Chicago’s annual Shamrock Shuffle returned this spring, and our DMC runners were back on the course. With the usual staples of green beer, shamrocks, leprechauns, and festive gear, the year’s race marked another chance for DMCers to come together and take part in one of the city’s most iconic events and, most importantly, demonstrate one of the company’s core values of having fun.
With tens of thousands of runners participating, the pre-race meetup was important for the runners to talk race strategy, snap a team photo, and kick off this DMC tradition rooted in camaraderie.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays where Chicago goes all in. The city dyes the river green, and large crowds brave the cold (or unseasonable warmth) to pack into their favorite pubs and gather across neighborhoods for parades. The Shamrock Shuffle is one of time‑honored St. Patrick’s Day traditions, one that looks very different today than it did when the race first kicked off in 1980.
The Shamrock Shuffle: Over 45 Years of Milestones
The first official Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle kicked off in 1980. An estimated 1,000 participants ran in this inaugural race, and the original course took runners through Lincoln Park on Chicago’s North Side. Since then, the race has grown significantly from its humble beginnings.
- 1980 – The inaugural year, 1,000 runners participated.
- 1988 – The coldest race on record, with wind chills hovering near minus 20.
- 1992 – The race is recognized as the largest certified 8K, with approximately 7,500 participants.
- 1998 – The Shamrock Shuffle is named one of the “Best 100 Races for 1998” by Runner’s World, and Kenyan James Kariuki sets the new course record with a time of 22:35.
- 2000 – The Shamrock Shuffle has its closest finish in race history with Mark Coogan and Todd Williams finishing by less than half a step.
- 2011 – Temperatures reach the 70s on race day and a record-breaking 32,427 participants cross the finish line.
- 2026 – Runner Emma Grace Hurley sets the course record for female runners with a time of 24:28.
DMC’s Shamrock Shuffle Tradition
Like the city of Chicago, DMC has its own history with the Shamrock Shuffle, dating back to 2005! (Look no further than Frank Riordan’s blog from 2009 to get a sense of this history.) Since that first year, the team has participated in one way or another—whether running together as a group, competing in friendly competition, or taking on the 4.97-mile course solo and improving their times with each stride.
This spring, the newest generation of DMCers got into the race. Planning the event started with a Teams chat to gauge interest, and the group quickly grew. Come race day, 6 employees and 4 plus ones lined up at the starting line.
“My mom was my +1!” remarked Rachel Hughes, who ran the Shamrock Shuffle for the first time this year. “We didn’t really train, but we wanted to see if we could go the distance at a steady pace.” Rachel’s mom isn’t a stranger to the 5-mile race, so she was the perfect running mate for pushing through to the finish line.
Derek Tulla and Ramone Randle also ran this year. As a repeat runner, Derek set out to beat his previous time, “It’s sort of become a tradition…I ran with DMC last year and on my own the previous two years. 2026 was my second-best time.”
Ramone also tackled the race, taking a technical approach to his training, “I trained for the race following a free guide posted on Reddit. It introduced me to uphill sprints, strides, and easy runs.” This training program allowed Ramone to drastically improve the distance he was able to run, “I was able to jog up to 7 miles when I was only running 3.5 miles at most before and I PR’d my pace!”
Everyone this year reported that the chilly weather was perfect for running, and each pointed to a different favorite moment from race day. “The best part of the race was being able to enjoy the race with my mom and eating waffles afterward,” Rachel shared. For Ramone, it was running in the middle of some of Chicago’s major streets: “It’s not every day you can run in the middle of a downtown—it was like being in a movie or a video game.”
Suffice it to say, this year’s Shamrock Shuffle was a success, with the DMC team celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as only Chicagoans can.
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