This is a 2 mile race that is the day after the Shamrock Half Marathon. If you do both races you get a golden shamrock which attaches to the half … MORE
This is a 2 mile race that is the day after the Shamrock Half Marathon. If you do both races you get a golden shamrock which attaches to the half medal. The medal is an above average medal without the golden shamrock but it is an excellent medal with it so I’d recommend doing this 2 miler if you can add it on. There is no swag for just doing the 2 miler however. There is also race day packet pick-up. The start and finish is the same as the half. I just walked this race with my parents. It is an out and back on Elm Street so I was so excited to see the same sights again. I will give this race credit though as it goes through the more exciting downtown part. Also this race avoids the hill. It is a slight incline out and a slight decline back so it is a fast race. There are a ton of participants including tons of walkers and kids participating which was fun for my mom who only likes to walk races with lots of walkers. With the out and back you get to see everyone and cheer them on. We walked it very fast and had a good walking time. There were similar post race food to yesterday though I don’t think there was soup. I would definitely try to add this on if you are doing the half and would recommend it to locals looking for shorter races. My mom really wants to do this again next year so as I said in my half review I am planning to do it next year as long as it is not the weekend I plan to be in New Mexico
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Golden Shamrock
This is a 2 mile race that is the day after the Shamrock Half Marathon. If you do both races you get a golden shamrock which attaches to the half … MORE
This is a 2 mile race that is the day after the Shamrock Half Marathon. If you do both races you get a golden shamrock which attaches to the half medal. The medal is an above average medal without the golden shamrock but it is an excellent medal with it so I’d recommend doing this 2 miler if you can add it on. There is no swag for just doing the 2 miler however. There is also race day packet pick-up. The start and finish is the same as the half. I just walked this race with my parents. It is an out and back on Elm Street so I was so excited to see the same sights again. I will give this race credit though as it goes through the more exciting downtown part. Also this race avoids the hill. It is a slight incline out and a slight decline back so it is a fast race. There are a ton of participants including tons of walkers and kids participating which was fun for my mom who only likes to walk races with lots of walkers. With the out and back you get to see everyone and cheer them on. We walked it very fast and had a good walking time. There were similar post race food to yesterday though I don’t think there was soup. I would definitely try to add this on if you are doing the half and would recommend it to locals looking for shorter races. My mom really wants to do this again next year so as I said in my half review I am planning to do it next year as long as it is not the weekend I plan to be in New Mexico
Run-mare on Elm Street
This is a half marathon produced by Millennium Running in Manchester, NH. I am originally from NH and frequently visit and have now run several races in NH. Millennium Running … MORE
This is a half marathon produced by Millennium Running in Manchester, NH. I am originally from NH and frequently visit and have now run several races in NH. Millennium Running has the best production in NH and this race is no exception. However this is probably the weakest course in terms of scenery that I have run in NH. This is an extremely convenient race which is one reason along with production that I would recommend it despite the scenery. I drove and stayed at my parents’ house but if you are coming from out of town the race is located in downtown Manchester with plenty of hotels right by the start line and a quick cab ride from the Manchester airport so no rental car needed. The race also has race day packet pick-up though there is also the option of picking it up Friday at the Millennium Running Store. I arrived Friday evening and opted for race day packet pick up. The race website has all the necessary info and packet pick-up was very easy. I parked in a garage a couple blocks from the start but you can also find free street parking. Packet included bib which was cute in that they put O’ before your last name so everyone had an Irish-sounding name as part of the St Patrick’s day theme. You also got a long sleeved green polyblend shirt. It’s fine but I generally prefer tech shirts. Even though the race takes place over a week after St Patrick’s day it is very festive with most participants in green and Irish music at the start. It is a smaller race with a few hundred participants so it definitely felt a bit lonely compared to the huge races I did last weekend. There were a few other half marathons in New England this weekend which likely diluted the amount of runners. For the start they had you line up by pace. As it was a smaller race there was no need for waves. The start had an announcer and as I said