Wednesday, April 23, 2025
With most of the press in Madison focusing on politics, Robyn Perrin and Clint Thayer of Focal Flame Photography picked up the fun assigment and produced this story on the Shamrock Shuffle.
After weeks of historic labor protests rocked the Capitol square, clear skies, brilliant sunshine, and a few thousand little green men, women, and children took over the streets of downtown Madison on Sunday.
Nearly 3,000 Irish-themed runners and walkers filled State Street for the 5K, 10K, and 2-mile events of the Shamrock Shuffle, which started a few blocks from the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Timothy Willcox, 32, of Madison raced to victory in the 10K, with a time of 33:48. Shannon Ring, 28, of Belvidere, Ill., won the women's division in 36:38.
In the 5K, Ryan Novak, 34, of Madison, and Ainsley Cray, 25, of Fitchburg, led the field. Results are available here.
Aside from a few politically-inspired costumes, sheer whimsy was the order of the day. Runners donned everything from green fishnet stockings to green wigs, leprechaun costumes, feather boas, tutus, stovepipe hats, and at least one full-length superhero cape.
State St. goes green for the 2011 Shamrock Shuffle. Photo by Clint Thayer. For more photos, go to Focal Flame Photography.
Given the festive atmosphere, it's hard to imagine that the event was borne out of tragedy.
In October, 2003, Jim Beyer, a runner from Middleton, was hit and killed by a drug-impaired driver while training.
"He left his wife and children and his kids were very young," said Steve Donovan, vice chairman of the Shamrock Shuffle organizing board. "It was pretty tragic for the running community, so people were looking for a way to help out."
Donovan teamed with several other Madison-area runners, including Julia Voss, Megan Sisson, and Jessie Bathe to organize a St. Patrick's Day-themed race to benefit the Beyer family.
The first year, a few hundred participants raised money for a college scholarship fund for the Beyer children.
Having accomplished their goal, Shuffle organizers sought to benefit children throughout the community.
"At that time, the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County was looking for capital funding for their Allied Drive location," Donovan said. "There was a huge spirit behind it and we thought (The Boys & Girls Club of Dane County) was something that was not only going to be around but was always going to be an ambitious organization."
That has proved to be true.
Led by Executive Director Michael Johnson, who benefited from Boys & Girls Club programs while growing up in the Cabrini-Green public housing development in Chicago, the Madison agency provides dozens of programs in education, leadership and character, arts, sports, and fitness. It served 2,177 Dane County youth in 2010.
Funding from the Shamrock Shuffle has been vital.
The 2010 event was the largest external fundraiser to benefit the organization that year.
"I really didn't know how much financial support that they were going to provide for our clubs," Johnson said. "So we had a meeting in April, and they surprised us with a $30,000 contribution. It made an unbelievable difference in our work for our kids.
"One hundred percent of the kids in our College Prep program graduated from high school, and more than 90% of them are in college this semester," Johnson said. "We were able to do that because of the support of the Shamrock Shuffle and their runners.
We're able to keep our doors open six days a week because of that support. We're able to provide certified teachers to support the academic needs of our kids in our clubs because of their support."
The energy of doing good while having fun was palpable on Sunday. Given a long winter of short days, the crowd was clearly ready to step forth in style.
Ready to race. Photo by Clint Thayer
Blarney Run: The Wauwatosa version of an Irish-themed run drew nearly 1,000 participants on a cool and blustery Saturday morning.
In it's 20th year, the Blarney Run generated another $20,000 for the Wauwatosa Historical Society, putting the total beyond $220,000.
The women's champion in the 5K was Greenfield's Carly Windt, who ran 18:53.Carly, a Whitnall High School grad, is a track standout at Marquette University.
The overall winner was Chris Knutson, of Menomonee Falls, with a time of 16:30.
The full results can be found here, and Running in the USA posted a green gallery of photos.
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