Yuengling Shamrock Marathon
Virginia Beach, VA
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend, a St. Paddy’s Day tradition, has a race distance for every goal: Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K, and challenges. No matter the distance, you’ll experience the best of Coastal Virginia on our flat, fast, and scenic course before you cross the finish line overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. … MORE
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Course Is a Bit Boring
I have run the Shamrock Half maybe 4-5 times, but I will never run it again. The course doesn't do it for me--there just isn't a lot of scenery. Finishing … MORE
I have run the Shamrock Half maybe 4-5 times, but I will never run it again. The course doesn’t do it for me–there just isn’t a lot of scenery. Finishing on the boardwalk is great but it’s not until the VERY end that you get there. I do love the company J&A though (they give great stuff and put on a party afterwards), but running through the military base during the “wall” of a half is terribly boring. It’s a pretty basic out and back course, and if you enjoy running in the street then sign up. It is a very flat course so it’s great to PR (I have PR’d twice with the Shamrock). Random people street hand out beer to runners which is funny to me.
Amazing race
The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon is a very well organized fun race and a ton of fun. Everything is top notch and J & A put on a great show. The … MORE
The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon is a very well organized fun race and a ton of fun. Everything is top notch and J & A put on a great show. The packet pickup and expo is decent for the size and location, actually had a bit more stuff than the NYC Marathon expo. It’s a breeze to get through as well.
Race day(s) are organized extremely well, the parking is easy to get to just leave yourself plenty of time. The start line is easy to find, the finish line is even easier under Neptune! I was really impressed with how smoothly everything went considering its quite a large race weekend. I actually did the 8k and Half Marathon challenge.
The course is well marked. Easy to follow, but a bit bland in scenery. A LOT of straight running on the course, not too many turns. Crowd support was decent, the residential part had a lot of families out cheering people on but on Fort Story military base there weren’t as many people. It was fun seeing all the military servicemen and women cheering for us though. Finishing on the boardwalk was cool.
The swag is amazing, I love the shirts. They’re so soft and so comfortable. The beach towel is awesome too.
Overall a great race, great production, great swag, and well worth doing.
Loved My first Marathon
A fairly flat course with plenty of room to run. Not so crowded. Water station every mile which was great. I was well until mile 20 where I hit the … MORE
A fairly flat course with plenty of room to run. Not so crowded. Water station every mile which was great. I was well until mile 20 where I hit the wall. Pushed through till the finish. Crowd was great. The after party was the best. Live band and people having a good time. I would definitely run this again.
Fun but hard to race
The 8k is a fun race full of costumes and a sea of green...but it usually sells out and there are quite a few runners. That said, if you want … MORE
The 8k is a fun race full of costumes and a sea of green…but it usually sells out and there are quite a few runners. That said, if you want to race it, it’s not easy to with far too many people walking abreast and just a ton of people. But if you just want a fun race this is it.
A must do
As always, Shamrock was a blast. Weather was pretty perfect, expo was decent, medal was quality as always. Post race party had some good bands this year, but the food … MORE
As always, Shamrock was a blast. Weather was pretty perfect, expo was decent, medal was quality as always. Post race party had some good bands this year, but the food wasn’t as good as in years past. Still, it was fun and definitely a race to add to your list!
Good race to get a personal record
Wear a hat if sunny. Mostly flat only a few hills. Not enough porta potty in starting area. Long lines just at the beginning of the race. Good sags. Good … MORE
Wear a hat if sunny. Mostly flat only a few hills. Not enough porta potty in starting area. Long lines just at the beginning of the race. Good sags. Good after race event. Good food, music and beers. Hotels should have some kind of transportation for runners staying more than a mile away from starting point. Good expo with nice booths. Plenty of water and food when you finish the race. Police did a great job with traffic. Many parking options. Great support from local people.
