I ran the Shamrock 'n' Roll 5K last year and really enjoyed enjoyed it. The race was very well organized and was a great time. From competitive runners to families to pups, the field is so diverse and fun! Since the race was actually ON St. Patrick's Day this year, you know the festiveness what amped up even more!
I'm not Irish by any means, but that doesn't mean that I can't have fun and take part in some shamrock running fun, right?!?! ...and if that means you run two races in a weekend, you do that too, right?!?! Let's be honest, any reason to wear my St. Patrick's Day attire is a win for me! I ran the Shamrock 'n' Roll 5K last year and really enjoyed enjoyed it. The race was very well organized and was a great time. From competitive runners to families to pups, the field is so diverse and fun! Since the race was actually ON St. Patrick's Day this year, you know the festiveness what amped up even more! The race started and finished at Atlantic Station in Atlanta which is a great location for races. There is ample parking and a good amount of space for pre & post race activities. Even though we are familiar with the area and knew that there is plenty of parking, we decided to get to the race fairly early. Hey, you never know what traffic might be like or anything else unexpected. The weather forecast when I went to bed the night before was pretty cruddy to be completely honest with rain all night and early morning and about a 70% chance of storms. I packed ponchos and heatsheets just in case, but the luck of the Irish came through and it was a perfect weather! With a 5K and 10K happening together, there were two separate start lines (one on each side of the road separated by the median). After the gun went off, the races combined a few yards in and continued together until mile 3 when the 10K went back around for a 2nd loop. Signs indicated ability level for runners to line up according to appropriate pace. I always appreciate when races do this when races are "open corral" so you have a better gauge on where to line up. The 5K course was a single loop around the Atlantic Station area with the 10K being a double loop. There are rolling hills along the way and a few "toughies" as well. I have ran this course before, so I was pretty familiar with what I was in for. It isn't a crazy tough course, but it isn't "flat and fast" by any means. As the 10K split from the 5K and I rounded the final turn, there was no looking back. No matter what, I wanted to finish strong and that I did. One of my favorite parts about cheering on the runners was watching the four-legged runners making their way to the finish line. Some were obviously excited to be out for a run, some were in costumes, and some were just not impressed and had their owner carrying them across the finish. I didn't hang around too long though because I had a very busy day ahead of me and had to freshen up before heading to volunteer at packet pickup for tomorrow's race. Some times at races the post-race food can leave a lot to be desired. The Shamrock 'n' Roll had a pretty great selection of food for runners when you were done. Bananas, bagels, pizza, and more awaited you and in abundance. Nothing is worse than when you run the longer distance of a multi-distance event and there is no food left. Even after a majority of 5Kers were in and the first of the 10Kers were starting to make their way through, there was a lot of food left. From various vendors to different activities for the kids to do. After a lot of races, participants are just left kind of "standing around" waiting for awards, but the Shamrock 'n' Roll had a lot of different things going on for sure. Shamrock 'n' Roll 5K/10K is a great race that supports the Junior League of Atlanta and has great community support on race day. I will definitely be looking to get this race into my 2019 calendar. Question of the Day: Have you ever participated in a Shamrock Run? Do you like to dress festive for the occasion?
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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