Photo: Park City Ski and Snowboard.

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City Ski and Snowboard (PCSS) is gearing up for its annual Fourth of July 5K run, now in its 42nd year, with registration closing July 3 at 6 p.m. The race is held on Saturday, July 4, from 8-11 a.m., with all proceeds benefiting PCSS.

The race (run, walk, stroll) begins near the parking lots of Park City Mountain Resort, heads east down to Golf Course Road, continues onto Payday Drive to a turnaround point, and returns to the finish. Registration, activities and post-race festivities will be held in the back parking lot of Cole Sport.

The run has been a fixture of Park City’s Independence Day celebrations since 1984, when Gary Cole and Phil Thompson founded it as a holiday tradition for the Park City alpine ski team.

“It really comes full circle,” said Heidi Voelker, Development Director. “Those two started this event back 42 years ago, and their families are still part of the companies that started it.”

Thompson’s daughter, Jessica, now serves as CEO of Industrial Supply, while Cole Sport remains a family operation. PCSS’s new executive director, Ehlias Louis, was himself a member in those early years.

PCSS, which has called Park City home since 1975, has produced athletes who have reached the highest levels of alpine, Nordic, freestyle, freeski, and snowboard competition. But Voelker said the PCSS mission goes well beyond podiums.

“Not everyone is going to make the Olympics,” she said. “The majority of our kids are going to come and learn how to do life. We do life together and build good humans.”

She pointed to Ted Ligety as an example, who was not the standout athlete early in his career before going on to become a World Cup and Olympic champion.

“It teaches our kids grit and dedication and focus,” Voelker said. “Being an athlete with PCSS carries over in life.”

The 5K is open to all fitness levels. Participants can run, walk or push strollers, and Voelker said the event draws a wide range of competitors, from those chasing personal records to neighbors simply looking for a festive way to kick off the holiday.

“You see a lot of people you probably haven’t run into for a while,” she said. “It’s a really fun event, and you’re supporting the future of kids and PCSS sports in our town.”

Race numbers and T-shirts for registered runners can be picked up at Cole Sport Park Avenue beginning June 30th through July 3rd, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. (1615 Park Avenue, Park City).

The race is capped at 1,000 runners, so register before it fills up. Sponsors include Cole Sport, Industrial Supply, 3StepIT, Jim Clifford Homes, Arc’teryx, Silver King Coffee and SIDAS.

Registration is open at the Park City Ski and Snowboard website and closes July 3 at 6 p.m.