The Independence Day Road Race

About This Event...

The Independence Day Race was conceived by Mike Hogue in 1986 as a way to entertain the thousands of staked-out spectators lining the Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade route on the morning of the parade. The parade had grown to such a national event by 1986 that people were setting up tents and chairs days in advance to ensure a good view. The race would start and finish before the bands, floats, and baloons began their march, running the parade route in front of huge crowds that would never otherwise see (or seek out) a road race. For over 35 years now, the Berkshire County classic has given locals and out-of-towners alike another reason - if not their primary reason - for showing up on North Street every Fourth of July. The race has traditionally been sponsored and promoted by Berkshire Medical Center (now Berkshire Health Systems a.k.a. BHS) with the support of the Pittsfield Parade Committee. BHS partnered with the Bekshire Running Foundation to produce the 2023 edition of the race. The Independence Day Race has always been a big one, growing to be one of the premier Berkshire racing events (just as the parade is one of the Berkshire's premier family events). 256 people toed the line in the 1986 first edition, and that number grew steadily to well over 1,000 runners in the 2010s. The race has been held annually since its inception, except for 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the parade was also cancelled those years). The race traditionally provides free t-shirts with registration, and awards trophies to the top runners, as well as the top runners in each age/gender divsision. Wheelchair and handbike divisions have often been a part of the race, something that was very uncommon in the Besrkshires in 1986.