Making of Lap the Leprechaun

When the Mayan Apocalypse Run to End All Runs brought out a record number of runners to a NATRA group run, I wondered how we could keep the momentum building. My pal Mike, a co-conspirator in the MARTEAR, thought we could set our next sights on Saint Patrick's Day. When Mike said he found our Leprechaun (Marc Potter), it was game on, the Lap the Leprechaun 5K.

 

 

In addition to the dozens of formal foot races that benefit our local non-profits, we now have quite a line up of colorful Flagstaff running events that are free to all and very, very family friendly. 

We now have a free running event for every season. Beginning with our new Lap the Lepreachaun run which is on the heels of Spring, we also have our annual Independence Day 4 on the 4th, where kids are given headstarts. In the fall we celebrate Thanksgiving with the Turkey Predictor Run where watchless participants have to guess the time it takes them to run a loop in Buffalo Park. Finally, while the Mayan Apocalypse Run was a one time event, it also occurred on the Winter Solstice, which is what we will now turn into a tradition, since no asteroids hit Buffalo Park.

 

What makes these runs even more special is that all are free with the only suggested donation of cans for our local food banks. Folks have been more than generous and we have collected hundreds of pounds of food during these events.

 

The Lap the Leprechaun 5K proved every bit as successful as the near end of the world run. While we did not garner the world wide viral attention on Facebook, we still had our second largest group run with 50 participants dressed in green. As one participant noted, we had the "Largest Leprechaun ever" with Marc Potter relishing his role of getting lapped. Potter dressed in his Guinness hat, Leprechaun robe, and carrying a staff, graciously allowed all runners to lap him. Of course no Saint Patrick's Day celebration would be complete without a trip downtown where many runners refueled at the Zane Gray Ball Room!