2026 Shamrock 5K and 10K Review

The Summit Athletic Running Club Shamrock 5K & 10K has become a St. Patirck's Day tradition for many runners in the area including myself.  

After helping with registration I headed to the start line to compete in the 5K. I would have never expected 70 degree weather for a March race but I will take it!  The morning actually started on the cooler side with heavy winds forecasted.  This race has a late start time for some reason.  Maybe because of permitting or maybe to allow for the temperatures to warm up.  either way, I didn't mind the later start.  As we got closer to start time the weather kept getting warmer.  I was glad I came prepared and changed out of my long sleeves and running tights into shorts and a short sleeve shirt.   

From the start of the race I immediately knew my pace was going to be off. I just didn’t feel it. I’m still struggling to get my pace back but I am making progress. The race is advertised as a fast and flat.  Although there are no steep hills there is plenty of long gradual incline on the course especially in the second mile.  This was one of my slower 5K finishes with a time of 23:25 but I still managed 20th overall and won my division earning a world famous bobble head trophy.

The race was another well organized event thanks to Josh Ritchie and Mickey Rzymek. All runners received custom bibs and a nice mint colored hoodie. I liked that the 5K and 10K bibs were different colors making it easy to identify who you were racing against.  I would like to see this race offer finisher medals.  For a few years they did offer finisher medals to the top 20 finishers from each race distance.

The pre and post race activities were held inside which makes it nice when the weather gets nasty.  There were plenty of snacks, water, and fruit post race to keep everyone happy.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who showed up to make the race happen!