Yeungling Shamrock Marathon – Virginia Beach

The Yeungling Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach is literally the most fun I have ever had running a marathon. This is the only one I have heard of that puts 4 Yeungling beer tickets on your bib for a finish line beach party.

Sure there are all the usual post race snacks and tons of hydration drinks at the finish along with your medal, but that is where the similarity ends. The finish chute provides the food, a hat, an event blanket followed by a left turn onto the beach to the party tent for thousands! The tent features multiple bars serving Yeungling lager on draft and a live band! This is the only marathon where you hang out and party for hours after finishing a grueling race. The exhaustion is soon forgotten.

Events

The event offers a full marathon, half marathon, 8K, a one mile race for elementary school aged kids and a 26.2 yard sprint for the under 6 kids to participate in. If you want you can accept the Whale challenge and run the 8K on Saturday followed by the marathon on Sunday or the dolphin challenge where you run the 8K Saturday followed by the half marathon on Sunday.

Marathon Course

The course is among the flattest ones you can find and is a speedy Boston qualifier. I myself qualified here in 2023 so I speak from experience.

The first half Heads north through the beach neighborhoods eventually turning into Shore Drive along First Landing State Park where it's nice and shady. After turning around and heading south again we do a short out and back to the east on Atlantic, then take Atlantic back until the half marathoners turn onto the boardwalk at 37th st. and finish at the King Neptune statue.

While it can be tempting to turn with the half runners, we marathoners continue along Atlantic until we cross east at 27th st. to go onto the boardwalk. The boardwalk takes us down to the end where the bridge is that crossed the boat channel. The bridge is the only significant hill in the race and it's not bad.

After the bridge we continue west out past the Aquarium to the turnaround point between 18 and 19 miles where we head back north-east. After a short out and back on South Birdneck, we hit the bridge again and run back to the boardwalk.

After enjoying the cool ocean breeze which is usually in the face or a crosswind we start to see the Kind Neptune statue and hear the roar of the finish line and party tent. Here is another tough place mentally for me because we turn left at 27th st. again and head north on Atlantic back to 37th where the half marathoners had turned in a while ago. This is now go time where the turn off 37th yields a view of the Neptune statue in the distance and a less than half a mile push as fast as you can for the finish. I find that if I can hold my pace north on Atlantic, it doesn't matter how beat up I feel, it's a sprint to the finish!

The finish is at the King Neptune statue and it's time to party!

When

The 2027 event will be March 19th to 21st as it's always the weekend closest to St Paddy's day.

There is a certain electricity and just plain fun at this race. I have found that some marathon starting lines can be so serious with people really focussed and there are some here, but at Shamrock it's already a party! It's a very relaxing starting line and helps me take my mind off the idea that I might be attempting to qualify for Boston.

I have participated six times so far in this marathon because it's like coming home to friends who like to party! in 2023 I carried the hope that I could run under my Boston qualifying time as to provide sufficient cushion to make it in. By sharing this start with friends it took the pressure right off.

We line up on Atlantic and dance, talk to complete strangers and take selfies as Yeungling family members brewery give an opening address and the anthem is played. We go in waves to prevent over-crowding.

And we are off!

In 2023 I was all business after the first 5 km went by. My cardio settled down and I managed to slow it down to my target pace and ignore the excitement. Somewhere out there in the first 10 km there were people offering beer! By all means have a morning beer if you want, but I was on a mission so the beer could wait until the finish. All along Atlantic Av. I could not believe the number of people cheering from their homes along the road. The support is epic!

After completing the Atlantic Av. section we turned left and ran the parkway that flows the edge of First Landing State Park. It's shady and beautiful and continues to be really flat like most of this course. When we got to just over 9 km we turned into Fort Story to run through the base and see the Cape Henry lighthouse. (note: due to changes in policy the course no longer enters the base and is an out and back)

Exiting Fort Story we went back to Atlantic Av. Somewhere between here and the turn towards the boardwalk that marks the half marathon I start feeling that keeping this pace will be hard in the second half but I push through the fatigue, continue to hydrate and take carbs/electrolyte. Again the Atlantic Av. supporters are so amazing and I want to hug them all!

