Thousands of runners complete sold-out St. Pete Pier Fourth of July race

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St. Pete Pier 4th of July Run

Thousands of runners kicked off Fourth of July celebrations, before the sun even came up. For five years now, the St. Pete Pier Run The Fourth brings runners of all levels together. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

Thousands of runners kicked off Independence Day Saturday morning by completing a four-mile holiday race at the St. Pete Pier.

St. Pete Pier Run the Fourth

What they're saying:

The fifth annual St. Pete Pier Run the Fourth brought out 3,000 runners for a sold-out event on Saturday morning. The first wave of 1,500 runners started at 6:15 a.m., followed by a second wave at 7:45 a.m.

Participants completed a four-mile course under hot and humid conditions. Runner Lee Stephens finished in second place overall with a time of 23:30.

"I love my country and it's nice to see so many other people that are also wearing the red, white, and blue, especially with the World Cup going on," Stephens said.

Dig deeper:

The race raised money for the St. Pete Youth Farm. The organization provides food security and leadership training for young people in the local community.

"It's an amazing cause," race organizer Ryan Jordan said. "The St. Pete Youth Farm is out raising some money for the Youth Farm, which does an incredible job providing food security, as well as raising leadership and some young folks in our community, and they just are doing an amazing job," he said.

The Source: This article was written using information from in-person interviews at the fifth annual St. Pete Pier Run the Fourth.

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