The 12th annual Fire Fightin’ 5K will be held at 8 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company, 219 Rehoboth Ave. Packet pickup is from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, at the fire station. The event will kick off at 7:45 with a kiddie dash of 400 meters followed by the 5K run with a turnaround on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. About 300 participants are expected, so arrive early; parking is free until 10 a.m. on Rehoboth Avenue and in the convention center lot. 

Championship series

The Seashore Striders Summer Series is in the books, and here's a shout-out to the overall champions: Tim Pagano of Lewes finished the series with a combined time of 1:55:30.0, while Eve Hoffman of Washington, D.C., combined for a time of 2:14:19.7. Matt Sparacino of Harrington won the male masters title in 1:58:01.1, while Melissa Wiley of Ocean City took the female masters with a combined time of 2:18:58.7. Summer series awards will be presented Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Last Blast 5K.

Broad Creek Bash

The second annual Broad Creek Bash 5K run/walk will be held Saturday, Aug. 22, in downtown Laurel. Formerly known as the Broad Creek Bike and Brew, the 5K is organized by the Western Sussex Chamber of Commerce. The 5K run will begin and end at the new Janosik Park at 201 Front St., while the bike will leave from Laurel Elementary School. Check-in for the bike begins at 7 a.m., while runners will check in at 7:30 a.m. It will offer three different bike rides: 25-mile, 50-mile and metric-century options. Included in the ticket price is an afterparty at Janosik Park with live music, beers from local breweries, goodies from food trucks and local venues, and various vendors for a fun experience. Half of all proceeds will go to local nonprofits.

Timber!

Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach will soon lose five dead trees, and the park will remain closed so work can be done safely. The Tuesday evening Grove Park Walking & Jogging Club gathering will still take place, and as of now, the Last Blast Prediction 5K is still set to take place Saturday, Sept. 5, at the park. The summer championship series awards including most improved, most consistent, Hank Brittingham Volunteer of the Year, all series qualifiers, and the overall and masters awards, will all be handed out at the Last Blast event.

Jellies

The 4th Boardwalk Mile Ocean Swim will be held Sunday, Aug. 30, and swimmers will enter the ocean at the south or north end of the Boardwalk depending on the weather and ocean current. The race will hit the water at 8 a.m. sharp, and wearing wetsuits is allowed and encouraged. Registration is open at seashorestriders.com.

Run, White & Blue 5K 

One of the most popular events in the area, the 13th Run, White & Blue 5K will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 3, at Delaware Tech in Georgetown. Last year, nearly 600 participants took part including the 1-mile walk. This year, we have added a category called the 5K Ruck, which is a 3.1-mile walk or hike completed while wearing a weighted backpack (rucksack). Popular in military training and civilian fitness events, it burns more calories than regular walking while maintaining low impact on your joints. The 5K will present awards to the top three finishers in 10-year age groups from 13 & under to 70 & over.

This race is a first-class affair, including the opening ceremonies, the shirt, the awards, the food and ice cream, and entertainment. The race is being held a week earlier than before, which should bring more high school cross country teams, as it does not interfere with the Lake Forest Invitational set for Saturday, Sept. 12. Coaches interested in having their kids take part in the event can find out about an available team package by emailing tim@seashorestrider.com.