On St. Patrick’s Day, I ran the Shake Your Shamrock 7k. The race organizer, Midwest Events, also offers a 5k option.

I absolutely love themed races, because I love any excuse for a costume. Of course, this meant that I dug out my green shirt and headband, and my shamrock compression socks. The temperature was warm for March in Minnesota, sitting around 45* at race time, so no layers for me! I was plenty warm in a t-shirt and capris.

There were two options for packet pickup; one on Friday night at the offices of Midwest Events and one the morning of the race. I chose the Friday night pickup so that I could sleep in a bit longer on Saturday morning.

Logistics were very easy for this race. The race starts and ends at Kelly’s Korner bar in Centerville, and the course runs through the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Preserve. Parking was available in the lot next to Kelly’s, across the street at the school, and along the side roads. Both distances start within about a block of Kelly’s, so the walk from parking to the start was a short one.

The race started exactly on time, and the course is rolling and pretty. The 7k course starts by meandering through LaMotte Park and Chomonix Golf Course, before heading through the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Preserve. The 5k course is an out and back along Main Street/County Road 14. The only unfortunate thing about both courses (they overlap for the last 1.5 miles or so), is the uphill finish.

Immediately upon crossing the finish line, there were snacks and bottled water available. Each runner age 21+ also received a green beer on the patio at Kelly’s. The award ceremony was also located inside Kelly’s Korner.

Shake Your Shamrock is a fun race that I would definitely do again. If you’re in the area, add this one to your must-run list!

Race shirt and pint glass