St. Pat’s in Five Points Get to the Green
Columbia, SC
- 10K, 5K, 1 Miler, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Starting Line for St. Paddy’s Day FunKick off the St. Pat’s in Five Points Festival with Columbia’s largest road race! Get to the Green features 5K, 10K and 1-Mile Family Fun Run events where participants chase rainbows in pursuit of a pot of gold. Registration includes entry into the St. Pat’s … MORE
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| L (°F) | 44 | 48 | 45 | 34 | 33 |
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A Long Standing Five Points Tradition
To do Get to the Green is to add your name to a long standing racing tradition in Columbia, SC. And the idea is simple - run your race, go … MORE
To do Get to the Green is to add your name to a long standing racing tradition in Columbia, SC. And the idea is simple – run your race, go home and shower/change, and come back to five points to party. Or if you’re not a party person, do the race and go elsewhere – that’s totally fine as well.
~ The race entry fee also covers your entry to the Five Points Festival ~
The 10K starts before the 5K, so be sure to check the race times so you don’t miss your event.
Plenty of neighborhood street parking, but check the map so you don’t make the mistake of parking ON the course and getting trapped. Tons of portajohns – and we’re getting them before the party people, so that’s a plus.
Nice shirt and finishers medal.
The 5K is walker and runner friendly – I had to drop down to the 5K and walk it in 2025 due to being injured and we definitely weren’t alone on the course. The 10K can be walked, but there is a course time limit on it – be sure to check the website and make sure you’re within their window. I think they’re a bit more strict with wrapping things up since the festival starts later morning and they need to move police over to five points / open the neighborhoods up for parking.
The only ‘meh’ is the 5K and 10K re-join maybe a mile from the finish line. Which time-wise means 10K runners and 5K walkers run into each other. The race tries to create lanes so the 10K runners and 5K walkers aren’t blocking each other/running into each other, but it’s still crowded and kinda messy/isn’t really explained before the race. I’ve PRed the 10K at this race before, but it’s always a “ah jeez, come on” mile.
The race has everybody – frat guys, families, serious runners, party monsters, people doing it for the ‘gram. So don’t worry if you’re not really a party person but want to do the race – you’re welcome to join. I held off for years thinking it was going to be unsafe/messy, but it’s just like any other race, just more green and a lot more USC students.
After you finish, be sure to go into five points and get some pics with the green fountain(s). There are two, but the one to the right of the finish line is the *iconic* one.
Great course! Tons of participants
Pros- flat course, cute medals and shirt. organized event! Cons- Same finish line for all three events. This created congestion nearing the finish-because there is only 15 min in between … MORE
Pros- flat course, cute medals and shirt. organized event!
Cons- Same finish line for all three events. This created congestion nearing the finish-because there is only 15 min in between then 10k and 5k those individuals bunched up at the end, and the 1 mile folks were walking right in the middle of the finish as well.
The course is mostly flat with two or three minimal inclines. The age group awards are decent, the overall awards are really cute!
Totally boring. No after party at all.
This is a St. Paddy's Day race the morning of the Five Points St. Paddy's Day Party. My advice...definitely skip this one! First off, there is literally no parking whatsoever … MORE
This is a St. Paddy’s Day race the morning of the Five Points St. Paddy’s Day Party. My advice…definitely skip this one!
First off, there is literally no parking whatsoever near the start/finish. Designated parking areas are nearly a 1 mile walk from there! Yes, I’m not kidding!
Second, the race tee-shirt is just a one color screenprinted cotton tee. It is the most basic and uninteresting shirt you’ll ever see. I basically just turned mine into a shop rag as soon as I got home.
Third, the post race party is the lamest thing ever. Seriously. Bananas, water, Kroger cookies, and some granola bars. That’s it. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, your in Five Points, and there’s no beers available? You must be kidding me? Total joke.
Packet pickup is well organized and easy to navigate and your race fee does get you into the Five Points Festival after the race, but that’s it. We drove 2 hours to do this race and it was a major, boring, nothing but let down event. No way I’d do it again.
St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be lively and super fun. This race has none of that whatsoever. The race itself, though it starts/finishes in Five Points, is entirely in a housing neighborhood, so nothing to see but people’s houses and parked cars.