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Frozen Shamrock 3 miler - Haverhill MA (Read 641 times)

    Since today warmed up a bit (and I actually got a slushy run in) I'm thinking about running the Frozen Shamrock 3 miler on Sunday 2/24. www.frozenshamrock.com Anybody planning to be there or run it before? The drawback is the $25 race day registration fee, any feedback on the post-race festivities?

    E.J.
    Greater Lowell Road Runners
    Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

    May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

      Since I didn't get any information regarding the race, I figured I better go scout it out for the benefit of my fellow RAers. The Frozen Shamrock is the 3 miler in a 3-4-5 mile progression on consecutive Sundays. The races are known collectively as the Wild Irish Rover series, because they are sponsored by Irish pubs in different towns. The host bar was JP McBrides in Haverhill, and when I arrived it was pretty chaotic. It was an unusually warm and sunny day for February in greater Boston, and it seemed that there was a large number of walkup registrations. I stood in a pretty good line just to get to the door, and then it took quite a while to find a registration form and stand in line to hand it in. Some sort of registration error made things even more hectic, some pre-registered runners had to re-register because duplicate bibs and/or timing chips were given out. They were already making the "make your way to the start" announcements before I handed in my form. I pinned my number and strapped on my chip as quickly as I could and headed for the start. The race was mostly open-road, and there were so many runners milling about that half the road was useless for cars. With one lane full of runners and the other doing double duty for traffic in both directions there really wasn't anywhere to warm up. I managed to get in a couple of minutes of easy "running" by weaving through runners on the sidewalk. The website describes the course as "Basically flat with one challenging hill", and I think it was at about the half mile mark that you get to said hill. It was challenging, but at least it's early in the course so you have some energy. I don't know at what point I first noticed I was slightly below my 5k PR pace of 6:40, but I figured I was going to wind up paying for it at some point. I was pleasantly surprised that I continued to run faster, watching my overall pace drop to 6:33 at the finish. The post-race food was waiting, so I had a banana in one hand and a beer in the other. Gotta love Irish pubs. The chili was pretty good, so I went for seconds and can not provide a review on the beef stew. It did look good. It's always nice to see friendly faces from the Good Times series, the usual suspects (Rich, Kathy, Jack, George and Sue) were there and I heard a rumor Jessica was volunteering somewhere. Trentman359 was conspicuously absent. If you preregister for the series it's $45, so it's a pretty good deal at $15 per race. Since New England weather can be so wild this time of year, I think they really want to encourage pre-registration. That way they can still cover base costs if nobody shows as a walkup. It's a fun atmosphere, I'd do it again. I had ten miles on the schedule for the day, so I drove home and hit the road with beers and chili bouncing around in my stomach. Not the most pleasant way to cover 7 miles, I wouldn't recommend it highly. Smile

      E.J.
      Greater Lowell Road Runners
      Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

      May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.


      uncontrollable

        Yeah - I was happy with the race ... I did my scheduled 22 Sat. instead of Sun. morning so I would actually enjoy this run. Great weather - a little crowded but that's the way it goes. I will be there next Sun. too.

        peace


        Another Passion

          I had ten miles on the schedule for the day, so I drove home and hit the road with beers and chili bouncing around in my stomach. Not the most pleasant way to cover 7 miles, I wouldn't recommend it highly. Smile
          Nice job on the race, Ed and on finishing your miles for the day. Not so sure I would have HTFU'd on that aspect. Dead MTA: In the next race in the series, I'd chase after MissPratt... she's a cutie! Blush Modified to correct preposition usage. DOH!

          Rick
          "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa
          "I wanna go fast." Ricky Bobby
          runningforcassy.blogspot.com

            In the next race in the series, I'd chase after MissPratt... she's a cutie!
            Sadly, I won't be able to run The Claddagh Pub Classic because I'll be at Stu's 30K in beautiful Clinton, MA. It's a pity too, because the finishers medals combine to form a larger award which is kinda cool. Perhaps I'll get to say hi to MissPratt at the Hynes Tavern 5 Mile Road Race on March 9th. If my assumptions are correct, she ran a 22:54 which is pretty impressive considering she covered 22 miles the day before. Nice job MissPratt!

            E.J.
            Greater Lowell Road Runners
            Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

            May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

              We'll miss you next Sunday. I'll drink your beer for you. Kathy hears that a lot too, ie: "Yeah, have another one. I'll help you finish it if you can't." It's one of the secrets to a good relationship. You know, the sharing, the sacrifice.

              upcoming races:

                We'll miss you next Sunday. I'll drink your beer for you. Kathy hears that a lot too, ie: "Yeah, have another one. I'll help you finish it if you can't." It's one of the secrets to a good relationship. You know, the sharing, the sacrifice.
                Kathy's such a lucky gal, you're a good man. Wink

                E.J.
                Greater Lowell Road Runners
                Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

                May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

                  BadDawg, I'll see you at Stu's. I just signed up.

                  Runners run

                    BadDawg, I'll see you at Stu's. I just signed up.
                    Glad to hear Mikey, I know at last check your attendance was questionable. I hope I get a chance to say hello before you and the other honorary Kenyans are nothing more than a distant dot disappearing over the horizon. I hope I'm registered, I sent a check in January that still hasn't cleared. Think I'll send an email to check. There are now thousands of Frozen Shamrock pics posted at http://www.jimrhoades.com/08/shamrock/ Well actually it's hundreds, but with more than fifty pages with a dozen on each it seems like thousands. The race had the typical mix of local clubs, so if you know a Somerville Road Runner, Merrimack Valley Strider, or member of the Shamrock Running Club (it is an Irish race after all) you might find a pic of them. Even with their mega-decibel horn, the cruisers had to crawl through the throng at the start. I like the snow in the grill, nice touch for a "frozen" race, since the day was warm and sunny.

                    E.J.
                    Greater Lowell Road Runners
                    Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

                    May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.