A running start for St. Patrick's festivities / LJWorld.com

Archive for Sunday, March 12, 2006

Shamrock Shuffle and other events raise funds for community

March 12, 2006

Out on the grassy levee behind Johnny's Tavern on Saturday, hundreds of runners prepared to shuffle off for St. Patrick's Day, and for charity.

"This thing just keeps growing and growing," organizer Dennis Anthony said.

Moments later, the announcement came over the loudspeakers: Ready. Go!

And the runners were off in the 17th installment of the Shamrock Shuffle, a fundraising run for the Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee - and the annual start to the area's running season.

The run's $15 entry fee benefited the Douglas County Friends of Children in Foster Care, the Health Care Access Clinic and the Douglas County/K-State Research and Extension 4-H and Youth Development. A nice cause for local runners to support while kicking off the season, organizers said.

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"I don't think there are any runs before this," organizer Jim McDonald said as the short-shorted men and women scrambled down the path behind him.

It was just past 8 a.m., and the 400-plus entrants were already fading in the distance, heading around a patch of trees. A couple minutes later, the 5-kilometer walkers took off in calm fashion.

Meanwhile, down at the porch behind Johnny's, volunteers set out bagels and oranges and bananas. When the runners pour back in, this is where they'll go.

McDonald and Anthony walked down there, but just minutes later McDonald re-emerged to the sight of the first runner racing toward the finish line.

But didn't they just leave? Yeah, but Tighe VanAnne was fast - super fast - and stopwatches clicked just over 16 minutes after they started.

The 20-year old Eudora resident finished 20 or 30 seconds before the next runner and generally didn't seem fazed by the distance.

"It was rough," he said, but not really out of breath. "I'm kind of beat."

He said he runs for Johnson County Community College regularly, but he couldn't have been happier running here, in the bright sun and warm wind, for charity.

"Yeah," VanAnne said. "It's nice."

Several events on Saturday were part of the preparations for this week's St. Patrick's Day Parade, including the Shamrock Shuffle, a dart tournament and chili cook-off, and a Luck-of-the-Irish motorcycle run, all to raise funds for charity.

The next event will be the parade's Queen Coronation at 7 p.m. today at the Flamingo Club, 501 N. Ninth St. The parade committee will choose one of five Lawrence women to represent the parade.

The 19th Annual Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade starts at 1 p.m. Friday in South Park.