Description

75th Annual Leonide J. Lemire Road Race

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Tri-Community Family Branch, 43 Everett St, Southbridge, MA

2024 is the 75th running of the Leonide J. Lemire VFW 4th of July 4.9 mile Road Race in Southbridge. It is the longest running 4.9-mile road race in the country which is run on the Fourth of July.  The race starts and finishes at the Y.  The route takes a scenic course through the town of Southbridge, Runners pass all of the war memorials, the police station and fire station.  The perfect way to start off your Independence Day.  Gun start is 8am.  The Y is normally closed on July Fourth, but locker room facilities will be available for the race. This year's prizes include commemorative t-shirts for the first 200 finishers, age group awards, random prize drawings and refreshments.

A little about the history of this race:  The VFW Post created the 4.9 mile road race to honor Leonide J. Lemire, the Southbridge native who was killed at Pearl Harbor while serving on the battleship USS West Virginia.  He was the first Southbridge resident casualty of WWII.  All proceeds from this race go to YMCA in Southbridge, which annually gives upwards of $40,000 in memberships for our military, veterans and those on active duty.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER: https://www.trisignup.com/Race/MA/Southbridge/LeonideJLemireRoadRace