178 runners lined up on the cold wet morning of Saturday, March 23rd for the 11th annual Shamrock Shuffle. Before the main event, is the Mini Shuffle for children aged 1-10 spanning 1 mile around Polk Elementary School. The main event followed at 10am stretching across 3.5 miles of Watertown Road. Colby Brown finished in first place with a time of 20:02, and an average mile pace of 5:44, truly outstanding. Owen Cipriano came 3rd in his age group and 5th overall running a 21:46, commenting, “I’ve been running around 40 miles a week in preparation for track. This was a good test point for me.” Owen is a sophomore for the Watertown High School Outdoor Track Team he specializes in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. He said that he looks up to WHS alumni Alex Cole, Robert Heroux, and his track coach Brian Lafontaine. 

Another runner, WHS freshman Lexi Crofford ran a 31:53 placing her 6th in the female 14-19 age group. Her training consisted of running the route of the race focusing on the almost half mile stretch of hill. Motivation was high for Lexi, who said, “My cousins motivated me to run it because they were so young and working so hard, it inspired me.” The eventful morning ended with a bang, the traditional after party at Ordinary Joes was wild as usual. Despite the rain, the Shamrock Shuffle was still a success and we are all looking forward to next year.