Crowded race
A lot of runners and walkers for this race. Open corrals so a lot of dodging and weaving in first miles or so Great party, swag and along oceanfront! MORE
A lot of runners and walkers for this race. Open corrals so a lot of dodging and weaving in first miles or so
Great party, swag and along oceanfront!
Half is Nice
Lots of good swag and great party! Would have liked a better food option for my meal ticket vs four beets. Bite size Bundt cake didn’t seem “meal-like” MORE
Lots of good swag and great party!
Would have liked a better food option for my meal ticket vs four beets. Bite size Bundt cake didn’t seem “meal-like”
Running into St. Patty's day
- Loved the pacing group I ran with for a majority of the race. Both pacers were great at encouraging water and fuel. Kept the pace very consistent and helped … MORE
– Loved the pacing group I ran with for a majority of the race. Both pacers were great at encouraging water and fuel. Kept the pace very consistent and helped get us up the tough bridge twice.
– I thought it was pretty cool to run through the beach front and see the military base. Also seeing the lighthouse was one of the highlights.
– I really enjoyed running down the pier at the end and then the party at the beach was pretty fun.
Great race all around!
I loved this race! From start to finish - everything was great! * easy to fly into Norfolk * once in Virginia Beach - everything was within walking distance (I … MORE
I loved this race! From start to finish – everything was great!
* easy to fly into Norfolk
* once in Virginia Beach – everything was within walking distance (I didn’t need a car)
* great expo – lots of choices of race merch to purchase. About a mile walk from my hotel
* lots of choices for food
* start time was 7:30 – walked about 1 mile from my hotel
* coarse was kinda boring in parts. ran through a military base. didn’t see the ocean until the very end.
* after party – best of my 40 half marathons
* swag – at the end they just continued to give us stuff – blanket, hat, bag, food
* crowd support was amazing.
So glad I chose this for Virginia!
Well Put Together Event
Nice big Expo, great course and course support. Port o potties and aid ststions were plentiful. There was plenty of race swag. There was a huge post race party. I … MORE
Nice big Expo, great course and course support. Port o potties and aid ststions were plentiful. There was plenty of race swag. There was a huge post race party.
I highly recommend this race.
Fairly easy race
Expo is average size. Quick and easy in and out if needed. It was raining and parking can be quite a walk. Every busy Friday evening. We stayed at a … MORE
Expo is average size. Quick and easy in and out if needed. It was raining and parking can be quite a walk. Every busy Friday evening.
We stayed at a hotel right near the start. So we waited until the last minute to head to corrals. They were not keeping spectators away from corrals or making sure people were in the correct corral. The first half of the race is great. Lots of energy and people. Even on the military base section they had a great group out to cheer for the runners. Although this section is a bit more narrow than those on the roads. Around mile 12.5 you split from the half and head out toward the 2nd half. The 2nd half doesn’t really have the energy or crowds the first half does. There is just a turn around before 19. Then at 20-21 you have to go around some military housing. It was boring and the sun was in full force. There is a bridge you have to cross twice that is quite steep. Once you get back to the board walk you start to see more people again. I loved the crowd once we got back to the street. There are lots of people to cheer you into the finish from 25-26.2. The post race party was fun however the meal ticket did not exactly provide any food. Basically a small sample of some cake. That was disappointing. We enjoyed the party on the beach because it is very loud under the tent.
Loved it
The race was great as it was the previous year. I love turning the corner and seeing the ocean! It's very straight. Seeing Neptune statue is always great to feel … MORE
The race was great as it was the previous year. I love turning the corner and seeing the ocean! It’s very straight. Seeing Neptune statue is always great to feel like I’m getting closer. This time I knew we turned and go up to the next street and go past the statue and then turn again to come back to the Neptune statue. That was a nice push for me to finish! This year the weather was wonderful!
Surprisingly fun and fast race
The weather was cold, the route was flat, the wind was tough. I was surprised by the race... I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. … MORE
The weather was cold, the route was flat, the wind was tough. I was surprised by the race… I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I especially appreciated the fact they allowed me to pick up my race packet on the morning of the race!
