For those of you not aware that St Patrick's Day was a weekend, you clearly do not live in St Paul. The day itself falls on a Saturday, but Friday March 16 through Sunday March 18 will be bright green days in the capital city.
The Irish have always been important in St Paul, from cops to mayors and college presidents to priests. Today's St Paul is far more diverse than ever before, but it is good to have a day (or weekend) to celebrate our roots.
St Paul has always been generous with its Irish-ness. It's okay if you want to be Irish for a day, weekend, or the rest of your life. You don't have to drink green beer or kiss strangers or tickle a leprechaun. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but St Paul simply is Irish. You can just show up, though it's not a bad idea to wear green.
In 1973, a business group had the great idea to start a running race on St Paul's Summit Avenue. It started at the College of St Thomas and ended at the Cathedral. Legend has it that when the co-winners asked for their finish time, the official looked at his watch and said, "Well, you started at about Noon..." Today everyone is given a chip time and bib number, but the tradition of running on Summit Avenue remains strong. I've had the pleasure of being race director since 1985, and still get excited to see the snow melt as we hit mid-March.
Runners have options when they are looking at the St Patrick's Day menu. You may or may not be lucky, but the St Patrick's Day Human Race welcomes you to join the celebration on this side of the river. We'll be at our traditional University of St Thomas start, with our headquarters updated to the wonderful new Anderson Student Center. We have a youth run, walk and run, so the whole family will feel welcome. And you'll be a part of a tradition that connects you to the many thousands of runners that have come before you.
Tradition is good. Irish Run St Paul!
Enjoy the new Irish Run St Paul-Volume 2 video featuring 'This is The Day' by Celine Allan.
http://video214.com/play/hNEAYfly5Tkd2pZIbAW0OQ/s/dark
