MANCHESTER, NH – With the support of the City of Manchester, the NH COVID Task Force, Citizens, and Millennium Running, the Citizens Shamrock Half Marathon & Relay and the Citizens Shamrock Shuffle will allow 3,000 runners and walkers to participate in-person or virtually from their own neighborhoods. The Irish-themed events were some of the first running events in New England last year to be cancelled due to the onset of the pandemic but will be returning this weekend.
“Our team has gone to extreme lengths to re-invent what a road race looks like and how they operate in order to ensure a safe environment for all our participants, spectators, charity partners and employees,” explained Millennium Running owner and race director, John Mortimer. “Since June of 2020 and with the enhanced safety measures, we’ve seen over 12,000 people participate in our Millennium events with zero COVID-related issues.”
The in-person events with enhanced safety protocols include the Citizens Shamrock Half Marathon & Relay on Saturday, March 27th starting at 7:30 a.m. and Citizens Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday March 28 at 9:30 a.m. In order to facilitate social distancing, both events will consist of a new “time trial” start format where participants will start 2 people simultaneously, every 10 seconds. The starting window for both events will be approximately 2 hours.
“We are proud to once again partner with Millennium Running as the title sponsor of the 2021 Citizens Shamrock Half, Relay and Shuffle,” said Joe Carelli, President of Citizens, New Hampshire and Vermont. “This annual event is a hallmark for our community and provides a unique opportunity to get outside, be active, and support some outstanding community organizations while you are at it,” said Carelli. “We are thrilled to be a part of this hybrid event where everyone can participate safely; you can run or walk virtually as well as in person. In addition, we are excited to have our friends at the New Hampshire Food Bank join us again this year as the official charity; because we know that every dollar raised will go a long way in ending hunger in the Granite State.”
A new aspect of the Citizens Shamrock Half Marathon & Relay and Citizens Shamrock Shuffle are the Virtual categories where participants may run or walk in their own neighborhoods anytime during race week. Race medals, apparel and bib numbers are shipped to a participant’s home or picked up at Millennium Running’s retail store in Bedford over a 30-day period.
“Virtual participation is one of those silver linings from COVID,” said Mortimer. “We are thrilled to offer an alternative running experience to someone that may otherwise be unable to attend.”
The NH Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities NH, is the official charity of the events which is expected to generate nearly $10,000 for the organization by race day.
For more details on the Citizens Shamrock Half Marathon & Relay and Citizens Shamrock Shuffle, participants and interested parties may tune into Millennium Running’s Facebook Page on Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:30 p.m. for a LIVE interview with John Mortimer, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Citizens State President Joe Carell.
For additional information on covering the event please email or call Race Director John Mortimer jmortimer@millenniumrunning.com | 603-512-1976.
More information is also found on the event
website: http://www.millenniumrunning.com/shamrock
