I’m pretty sure Mrs. Running Griffin had ulterior motives when she asked if I wanted to sign-up for the Brockton Firefighters 5K largely rooted in how much she enjoys watching Chicago Fire on television. Even though Kelly Severide and Matt Casey were not going to be there, we made our way to the City of Champions and toed the starting line for the annual road race that starts and finishes at the Firefighters Union Hall in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Joined by several members of the Brockton Fire Department and firefighters from neighboring towns, runners made their way through the downtown streets of Brockton on a hot June morning. Thankfully the race kicked off nice and early at 9AM before more heat made its way to the region.

As someone who grew up in an old mill city like Brockton, I have a fondness for races that run through urban centers. Though suburban and rural courses have their benefits, racing through downtown city streets is a different style of run and one that should not be discounted. Volunteers and members of the Brockton Police Department did a great job manning the intersections throughout the course. Around the halfway point of the race runners ran past the Strand Theatre Memorial, a memorial dedicated to a significant fire that took place in Brockton’s history injuring several and killing 13 members of the Brockton Fire Department. Members of the BFD handed out water to runners at this spot, as well.

Running through the final mile of the run, runners could hear the distant playing of bagpipes and right before the final turn heading toward the finish line a member of the Brockton Firefighters Pipes & Drums played the bagpipes ushering runners closer to the finish line. All proceeds from the race went to benefit the Brockton Firefighters Pipes & Drums.

Had a good morning of running through the streets of Brockton and finished the race with a time of 23:04, good for 7:25/miles.