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24th Annual St. Patrick’s Day 8K
Join us in Washington, DC as we officially open the spring racing season with the St. Patrick’s Day 8K.
The 24th edition of this classic event will be held on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 9:00 am. The race starts and finishes on Pennsylvania Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, NW.
A fantastic array of prizes has been assembled, including a $500 airline gift card, donated by charity partner Habitat for Humanity, and a four-day cruise for two!
Other prizes include cash awards for the overall winners ($250 for first place male and female finishers), gift certificates to Pacers Running stores for first and second age group finishers, embroidered sweatshirts for all overall and age group winners, lots of random prizes, and complimentary entries to several spring and summer races.
Register online now. Online registration is open until 6:00 pm Thursday, March 8. The entry fee is $30, and increases to $35 for on-site registration March 9-10, and $40 race day.
For runners’ convenience, on-site registration and packet pick-up will be held at two locations prior to race day. On Friday, March 9, on-site registration and packet pick-up will be held at the Pacers Running store at Logan Circle, 1427 P St, NW, from 11 am to 9 pm. On Saturday, March 10, we will be located at the Pacers Running store in Alexandria, 1301 King Street, from 10 am to 6 pm. Come by and shop for your favorite running shoes and gear! Pacers is offering specials on shoes and apparel.
On race day, registration and packet pick-up will be held in a tent on Pennsylvania Avenue next to Freedom Plaza, beginning at 7:00 am.
The race features a pre-race warm-up by The Sergeant’s Program, flat course, fast competition, bagpipers on the course, runners in costume, and a good time for all! A free fun run just for wee people takes place adjacent to the starting line. No registration necessary; just line up and run! Medals for all kids.
After the race, the festivities take place at Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, NW), and include an exhibition of Irish dancing by the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dancing, and the awards ceremony.
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The course will be the same 8K course that has been used since the race became an 8K in 2006. Capital Running Company continues to work with the DC government to improve the course for future years.
Charity partners for the 2012 race include Special Olympics DC, Back on My Feet DC, and Habitat for Humanity DC.
For full information about the event, see the race Web site.
Race History, by George Banker:
Traditionally, the start of the spring racing season in Washington, DC begins with Capital Running Company’s St. Patrick’s Day 10K, which ran from March 13, 1988 through March 12, 2005. During the above period the race was cancelled in 1993 because of a blizzard and it was not held in 1995 due to lack of sponsorship. The race has always attracted the talent of the local area as well as fun runners and joggers.
The course has shifted around the city, and for a while the course went through Chinatown and under the famous arch. The dominant runner during the early years was the only three-time consecutive winner, Edmund Burke (1996-1998). The other three-time winner and record holder (30:27) was Philippe Rolly, who moved into area in 1999 from Lyon, France (2001, 2004).
The female record for the 10K was set by Heather Hanscom (34:12) and the masters division winners were Jim Hage (2001-32:19) and Patti Shull (1999-37:12).
In 1998 the St. Patrick’s Day race was the first race in Washington, DC to utilize the transponder timing device, ChampionChip, to replace the pull tag system. The device was able to capture the actual running time (net time) of each runner.
“I felt comfortable for the first race [of the season], and it was hard to come out of my comfort zone. I took off a couple of years after running in college (1998 University of Virginia graduate). It’s a good running scene here in Washington, I’m not there yet.Racing is different from running on the track,” stated Chris Farley, Team Pacers, finishing 14th in 2001 (33:02).
A couple of weeks prior to the 18th (2006) running, the permit request for the 10K was denied and the new distance became the 8K.
“It was a decent way to start the spring season. I was very thankful for the competition; it really helped me push when I wasn’t feeling so great. Mary Kate Bailey, Vanessa Hunter, and Casey Smith all ran tremendous races, and we all did a little bit of the work to help keep the pace going,” stated Christina Wells (2nd place, 27:53, 2006).
The new records for the 8K, open men – Gurmessa Megressa 23:36 (2006), women – Hirut Mandefro 27:08 (2009). The masters men – Mark Stickley 26:51 (2008), and women – Alisa Harvey 29:11 (2006, photo right).
Since 2006 there have been 26,271 finishers (11,881 males, 14,390 females). Last year saw the highest number of finishers for males, 2,358, and females, 3,162.