Shamrock Shuffle goes for the green in Burnside one more time
Mar. 27—It was a wild and windy morning in Burnside — so much so that the inflatable checkered archway marking the finish line at the 10th-annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K had to come down before the first runners got back, so as not to present a safety hazard.
But unlike two weeks ago, the weather conditions were not enough to put a halt to the race, which saw another large field of participants in its final year in Burnside on Saturday morning.
"Even though it's windy, the sun's out — this is good runner weather," said Bobby Clue, Executive Director of the Somerset-Pulaski Chamber of Commerce, which organizes and holds the event every year around St. Patrick's Day.
The annual 5K run-walk, which invites participants of all ages and skill levels to join in — to push themselves to their limits with speed or walk the course at their own individual pace — was supposed to be held March 12, just ahead of the holiday that celebrates all things green and Irish. But the last blast of winter weather to come through the area hit instead, and the snowy conditions just weren't fit for holding a road race.
So they rescheduled for this Saturday and despite the blustery breeze, the event was a success, with over 450 participants taking place. The best time was set by Trevor Hansen of Somerset, running the outdoor course in 18 minutes, 5.6 seconds. Phoenix Racing was the top-finishing team to participate.
The event, held with the starts and finish at the Stonebrook Center in Burnside once again, is as much about just having fun as it is pushing the body. People dress up in fun St. Patrick's Day-themed costumes, for which they're given awards at the end of the event, and there's also a "Fastest Kid in Town" race for the younger set just before the main group heads out — "It's always a highlight," said Clue, "a chance for young boys and girls to come out and have a fun run with us; it grows in size every year. Take a look around the scene at any given point and you'll see lots of lighthearted moments, whether it's people doing the dance made popular by the song when "Macarena" plays over the loudspeaker, or a dad pausing at the finish line to usher a little girl across it, allowing her to finish just ahead of him.
Next year, revealed Clue, the Shamrock Shuffle will have a new route — and a new home. Clue noted simply that it was "time for a change in venue" for the event.
"We are, after 10 wonderful years here in Burnside — we appreciate them so much — moving the race to downtown Somerset," he said, "and we're excited about that."
Read more in Tuesday's Commonwealth Journal.
