Well over 300 runners participated in this year’s iteration of the Blaze of Glory 5K which benefits the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company. The athletes enjoyed mild temperatures and no precipitation as they cruised the challenging 5K course.

In the men's race, Carter Zerweck, 27, of Phoenixville (17:13.37) easily outdistanced Matthew Brown, 35, of Perkasie (18:49.62).

In the women's race, Kellie Shimer, 41, of Richlandtown (20:12.73) defended her Blaze of Glory 5K 2024 championship by edging out Megan Lysek-Hagy, 21, of Perkasie (20:23:34).

In the women's age-graded master’s race, it was a battle between local legends, but Gert Freas of Chalfont was victorious over Nancy Smith of New Britain. Their age-graded scores of 88.5 and 86.9, respectively, are both world-class performances!

In the men's age-graded competition, 5K series veteran Vitaly Belotserkovsky bested last year’s age-graded masters champion Bob Boland with a score of 79.7 vs 77.3.

One of the many standout performances came from 10-year-old Alric Brownwell, who blazed through the 3.1-mile course in 19:25.7, an impressive 6:15 per mile pace. Older runners might need a rear-view mirror in order to check for approaching speedy Alric in future races.

Race Director Charlie Rumble finally got decent weather for his race. In recent years he has not always been blessed with the best of atmospheric conditions, but this year's race went off without a glitch. The event also included the very popular 1st Alarm Fun Color Run for kids and a 1.7 mile 2nd Alarm Walk.

Next up in the series is the Be Kind 5K on Saturday, April 5th at Holicong Park. Keep your eyes out for the next email coming later this week to learn more about the race. In the meantime, check their website and be sure to register if you haven't already: https://www.welcometokin.org/be-kind-5k