After finishing the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k, yesterday morning, my 4th, I realized that I would no longer run this race. Five years ago it had marked my return to running, and a prelude to running my first half marathon and then in 2007, my first marathon.
The Shamrock Shuffle had always been marked as a start to the running season in Chicago. Breaking of the running rust of from the winter, it was a marked beginning to better weather, and more running. Weather has always varied tremendously on the day of the race, from a rainy 30's last year to this year's tropical 70's. The race has always been a big first run for first time runners running their first big race. At the finish, you could always see new runners both relieved and elated at their accomplishments, and that always brought a smile to my face.
This years race felt different, and for me all of the fun of the first year of the race seemed greatly diminished.
Firstly, the race organizers deemed they wanted this race to be the largest 8k in the world. Great, if you an organizer, not so good if you were a race participant. I spent 10 minutes crushed into a fence waiting for my over filled race corral B to begin the run. There was no instruction from race organizers about what the issue was, they were all at the beginning of the line. They were busy combating runners who were being stopped from going to the start line. It occurred to me that there were too many of us B corral runners. And there were too many of us to fit into the start line. I felt like cattle. The heat and humidity added to the claustrophobia. I hopped the fence to get over the line to stop from being pushed into the fence any further. As I hopped over the fence. I was met by a race official who told me I could be disqualified. I exchanged a few choice words with the official who was then distracted by, yes more runners jumping the fence. The race officials were overwhelmed.
I have to admit this situation has happened to me only once before during any race:
The 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Yup, same organizers.
They were telling us to take it easy, and we would all start at the same time, and it really didn't matter when we started, we would get get the same time.
What?
Then why do we have a corral system? Why do I have this stupid letter in front of my number? What is going on?
There was no organization during this race. But there was plenty of anger and confusion. I almost left the race to protest, but my legs went through the process anyway. The results were lackluster, and I left the area as soon as I could, completely irate. Not the way to finish a run.
Stuffing 40,000 runners onto a the lakefront seemed a bit of over excess, having 40,000 runners spread over 26.2 miles is not so much of an issue, but what really is the point of having 40,000 people crammed in 5 miles? Sure, it's great for Bank of America revenues, and good PR for the bank and great for beer sells, but what about the race, or the runners? When I race, its about testing myself to my limits, its not about how many free beers I can score at the finish at 9:30 in the morning on a Sunday.
Running is about the race, and daring yourself to compete, not about replacing quality with quantity. If you want to do it that way, that's fine, get rid of the start corrals, and make into a fun run. But you can't be both.
This year, the Shamrock Shuffle was held in April (no one still really knows why a race celebrating St. Patrick's day was held two weeks before Easter), but it allowed a few other races to get the jump on being the first race of the year.
I think I'm going to try some of those other races next spring. And if I want a free beer, I have a few in my refrigerator.
