New One-Mile Run Will Kick Off Plainfield Hometown Irish Parade

PLAINFIELD, IL — A new event is being introduced to Plainfield's slate of St. Patrick's Day activities. Right before the Hometown Irish Parade kicks off on March 13, a group of runners will race in a one-mile run.

Trustees on the Village Board unanimously approved the Shamrock Shenanigans Run at Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting, greenlighting the inaugural race as "a bit of a test run."

DNA Active Lifestyle Outfitters, whose storefront is located on Lockport Street, is organizing the Shamrock Shenanigans Run as a way to piggyback off the 18th annual Hometown Irish Parade and make additional use of the streets temporarily closed off to drivers.

"There's just something about running down a main street lined with people, and people ready for a parade, so let's give them a little pre-warmup excitement before the parade comes into town," Andy Remley, owner of DNA Active Lifestyle Outfitters, said during the meeting.

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With roadways closing at 12:30 p.m. for the parade, organizers will set up the start and finish arches once Lockport Street is clear of traffic. Runners will have 15 minutes, from the race's start at 12:40 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Due to time constraints and the quick turnaround time for organizing the event, participation will be limited to 100 people, according to village documents.

The course will be almost the same as the parade's — except with a slight deviation to make it exactly a mile — and will start and end on Lockport Street. Organizers agreed to have runners and equipment off the parade route by 1 p.m., the parade's step-off time.

Remley noted during the meeting that the plan is to have people on bicycles behind runners to remind runners of the clock. Because the parade will be coming through right after, there won't be time for stragglers, he said.

Sign-up forms for the race have not yet been made available.