Chicago Shamrock Shuffle 8K (Read 1095 times)

Registration is now open - the run is on March 30. http://www.shamrockshuffle.com It's a great way to start the running season in Chicago with 30,000 friends!

I thought registration was closed?

If the weather is going to be anything like it is downtown right now, I am glad I didn't register for this one.

So I should wear a parka?

Are you in the city today? I would. I am looking down South Wacker towards the Sears Tower and it looks like Seattle outside right now, but much colder.

It was a good run today - 8K through the streets of the Chicago Loop. My time was 48:26 - about 9:49 pace. It wasn't my best Shamrock Shuffle - but it wasn't my worst either. Weather was cool as predicated - about 40 F - you could see your breath. After a couple of miles, I was warmed up and didn't notice the cool weather any more. For those who have done this race or the Chicago Marathon in recent years (put on by the same organizers), there were a couple of interesting new things. I assume both of these were in response to last years marathon fiasco. First of all - a color-coded event warning system - just like the one from Homeland Security! This one is designed to alert you to the terror of bad weather for a run. I can' t remember what the color was for today - but it was too cool for it to be anything but good. Second was the amount of support at the water stops. Although there are only two water stops on this 5 mile course - they were about 3 times the size I remember in prior years (I have done this run 6 times now). There were tables and tables and tables of water and Gatorade. At the end of the race there were pallets and pallets and pallets of water. I considered all this to be a pilot of new support procedures for the marathon this fall. The run was fun - it always is. There are so many people. They did a wave start for the first time this year. They had corrals for the runners who had fast times in prior years/races - A, B, C, D corrals that started 15 mins before everyone else. I was with "everyone else" - the common folk. I saw too many people trip and fall throughout the race - still a sign they have too many people trying to run together. But it is so cool to be on the streets of a big beautiful city - a 30,000 people strong push of humanity saying "Winter sucks - we will not take it anymore - we are going to run until it gets warm!". I will be there again next year!

But it is so cool to be on the streets of a big beautiful city - a 30,000 people strong push of humanity saying "Winter sucks - we will not take it anymore - we are going to run until it gets warm!".

I really can't imagine that many runners, even with the wave starts that must be unreal. The biggest field I've ever been a part of was 1300, and I was shuffling and weaving for at least the first mile. Guess that's where they got the name?

I like the big crowds but once the crowd gets over 5000 you don't really notice much difference the larger it gets. I like the sound of thousands of feet running right at the beginning of the race before people spread out. Grant park is a great place for big races like this cause it can handle the pre/post race traffic. I've been in races with only a few thousand people in other places and the traffic is gridlocked trying to get to and from the race site. I was up in the B gate and had no trouble with the crowd. It's kind of cool to look behind you before the race starts and see thousands of people as far back as you can see. The weather was actually perfect for racing. Not to cold that you freeze before the race but cool enough that you are comfortable even towards the end of the race. I did get a little cold after the race when I was soaking in sweat and doing my stretches but I just wrapped up quickly and got to my car.