Runners and walkers from the 2014 Firecracker 5K at ETS’ corporate campus.
The 11th annual ETS Firecracker 5K Run/Walk has been set for Tuesday, June 23, 2015. The event committee includes (seated from left) event co-chairs Joe Galdo of The Mercadien Group and Kari Mastroianni of Hopewell Valley Community Bank, (second row standing from left) Arthi Tamilselvam of YWCA Princeton, Honorary Chair Phyllis Marchand, Hillary Spivak of Princetonian Graphics, (row two from left) Laurie Russell of ETS, Joanne McGann of YWCA Princeton, Kitara Garner of ETS and Frank Mangee of A Stitch Ahead.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) and YWCA Princeton are set to host the 11th annual Firecracker 5K Run/Walk on Tuesday, June 23. The race will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be located at ETS, 660 Rosedale Road, Princeton.
Runners, walkers, families and corporate or organizational teams are invited to enjoy an early summer evening. The race is on a USATF-certified course and a USATF-NJ Grand Prix sanctioned event worth 500 points. CompuScore results will be available online or mailed upon request.
Water stops will be placed conveniently along the way. First, second and third place awards will be given to winners in age-group categories in five year increments from 5 through 85 and over. Winning corporate and organizational teams will receive special recognition in the post-race award ceremony. Participants will receive T-shirts, while they last.
The event will also feature live music, a pre-race stretching session, a post-race buffet and refreshments.
Long-time YWCA supporter and 19-time marathon runner, Phyllis Marchand will be the Honorary Chair of the race. Joe Galdo of The Mercadien Group and Kari Mastroianni of Hopewell Valley Community Bank are co-chairs of the event.
Proceeds from the event support YWCA Princeton’s Bilingual Nursery School. The goal of this program is to provide non-English speaking preschool children with the tools they need to enter school on par with their English-speaking peers. The Bilingual Nursery School is just one of several YWCA Princeton programs that advance our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women by giving women and families a safe haven where diversity is embraced. Those that are unable to participate in the race but would like to support the Bilingual Nursery School, can donate at any level through gofundme.com/etsfirecracker5k.
Early registration is highly recommended. Participants can register at active.com or download a form at ywcaprinceton.org/5k. On-site race day registration is open from 6 to 7:15 p.m. at ETS’ Conant Hall located at the corner of Rosedale and Carter Roads in Lawrenceville.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joanne McGann at (609) 497-2100 ext. 333.
Over 500 participants are expected to take part in this annual event. Several volunteer positions are open to help with race-day activities. Please contact Nina Magariello at (609) 497-2100 ext. 322.
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