Awesome
This was my second time running this race. This year was extra special. My granddaughter ran a race, too. The post events were great!! This race isn't hard at all. … MORE
This was my second time running this race. This year was extra special. My granddaughter ran a race, too. The post events were great!! This race isn’t hard at all. The scenery could be a little better. But overall, I would definitely do it again!!
This race was awesome!
You could tell the race producers cared about the race participants. The race course was beautiful and they had plenty of water available on the course. The swag was nice … MORE
You could tell the race producers cared about the race participants. The race course was beautiful and they had plenty of water available on the course. The swag was nice and I loved the Peloton instructor meet and greet. Meeting Bart Yasso was awesome because of his talk i am thinking about international races. The after-party was so much fun that was the first time I stayed to an after race party till the end!
Lucky and Charming St. Pat's Day Race
The Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon marked State #9 for me on my 50 states journey. The event was celebrating its 51st year on the morning of March 19, 2023. It … MORE
The Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon marked State #9 for me on my 50 states journey. The event was celebrating its 51st year on the morning of March 19, 2023. It was 44° F at the start of the race, and actually cooled down to about 40° F by the finish. The wind remained a consistent 15 – 17 mph throughout the duration of the event, and felt even chillier the closer we got to the water.
The starting line was on 42nd & Atlantic Avenue, which was approximately a 1.3 mile walk from my hotel. All of the roads in the surrounding area that intersected with – or directly involved – the race course were shut down, so driving to the start was not an option. Spectators waved to us from their condo balconies and front porches as we passed their homes and colorful apartment buildings, which flanked both sides of the residential street.
There were aid stations approximately every 1.5 miles, with volunteers offering water and electrolyte mix.
In addition to these sanctioned aid stations, there were also “dehydration stations,” where Virginia Beach residents offered runners beer and other adult beverages on the go. Some runners enthusiastically took them up on the offer, sloshing beer along the course. The flat, scenic coastal course took us north up Atlantic Avenue for about two miles, and the course then shifted left onto Shore Drive, where we looped around the historic Fort Story for about 6 miles. We actually did have to enter the military installation’s gates, and everyone who had a visible race bib was waved through. While on Fort Story, we passed by the site where John Smith, Christopher Newport, John Rolfe and the other Jamestown colonists first landed in America in 1607, and also passed by the Cape Henry Lighthouse – the oldest standing lighthouse in the United States.
There were active duty service members who were doubling as race volunteers, and they made sure we felt welcome while we passed through Fort Story. Fort Story was significantly windier than the rest of the race course, and I felt the temperature drop slightly as we exited the base and headed back onto Atlantic Avenue, where we now faced a slightly offensive headwind. I could see King Neptune looming in the distance at mile 12, only a mile away. The absolute longest mile.
We sprinted down the boardwalk to the tune of hundreds of spectators cheering on either side for the finishers, as the announcer called out our names. The Finisher’s Tent had live music playing, and friendly volunteers cheerfully served cups of Murphy’s Irish Stew and Yuengling Beer.
On a final note, packet pick-up was at the Shamrock Sports & Fitness Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The Expo had an abundance of vendors and some pretty fun photo opportunities, and the swag we received for registering for the race and finishing the race was exceptional. Finishers received a unique, soft finisher’s blanket, and a moisture-wicking Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon baseball cap, which were both handed to us after we collected our medals. Each participant got a technical long sleeved T-shirt, which I proudly wore on my way home.
10/10 would recommend this exceptionally fun race with an exciting beach finish on the boardwalk. I definitely plan to do this one again sometime in the future.
Beginner friendly and enthusiastic!