before was very festive. I reviewed the course online and it looked kind of confusing with multiple runs up and down Elm street and I worried it would be confusing to follow or annoying with people of mixed paces but it was so well organized and designed that neither of these were a problem. Elm street is one of the main streets in Manchester and it was completely closed off for the approximately 2 mile stretch and had 3 lanes. You spend a lot of time on Elm Street. I feel like I now know every detail of that stretch. How it works is the first time up Elm street you are on the left lane. The first section also has a brief side trek over a bridge and then back to Elm street. You then run around a block and run down in the middle lane. Unfortunately with this system you end up passing the start/finish many time. You then do a small loop downtown and run up the right lane and then go one block and run down a parallel street. There is then another section downtown, passed the start/finish line again and you then go up the left lane again and finish down the middle lane. It was extremely easy to follow and I was never with people running different paces. I don’t think there was any mixing of paces with how well it was set up. The fact that we pretty much just ran up and down Elm street for most of the race made it quite boring for scenery. It’s not really unpleasant scenery but there is so much beauty and nature in NH and it is not on Elm Street. There is also a hill on Elm Street you go up 3 times which gets annoying. It’s not that terrible a hill. I did walk the hill as my lungs still aren’t 100% from my illness but it’s not too long or steep of a hill. The overall elevation gain was around 400 ft which is flat for Manchester and this is a much easier course than Manchester City. Some positives about the course set up is the streets are all closed off so you don’t need to worry about traffic and there is a water station you pass 5 times (there were also 2 or 3 other water stations on the non Elm Street sections so there were lots of aid stations) and as you know the course it is easy to strategize and also the last 2 miles are downhill and fast. I was still not feeling 100% but I was able to strategize the course and I was very happy to finish under 3 hours and over 20 minutes faster than last week. At the finish line you get your medal. The medal is very nice and big. If you do the 2 mile shuffle on Sunday you get a golden shamrock which is a magnet that connects to the medal. The medal without the golden shamrock is good. The medal with the golden shamrock is great. There is also a post-race party with typical post race snacks such as granola bar and banana and soup that was vegetarian (and I believe vegan though don’t quote me on that) along with beer if you drink alcohol. Also if you are a hockey fan, the NCAA hockey tournament frequently comes to the arena in Manchester right by the start line the same weekend as the race so if you are a 50 stater and a hockey fan try to plan them together. The hockey game was another reason I was in NH this weekend. Overall this is a very well produced race with a fun theme though not the best course. I would definitely recommend it to locals. For 50 staters there are definitely better courses to highlight the beauty of NH but if you want the most convenient location then I’d recommend this race. I am moving back to New England this summer and plan to do this race again next year as long as it is not the same weekend as Bataan in New Mexico.
Shamrock Run in NH
This year (2022) race was on March 26th--definitely a bit late in the month to still be celebrating St. Patrick's Day - but I love a good theme! Manchester, NH … MORE
This year (2022) race was on March 26th–definitely a bit late in the month to still be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day – but I love a good theme!
Manchester, NH is a nice place to visit. I generally don’t rent a car when I travel for races and this is definitely a race weekend that is easy to do without a car.
I took Uber from the airport right to the Millennium Running store to pick up my bib and race shirt (though you can pick up both race morning – which is great). There are multiple hotels that are close to the start/finish line. When I was in Manchester for the full marathon (November 2019), I stayed at the Hilton. This time I stayed at the Residence Inn. Lots of restaurants and bars in the area to choose from.
The weekend includes two races – the half marathon (or half marathon relay) on Saturday and a “two mile shuffle” on Sunday. I did both – and I would recommend doing both. If you run both races, rather than getting an additional medal, you receive the “golden shamrock” which you connect (with a magnet) to your half marathon medal. That was pretty cool. There is only one shirt–long sleeve and green to go with the theme.
The course keeps you on Elm Street for a good portion of the mileage. You run back and forth across a particular part several times. This part includes a hill–so you run that 3 times (uphill). That wasn’t my favorite. Also, and this was true for the November marathon), the course takes you by the finish line before you actually finish. I always find that particularly cruel!
