What to know ahead of the 51st Butler Road Race
The 51st Butler Road Race takes place Saturday morning, beginning and ending in Diamond Park.
The 5-mile race begins at 9 a.m. while the 2K race starts at 9:05 a.m. Online registration is available until 8 p.m. Friday through the Butler Family YMCA website. Registration can also be done from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Saturday at Diamond Park. Only cash or checks will be accepted at Saturday registration.
Fee is $40 for the 5-mile, .$25 for the 2K. Those ages 1-17 may register for $20 and $15, respectively. No refunds will be offered in the event of race cancellation.
There is no packet pick-up at the YMCA. Packets may be picked up in Diamond Park, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Last year’s races featured 210 total runners. Former Butler High School distance runner CJ Singleton, now competing for Notre Dame, won the 5-mile last year. Bryson Myrlie won the 2K.
On the women’s side, Eva Jess won the 5-mile in a race-record time of 27 minutes, 31.55 seconds. A record-setting distance runner at the University of Texas, Jess’ time bested the previous women’s race record by nearly two seconds. Nicole Blaesser (2009) held the previous mark of 29:04. Addison Portman, a 10-year-old from Saxonburg, won the women’s 2K race a year ago.
Only four women — Jess, Blaesser, Leah Anne Wirfel and Tammy Slusser — have ever completed the 5-mile portion of the Butler Road Race in less than 30 minutes.
Jake Walker set the BRR male 5-mile record in 2008, completing the race in 24:32.
The BRR course runs down Main Street, on to Penn Street and back. Water stations will be a valuable along the course and the roads will be patrolled by CB Rangers and city police. Runners are encouraged to bring water for additional hydration.
While walkers are welcome for the 2K race, anyone entering the 5-mile must run the course.
Proceeds from the Butler Road Race benefit the YMCA’s Annual Support Campaign, which funds programs and services for children, families and seniors in Butler County. The YMCA states that these programs “ensure that everyone, regardless of age and income, can learn, grow and thrive.”
