L.A. Chinatown Firecracker Run now includes bike ride through Pasadena

By May S. RUIZ mayrchu56@gmail.com

expo includes vendors and booths as well as a new Chalk Art Festival and Boba Garden.

An article in the Belmont High School Alumni News in 2022 chronicles LACFR’s humble beginnings in 1978 when Belmont High School (Home of the Sentinels) alumnus Edmund Soohoo (class of 1966) and Helen Young, founding member of the Echo Park Lotus Festival, put their heads together to figure out what else they could do to celebrate the Lunar New Year besides the Golden Dragon Parade already being held annually. She suggested a marathon or a bike race but he thought Chinatown’s streets are probably too hilly for a full marathon, but a 10K would probably work. So he ran with the idea; he started researching and asking who could help organize such an event.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that it took a village to get the first event off the ground — as the Alumni News article recounts. Soohoo contacted a colleague, Fred Honda, who was head of municipal sports for Recreation and Parks; Honda introduced Soohoo to Bob Burke, director of the LAPD Police Olympics, a runner on their long-distance relay team, and a founding member of the California Police Athletic Federation Board of Directors. Burke (1932-2015) then connected Soohoo to Andy Bakjian and Mel Schlossman (1925-1980). Bakjian (1914-1986) was the head track coach at Jefferson High School and led his team to the 1964 CIF California State Meet team title. He later became the Commissioner of Officials for the So Cal Association of the AAU in 1969, and he chaired the panel that selected the officials to work the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in L.A. Schlossman taught at Fairfax High School and coordinated cross country and track and field events for LAUSD. The four of them began organizing the first Firecracker 10K.

After a year of planning, Soohoo and his crew were ready to launch the race. To spread the word about the new run, volunteers made and distributed leaflets, putting them on car windshields and handing them out to participants at local runs and small races. Wilbur Woo (1916-2012), president of Chinatown’s Cathay Bank, gave Soohoo his personal check to cover the cost of the first t-shirt order.

For that initial 10K in 1979, just over 1,000 runners lined up at Chinatown’s

Central Plaza. Over the years, additional events were added to encourage participants of all ages and interests. Today, Firecracker events include a 5K run/walk, a bike ride, a kiddie run, and a PAW’er dog walk. Participation has grown to nearly 10,000. The event is no longer just a local one; every year, Firecracker L.A.-sponsored events attract hundreds of newcomers to Chinatown.

Interviewed by email, LACFR’s Secretary and Founding Board Member Edmund Soohoo talks about the organization’s initial membership to its present day goals. While Belmont High School’s 2022 student population is made up of 87 percent Hispanic and Latino Americans, with Asian Americans making up the second largest group at 7 percent, he clarifies, “At the time of the organization’s founding the student body was more diverse — with whites, Japanese, African Americans, Chinese, Italians.

The initial committee grew to include Latinos, whites and Japanese as well. All of us belonged to community organizations that included members from other races, cultures as well as their other community advocates supporting each other.”

The Firecracker Run attracted attention from the beginning. Soohoo states, “The event drew a wide, diverse audience from day one. It was an opportunity for the greater running community to experience running in a historic community through the scenic and hilly route in Elysian Park.”

In time, what started as a 10K run expanded to what it is today. Soohoo explains, “The kiddie run came about organically. We grew as our runners started families and wanted to involve their children as well. The PAW'er walk came about much later, as many of our committee members had pets, dogs, and thought it would be a good addition to support healthy lifestyles.”

Soohoo anticipates a bright future, “Each generation — including millennials and Gen Zs — finds their way to events that promote healthy lifestyles, in historic communities, that are authentic with real people from the community and fun for the entire family. Through more marketing, social media, and building upon our assets, we will expand this event. And allowing the next generation to take responsibility to grow Firecracker in their own creative ways!”

It’s heartwarming how a simple idea that a handful of Sentinels conceived came to blossom into such a hugely successful event. Being fit and healthy has never been more fun!