Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Shamrock Run in the Old First Ward of Buffalo was one of the last large events to occur in Buffalo a year ago before COVID restrictions took hold, putting an end to most in person large scale events.
The 2020 Shamrock Run with 4,900 runners was held March 7th and the COVID lockdowns began in force March 13th.
"This is a new experience for us, definitely a bit of a learning curve," said Old First Ward Community Association Executive Director Patrick Gormley.
The 43rd annual running of the Shamrock Run will be next Saturday, March 6th and will feature in person runners as well as runners who will register their completions times virtually.
"We will be having 150 in person runners next Saturday, but for the most part, we're going to have a little over a thousand runners participating virtually," said Gormley. "There's actually an app that will track their running. They just hit the road and once they hit than 8k it automatically records their time up into the website and you can compare your time against the other virtual runners."
The in person runners were chosen in a lottery and will start in three waves of fifty runners starting individually in lanes every three seconds.
Runners will be required to wear masks upon check-in and will answer a health survey to ensure safety for all.
The Shamrock Run is the primary fundraiser for the Old First Ward Community Center with proceeds supporting school programming, senior services, a food pantry and neighborhood beautification.