Weather for the half marathon was great – 40s and cool. It was a bit colder on Sunday for the shuffle.
Good races, well run by the organizers, and a fun place to visit.
Fun & Covid Safe Downtown Racing
The Shamrock Half Marathon was quite fun with lots to love and only a few minor issues. First let me start off with the production of this race which is … MORE
The Shamrock Half Marathon was quite fun with lots to love and only a few minor issues.
First let me start off with the production of this race which is put on by Millennium Running. It was top notch especially with their protocols and adjustments to make an in-person city streets race both safe and still feel as close to the normal race days of the past. I fly into Manchester the day before the race and did a bit of running from my hotel in downtown to the pre-race packet pickup at the Millennium Running store in Bedford, NH. Pickup was fast & simple with a long sleeve tech shirt & a magnet for the half and/or the shuffle (I did wish they had a bag for your swag but I ended up purchasing some items from the store so that took care of that probably). There was also race day packet pickup across from the start line as an alternative option.
The start line was conducted with a “time trial start” which is a great way to allow for the proper social distancing while still having the feel of a race. Runners were grouped by zones based on predicted finish times and you didn’t need to be at your spot until about 15 mins before you would cross the start line. There was a jumbotron that displayed each runner name (two started at a time) and the announcer gave an enthusiastic shout out to both runners as they started. Free video and pics provided as well! Great production.
The course started off in a more industrial/warehouse part of downtown for the first 4 miles which gave me a good amount of time to get into a groove before doing the three segments up & down Elm Street. It was great to run in the city and there were three different lanes on Elm Street that you end up running on depending on where you are in your run mileage wise. It was cool to see the faster/elite runners as you head on your journey. Lots of great folks cheering on runners throughout the course after the first 4 miles. My only complaint for the course was where the aid stations were placed especially given where the major hills were.
I ended up hurting my hamstring during the race and didn’t finish the race anywhere nearly as strong as I wanted to (the course has a fantastically fast last 2 miles which can really shave time off your overall finish if you have gas left in the tank). Finish line has another video recording which was another awesome perk and there was plenty of recovery food + fluids as you crossed the line! The finisher medal is nice and if you ran the 2 mile shuffle the next day, you got a golden shamrock to place inside your medal as well (which I didn’t have to return home fast and missed out on this swag).
Overall, I really enjoyed this race and with the high level of production I am looking forward to running some more of their events in the future (you get a cool race jacket if you complete 26.2 miles in 3 events with them). Who knew New Hampshire would be a new racing hub for me!
I recommend anyone in the New England area to run the Shamrock Half in addition to some of the other Millennium Running events!
This race is a lot O’ fun
Well produced race through the city of Manchester. Not too many hills, wonderful support and plentiful aid stations. Swag was wonderful...a hooded pullover and a sweet medal (You get additional … MORE
Well produced race through the city of Manchester. Not too many hills, wonderful support and plentiful aid stations. Swag was wonderful…a hooded pullover and a sweet medal (You get additional bling if you run the shuffle the next day)!
Biased Hometown Reviewer but..
Pretty unique course, really focused on Elm Street, the main street in Manchester, which is really good for your spectators. They can literally see you 5 or 6 times without … MORE
Pretty unique course, really focused on Elm Street, the main street in Manchester, which is really good for your spectators. They can literally see you 5 or 6 times without having to move more than one or 2 blocks away.
The finisher’s medal is very nice (Shamrock shape as you’d probably guess) although it seems it was originally meant to be on a plaque as the pins are still in the back of it. Millenium Running puts on great races, you’ll always get free beer afterwards. Age group awards are never anything special but you’ll walk away with a beer glass if you place, which is something.
Entry fee is a bit higher than I’d like to see in a half marathon but not totally unreasonable.
The course itself has long uphills and long downhills but it’d be hard to design any course at any distance in Manchester that wasn’t. That’s not to say it’s not a fair course..it’s very runnable and the volunteers do a great job at the aid station and you could run a very good time here which I was able to do (missed my PR by 4 seconds and that was with pretty severe shin splints)