Sign-Up for 2013 Kirkland Shamrock Run Opens; $15 Through October

Registration has opened for the second Kirkland Shamrock Run on March 16, 2013, and sponsors have added two waves in anticipation of a larger crowd for what is being billed as the Eastside’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day event.

To encourage participation, organizers are offering a below-cost fee of $15 for the month of October. The price increases $5 each month, topping out at $40 in March.

“This is an opportunity to make the event larger and get the community moving and active,” said run organizer Ben Wobker, operator of Lake Washington Physical Therapy in Kirkland. “The increase in waves is to accommodate the increase in participants. Last year we had approximately 1,650 participants. I am hoping to have an event in the 2,500-level of participation.”

Last year’s inaugural Shamrock Run went head-to-head on the same day as the the popular St. Patrick’s Day Dash in Seattle, with St. Patrick's Day falling on Saturday March 17, and it turned downtown Kirkland into a festive green party. In 2013, the Dash will return to its traditional Sunday running -- St. Pat’s Day is on a Sunday in 2013. But the Shamrock Run will remain on Saturday, March 16, so avid runners will be able to do both.

The Shamrock Run will offer five waves in 2013: A competitive first wave and a fun-run second wave, followed by dog-and-runner, stroller and runner and walker waves. The race start will again be at Marina Park, again with a post-run party downtown.

Organizers plan to again offer a synthetic technical running shirt with registration for those signing up early, and a cotton shirt for those signing up later. The looping course will remain essentially the same, leaving Marina Park and heading east through downtown before turning into the Norkirk neighborhood, crossing Market Street into the West of Market neighborhood and then following scenic Waverly Way back downtown.

To sign up, click here. To keep abreast of run developments, see the Shamrock Run Facebook Page here. To become a race sponsor, contact: BenWobker@LakeWashingtonPT.com.