Shamrock Marathon Weekend Virginia Beach 2023 Review

A few friends of mine talked about running this race in 2022 and had many good things to say about J&A Racing, the organization, course, swag and the weather. So when I heard they were planning a trip to head back, I was all in. I signed up for the 1/2 with hopes of having an amazing marathon weekend with my girlfriends and with a goal of setting a new 1/2 marathon PR. 

I am now one day post race and here are my thoughts…

WEBSITE, EMAILS, REGISTRATION & EXPO:

• Website was easy to navigate and all links were in good working condition (tracking worked great!)
• Friends who ran it last year say they’ve improved/increased their social media design/presence since last year’s race. 
• Emails were informative and started increasing closer to the race. Participant guide came in an easy to download pdf and was well organized and full of pertinent info and links were reliable. 
• J&A Racing is on board with the incorporating multiple races and challenges to make it a challenge / fun for athletes to take advantage of a racing weekend (8k, 1/2 marathon, full marathon, the Dolphin & Whale Challenge)
• Registration was well organized and easy to navigate. 
• *Extra: one of our participants was unable to attend due to an injury and I contacted the race director by email. They responded within 10 min with directions and prices as to how I could easily transfer and upgrade if needed. This info was also available under the Q&A section of their website, but I wanted to be clear on pricing for transferring bibs and then upgrading from the 1/2 to a full.
• we attended the expo on the last day, but vendors were still genuinely excited and invested. I would say it was a medium-sized expo with a solid variety of vendors including race sponsors. Yuengling & Nuun both had a good showing and we’re willing to share their products with runners prior to the race. 
• Last year’s merch was on sale for $3 at the expo, which worked out perfectly, because I needed a long sleeve throwaway for the race. Can’t beat that pricing!

AT THE START

• There were two separate starting positions where athletes could get comfortable to begin a large race where the athletes were spread out enough and were able to come together 0.25 miles in. This allowed athletes to not trip over each other and still be able to start the race on a positive note.
• There were lots of port-of-potties at the start (and on the course)
• Pace groups were available for both the 1/2 and the full marathon 

THE COURSE

• Fast and flat. I’ve read some other reviews and some people have said that there is a slight incline at the beginning, but personally I did not notice this. 
• Large field with a sold out marathon weekend with lots of competitive athletes. 
• Race starts in the city, then travels through a tree-lined roadway area, then into and through a military base, back out and into a residential area and then finished alongside the beach back downtown.
• Course was well aided with water stops, Nuun and GU for athletes. 
• Lots of spectators throughout the race cheering on all athletes! 

SWAG AT THE FINISH

• Shamrock hat
• Cinch bag
• Shamrock-themed towel

FOOD AT FINISH LINE

• Water
• Bananas
• Cookies
• Nutrition Bar
• Protein Shake (in two flavors)

AFTERPARTY TENT ON THE BEACH

• Each athlete got 4 beer tickets for Yuengling 
• Irish Stew
• There was also live music happening
• And a PR Bell (which, I got to ring! 🎉)