Be prepared this Saturday to see hundreds of leprechauns take to the streets of Victorian Square for the 5th Annual Shamrock Shuffle. Organized by Crawl Reno, the company that puts on several bar crawls and themed runs, the 3.2-mile fun run will be matched with costume contests, giveaways, and free beer for adults 21 and older.
The pre- St. Patty’s Day festivities begin with a spaghetti feed at O’Skis Pub & Grille during packet pick-up from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. Runners and casual walkers can take advantage of a $12 plate of all-you-can-eat spaghetti and garlic bread to load up on those carbs before race day.
Starting at 11 a.m. the following morning, a green wave of people and pets will be off on the course making a beeline back to O’Skis for their after-run green beer in a Shamrock Shuffle pint glass. But shamrock shufflers should be careful as along the way there may be warnings of falling Blarney stones or random beavers reaching out to give you a high five. There may be feisty little leprechauns along the way, too.
Great music, funny course markers, wacky costumes, and green aid stations with snacks from Sam’s Club, Nature’s Bakery, and Blue Dot Water will keep you hydrated and entertained until the after-party back at O’Skis.
No matter what type of runner or walker you are, everyone has an equal opportunity to win prizes for best costume, best team-themed costume for groups of 4 or more, best youth costume, best dog costume, and trophies for the fastest men and women. Participants can also take advantage of the Shamrock Shuffle photo booth, ride on 39North’s Engine 39, and adults can warm up with a $5 Irish coffee before the run.
Crawl Reno has also teamed up with The Sons & Daughters of Erin Sparks chapter, an Irish heritage organization with educational, historic, and charitable goals centered on cultural traditions. Crawl Reno founder Ed Adkins says that they like to partner with Sons & Daughters of Erin to co-promote St. Patrick’s Day events. Crawl Reno also supports Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful to give back to the environment that gives space to these fun runs.
“We are pushing more towards a fun running aspect with these,” says Adkins. “The costumes add a lot to it and getting people who don’t normally run come out and make them laugh.” At the 2016 Shamrock Shuffle, Adkins says one of his favorite costumes was a person dressed as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and a dog that was dyed green. The spaghetti feed at O’Skis is new this year and the various costume awards are given to simply encourage people to come out.
”This has been really fun for us getting into these events and learning what people want. O’Skis has been awesome to work with,” he says. Adkins also noted that this is the first event Crawl Reno has promoted in Sparks and that the City has also been easy to work with.
“All of the businesses in Victorian Square are great and have been wanting to get involved. It’s very community-oriented here.”
Registration for the Shamrock Shuffle is $25 until March 3 at noon or $35 on race day. Teams of four or more people save on registration fees. To secure a spot, sign up online at http://crawlreno.com/event/shamrock/.
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