be at Fleet Feet Huntsville on Friday, July 3rd from 12-5

Race day packet pick-up will be at Morningside Church from 6:00 a.m. - 6:45 a.m.

RACE COURSE:

The race will start at Morningside Church, Aldridge Creek Greenway, and run out and back on the Aldridge Creek Greeenway. There will be one aid station on the course at the turnaround.

POST RACE FOOD:

Home baked food from the church.

FINISHER MEDALS - yes there will be finisher medals!

Technical Tanks for early registrations!

AWARDS

Age group awards will be provided by Fleet Feet & Swift Recovery.