One of the hardest mental games in this race is the point where the half marathon runners turn left towards the boardwalk and we marathoners stay to the right to go out on the second half. The temptation is there to just pack it in and head for the party. However my mission demanded that I just ignore the folks yelling "you're almost there!" and put my head down and dig. In 2023 I remember hitting this half way point feeling relaxed and fresh. I had the spark of an idea that I might just be able to maintain the pace!

After turning left off Atlantic onto the boardwalk and running south to its end, we turned and went for the bridge, the only hill of any significance in the race. I remember powering up the bridge and letting the downhill side of it carry me into the section towards the aquarium. I was on autopilot and every time I checked my watch I was right on my 5:07 kilometer pace plus or minus a few seconds. Mentally it can be challenging as it's only 5 km but feels a lot longer perhaps because we are going away from the finish.

We turn around on General Booth Blvd. and head back to Birdneck rd. This took us through a military housing area with a lot of little turns and not many spectators. I much prefer it now that it's an out and back on Birdneck. Also the military folks have organized cheering out there when I ran it in 2026. But in 2023, this section through the military housing was very tough. It came just after 32 km and for almost 4 km it was hot and quiet with the only sound being my feet hitting the ground.

Exiting back onto General Booth at about 36 km the race is truly on. If there is a wall to be hit this is the time! But to my surprise I had maintained my page fairly well through there and all I could think about was get back to the bridge! I pushed hard just because I would feel like my goal would be attainable psychologically. At 37 km I hit the bridge for the second time and somehow powered up it rather than just survived it like other years. I sprinted down the other side and by 38 km I was back on the boardwalk.

Thus began yet another psychological hurdle. From the south end of the boardwalk to the King Neptune statue is really only 3 km but it's the longest 3 I ever ran. The ocean wind was a crosswind and was cold which actually helped me push hard without cramping. I had slowed by a few seconds, but nothing too bad. The hurdle is the point where we turn left onto Atlantic at 27th st. and continue north! I was so close to the finish and could hear the cheers and the party, but from 40.5 over to just under 42 km I knew I was heading away from the finish again.

Finally at 37th st. we turned towards Neptune and the finish on the boardwalk. At this point I sprinted as hard as I could ignoring the pain. The faster I went, I reasoned would be less time suffering. A glance at the elapsed time on my watch and I knew I could beat my BQ time!

With only 150 meters to go I was in full sprint mode and didn't care if I barfed a lung. My wife Mercedes and step daughter Jazmin who had run the half marathon were screaming! My wife yelled "OMG you f'n did it!! You are amazing!" as I passed but I hardy heard anything.

The joy of crossing the finish line was upon me and I had finished with a chip time of 3:39.04 pretty much 11 minutes under my 60 to 64 age group for Boston! Yes I did register in September 2023 and ran the 128th Boston Marathon in April 2024! Thanks Shamrock!

There is no other party like this in all of road racing and I would challenge anyone to find one! After getting all the swag and finish line food and rehydrating with copious amounts of water it was time to take photos and hit the party tent!

We entered the tent with our 4 beer tickets on our bibs and the sound of the amazing live band hit us full on! I was depleted, spent and could have fallen down and slept, but the energy here was incredible. The band played everything from Metallica to Drop Kick Murphys (Shipping up to Boston) and we celebrated the heck out of it all. My wife and step daughter Jazmin ran solid half marathons and we danced and partied for three hours. I didn't feel tired after all.

Stepping out of the tent periodically to see the waves coming in and reflect on how good life was, I hugged the girls and thanked my wife Mercedes for being my enabler. The dream of running Boston was real now and we celebrated it the best way possible at the Yeungling Shamrock Virginia Beach Marathon!