Run for the Luck of It

Irish or not, just Run for the Luck of It!

On Saturday, March 13 at 11:15 am, excited runners, joggers, and walkers get to be a part of history in the making when they embark on RWM’s inaugural St. Patrick’s Day themed race, the Run for the Luck of It 5k. For those of you still on the fence about whether or not you want to participate in this race, jump off the fence already and register! Sure, this race obviously lacks the history of, say, the Riverbank Runs or the allure of, say, Bloomsday, but what it will not lack is good times, a funky course, post-race corned beef and cabbage stew, free beer, and an extra special musical surprise! You see, by participating this year, you will encourage the exhausted race directors to continue to strive to make this race into something legendary races are made of. The inaugural race will indeed set a tone and build momentum to create that race that makes people want to, well, race. Okay, if this is all sounding a bit dramatic, it’s supposed to!

Organizing a race, as we have come to learn, is a little dramatic. It is a lot of work and an enormous learning experience. It is emotional at times; however, one of the greatest emotions we have felt (so far) is that feeling of reward when we see those registration forms coming in. So help us to keep up our enthusiasm in our last hours before the race and register. And, if you really aren’t feeling a 5k right now, volunteer! We need those, too! Another emotion we’ve certainly been feeling a lot of lately is gratitude toward all of those who have been helping out along the way.

Now, here’s a little information about the race and the course, in particular. If you’re one of those detail-oriented people, you’ll recall the blurb on the registration form about the course being flat and fast and that you’ll cruise down Higgins to the University District and will return to the downtown area in front of Sean Kelly’s. Remember that part about enormous learning experience? Well, it turns out planning a course for a road race is something of an art form. In fact, “Race Course Design and Planning” could be a popular liberal studies course offering at UM. Needless to say, we’ve struggled with the race route for a variety of reasons (too many to list here and it doesn’t make for a good read). The race still begins and ends downtown, but we will be utilizing some sections of the Riverfront Trail and streets that, we think, never get utilized for such races. Also, the new course is not quite as flat as the original course, but trust us, it is still very manageable.

So Run Wild Missoula members, this is your call to action. Run for the Luck of It on March 13th! If you’re considering running the Missoula half or full marathon, this will be a great way to kick off your training program. Plus, you’ll get a fun beanie to keep your head warm during those, um, brisk morning runs.

If you can volunteer, please contact Jen at jen.vonsehlen@gmail.com or Maggie at mkwescott@gmail.com. Thank you!
~ Jen von Sehlen