This year’s Greater L-A Triple Crown 5K Series will kick off on Sunday, June 7 with the YMCA Fit Fest at Festival Plaza in Auburn.

Registration for the eighth annual Greater L-A Triple Crown 5K Series, presented by the Maine Orthopedic Foundation, is now open. The popular series, which attracted nearly 2000 participants in 2014, consists of three five-kilometer (3.1-mile) races and is open to runners and walkers of all ages.

The series will kick off with the YMCA Fit Fest on Sunday, June 7 at Festival Plaza in Auburn; will continue with Emily’s Run on Sunday, July 19 at Edward Little High School; and will conclude with the L-A Bridge Run on Sunday, August 23 at the Rollodrome in Auburn. All three courses are USA Track & Field certified.

Each 5k event will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will feature chip timing, prize drawings, refreshments, massages, music and an awards presentation at 10 a.m. Each will be preceded at 8 a.m. by an Auburn Firefighters Local 797 Kids’ Fun Run. Free to all youngsters, registration for the fun runs will take place on the days of the events.

Cash prizes of $100 and $50 will be awarded to the top two overall male and female finishers in the individual races. Cash prizes of $250, $200, $150, $100 and $50 will also be awarded to the top five overall male and female cumulative finishers of all three races. In addition, signature gifts and gift certificates will be awarded to the first and second place overall male and female finishers in each five-year age division for both the individual races and the three-race series. Those who run in all three races will be entered into a grand prize raffle and raffles for other prizes provided by local businesses.

Early Triple Crown registration covering all three races is available until March 1 for $55; registration after March 1 will be $60. Registration at the YMCA Fit Fest Run on June 7, the last day to register for the Triple Crown, will be $70. Registration for individual 5k races is $20, increasing to $25 on race day. Incentive items are available for the first 300 registrants of each race. Registration for all Triple Crown 5K events is free for children ages 14 and under.

Online registration and downloadable print forms are available through the event website at www.triplecrown5k.com. Forms are also available at the Auburn-Lewiston YMCA at 62 Turner Street in Auburn.

Funds raised through this year’s events will benefit the following community programs: the Auburn-Lewiston YMCA’s Financial Assistance Program, which allows local children to attend YMCA programs, including youth sports, day camps, child care, swim lessons and health and wellness classes, regardless of ability to pay; the Fletcher Foundation, which provides college scholarships to ELHS skiers and financial support to the Auburn Nordic Ski Association, LA Trails, Auburn Public Library and an ELHS program that provides for families in need at Christmas; and the Bridge Run Foundation, which supports active outdoor experiences for area youth to promote health and well-being.

For more information about any or all three races or about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.triplecrown5k.com.