Luke Sushynski was exhausted after finishing the Firecracker 5K in downtown Ann Arbor with a time of 26 minutes, 54 seconds. It was the first time Sushynski participated in the race, and he was so tired, he was sleeping.

Then again, Luke is 7 weeks old.

Luke’s parents, John and Mary Sushynski of Saline, were one of many families who participated in the annual Fourth of July race Monday morning.

“You don’t usually see that many strollers in the races,” John said.

The couple ran the race side by side with Luke strapped securely in a stroller with his father pushing. The Sushynskis are familiar with 5K runs, but this was the first year they’ve been a part of the Firecracker.

“We’re usually out of town,” Mary said, adding that Luke was part of many 5Ks while he was in the womb.

Eric Keefauver of Ann Arbor was dodged through a crowd to get in the front of the line. Once there, Keefauver quickly turned around and pulled out a camera, and took a picture of his wife, Lisa, and his daughter, Lily. Keefauver wasn’t competing, just trying to document an important family moment. Lily is 7 years old and it was her first time in the 5K run.

“Mom’s a runner, and she is pretty proud to have her daughter running with her,” Keefauver said.

The festival, good-time atmosphere of the Firecracker was in full effect as the sun was shining and patriotic music filled the air. As is tradition at the race, a few of the runners were sporting costumes full of red, white and blue, even if they are from another country.

“I’m from Germany, and I’m dressed up more than some of these people,” said Joerg Berger, 40, of Ann Arbor.

Joerg and his wife, Ann, were sporting patriotic colors for their wardrobe and bright blue wigs to top it all off. They were competing for the first time and were not surprised at the turnout.

“I think Ann Arbor brings out the fun in people,” Ann said. “Ann Arbor is a great group of people.”

John Turck, 34, of Ann Arbor was sporting a tall stars and stripes hat that stood out in the crowd as he kept pace with his fellow competitors.

“Its’ (the race) not serious, and it shouldn’t be taken that way,” Turck said.

However, his competitive nature had him speaking with judges following the race.

“After talking to race officials, and taking my hat into consideration, we’ve decided that I won the race,” Turck said, joking.

The real winner in the competition was Nick Katsefaras of Pinckney who repeated as champion with a time of 15 minutes, 55 seconds. Katsefaras enjoys the easy-going nature of the race.

“I like that part of the race, it brings out all different people,” Kastefaras said.

Like Kastefaras, quite a few racers were there to compete as well as enjoy the atmosphere.

Carter Sherman is a student at Albion College and used the Firecracker as training for the upcoming cross-country season.

“I’m happy with my time,” Sherman said. He finished in 17 minutes, 18 seconds, the best time in the 15-19 year-old division. Sherman has participated in the race since he was in eighth grade.

Close to 900 people participated in the races, which include a 100-meter dash for children 10 and under. The children’s race drew the largest cheers of the day as parents and members of the community cheered.

Race sponsor Champions for Charity will make a donation from the proceeds of the run to the UM Project Healthy Schools and the CFC Fit Kid Champions Program.

As the 5K came to an end, Joerg Berger stood proudly as his blue wig swayed in the wind, he looked tired. How did he and his wife do in the race?

“Horrible,” he said. “And we’re proud of it!”

Race results | Slideshow

Matt Durr covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at mattdurr@annarbor.com.