In Evansville, a St. Patrick’s Day Race Runs On
The luck of the Irish, it turns out, is a complicated thing.
Hundreds of runners descended on downtown Evansville on Saturday morning for the 26th annual Run of Luck 5K, a St. Patrick’s Day tradition that has reliably delivered leprechaun costumes, a festive Pot of Gold Giveaway and a good dose of Midwestern camaraderie every March. This year’s edition had all of that — plus a course that was, by most accounts, a tenth of a mile shorter than advertised, and a medal ceremony that will, technically, be held sometime after the race, through the United States Postal Service.
“We were happy to be out here,” said one top finisher, who asked to remain anonymous, presumably to protect their dignity. “But a medal would have been nice.”
The morning unfolded in classic Run of Luck fashion. The Wee Folks Kids Dash sent the youngest competitors sprinting down 1st Street at 8:30 a.m., their tiny legs setting the tone for what was to come. The main 5K followed at 9:00 a.m., with hundreds of runners — some in shamrock regalia, others in more traditional racing attire — setting off from the corner of 1st Street and Locust Street through the streets of downtown.
Garrett Craig, 31, crossed the finish line first among the men in 16:38, holding off a hard-charging Joseph Russler, 24, who finished just ten seconds back in 16:48. Carson Brindle, 22, took third in 17:55.
Among women, Lauren McMillen led the field home in 19:22. Thirteen-year-old Paisley Stone, apparently unbothered by competing against adults twice her age, finished second in 19:55. Carson Parks, 19, rounded out the women’s podium in 21:38.
All six podium finishers will receive their place medals eventually — by mail, organizers said, at an unspecified later date. The delay was a disappointment, though competitors took the news with the philosophical shrug of people who just ran 3.0 miles and are technically owed 3.1.
The short course, measured at approximately 3.0 miles rather than the standard 3.107, is the sort of detail that matters enormously to some runners and not at all to others. For those keeping meticulous personal records, Saturday’s times come with an asterisk. For everyone else, there was a pub crawl at noon.
That afternoon celebration — the Paddy’s Day Pub Fun, open to participants 21 and older — proceeded without incident and, by all reports, without any shortage of refreshments.
And yet, threading through Saturday’s otherwise cheerful proceedings was a note of something more somber. Sources at the event indicated that the 26th annual Run of Luck may also be the last. Disappointing circumstances, the sources said, have put the race’s future in serious doubt, though no official announcement has been made.
If that proves to be the case, Evansville’s running community will be left to mourn a 26-year tradition that gave the city a reason to put on green shoes every March — even in years when the medals came late, the course came up short, and the luck felt like it was running out.
RESULTS
Men’s Top 3
- Garrett Craig, 31 — 16:38
- Joseph Russler, 24 — 16:48
- Carson Brindle, 22 — 17:55
Women’s Top 3
- Lauren McMillen, 35 — 19:22
- Paisley Stone, 13 — 19:55
- Carson Parks, 19 — 21:38