Run, Drink and Be Merry

I love a good race.

But combine running with drinking?  That’s a match made in Heaven for an Irish girl.

That festive combination is precisely why I headed over to the 27th Annual “Runnin’ of the Green” 7K Race in Denver last weekend, where the green beer was flowing and the running shoes were goin’.

The race serves as the city’s first run of the Spring season and is a great opportunity for runners to dust off the cobwebs. It's the first real chance to test your fitness, gauge where you’re at, and come out of hibernation from winter (sometimes a scary proposition!).  No doubt this is where “beer” entered the scene, some sort of incentive dreamed up by a smart race organizer. Bribes… the Irish are good that way.

Legend has it that they once served beer during the race -- you know, like a Rock n' Roll Marathon but instead of a band at every mile marker, you grab a pint -- a habit which I’m sure was cut short by their legal counsel. But no matter, the end reward was well worth the effort as runners were treated to free beer, Irish music (cue the fiddle and bagpipes) and all the runners’ schwag your $47 registration fee could buy. And, it was all for a good cause: the race has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Volunteers of America since its inception. The first charity race of my "40 in 40" series is now officially in the books!

As I departed, satisfied and looking forward to Spring, someone actually had the nerve to burst my frothy beer bubble: they asked if I was glad to be there because (and I quote), “There are only 15 weeks ‘til Summer!” Talk about a sobering remark. But in true stubborn Irish form, I didn’t listen; I was certain they were inebriated and that was a complete miscalculation. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Sláinte!