After weeks and weeks of googling "best first marathon", I picked Shamrock as my first race, and I'm so glad I did. The atmosphere was so encouraging and lively, and … MORE
After weeks and weeks of googling “best first marathon”, I picked Shamrock as my first race, and I’m so glad I did. The atmosphere was so encouraging and lively, and everyone (staff, runners, spectators) was enthusiastic. There was music playing at certain spots along the course, a couple of signs with some excellent/terrible puns, and Gel packets, water and Nuun were consistently plentiful, predictably spaced and very efficiently handed out. Fair warning, the bathrooms tend to have a bit of a line (even early on in the course) and involve some stopping to wait.
As a wannabe runner with a pace of “slow but steady still gets the medal at the end”, it was really nice to have a celebration at the finish line regardless of finishing time – people still hanging out cheering for you to finish and the announcer calling out as you come in. And everyone handing you swag left and right! A comfortable, nice quality shirt, a versatile hat, a soft colorful blanket, and a bag to put it all in – what more could you ask for? (But if you are asking – bananas, chips, etc. were also offered up).
The course is genuinely, sincerely, as flat as a pancake. As someone who complains at the slightest incline and googled “flattest marathons” before picking one, I could not have asked for a flatter course (except, of course, for the one bridge that you cross in both directions – startling if you, like me, read the map wrong until two days before the race, but in reality, a very short not-that-big up and down.) What was more difficult for me was temperature changes – between stretches of no shade along the military bases and the wild headwinds along the boardwalk, I alternated between too hot and a little bit freezing at points. The wind was the hardest part of the course for me. That, and watching the half marathoners split off, while simultaneously watching the fast marathoners coming in to finish as well, while you’re just heading out to run the second 13.1 stretch, is a bit disheartening. Not that either of these things reflect poorly on the race or organization – just something I’ll be prepared for next time.
Locals come out for a huge portion of the race with signs and extra beverages – even a bloody mary if that happens to be your mid-race fuel of choice – which really helped with keeping energy up. And again, as a slow runner, I really appreciated the groups who hung out along the course to cheer even though the majority of runners had already passed. The military base stretches and overall the second half of the run are much more deserted and we missed the crowds there. For people bringing friends and family to watch, we were able to see our friends at four different points because of the course layout, which was great (near the start, near the half, near the 25, and at the finish).
I’ve heard that some races feel very unfriendly to runners not going at Boston-speeds (ie. water tables taken down early, finish line disassembled, no medals left). None of that was the case here. All in all, really glad I chose this one!
Great race with great after party
The location and organization of this race are great. Lots of information before the race, a good expo, plenty of hotels to stay in near the course. The course was … MORE
The location and organization of this race are great. Lots of information before the race, a good expo, plenty of hotels to stay in near the course.
The course was super flat and consisted of loop and an out-and-back. The only noticable hill was on the bridge going over Rudee Inlet and that was a short hill. I was told there was another hill early in the race, but I didn’t notice it. The course offers a lot of variety, including — residential areas full of spectators, a wooded road, a huge lighthouse, two military bases, and the “board walk” along the ocean.
The start was incredibly well organized. Corrals of 200-300 people starting every two minutes. There was plenty of room to run the whole race. Water stops (with porta potties) every 1.5 miles in the course. The dry bag drop off and pickup lines were short and moved quickly.
There was a good amount of food for the runners in the chute after the finish line. The after party was the best after party I have been to. A good cover band and each entry came with 4 beer tickets. I was told that you could buy more if you wanted, but I didn’t need any more.
I got a 2 minute 15 second PR, even with the wind, but I could have run a few minutes faster without the wind. Due to aging up this year, my time was 15+ minutes under my BQ time.
Great production
Just a well run race. The whole town was getting ready for it. Loved the 8k distance. Easy packet pick up. Course was nice and flat. Weather great this time … MORE
Just a well run race. The whole town was getting ready for it.
Loved the 8k distance.
Easy packet pick up.
Course was nice and flat.
Weather great this time of year to run in but a little chilly for Spring Break😜