2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend Media Kit

Media Contact:
Brittany Vajda
Communications Director
[email protected]
Office: 757-412-1056
Cell: 757-287-4309
On March 18-20, 2016, 30,000 runners from all 50 states and several other countries will lace
up their sneakers, adorn themselves in green and take to the streets of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The annual Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend, first held in 1973, has expanded to become
a tradition for many — young and old, residents and non-residents, athletes and spectators. The
three-day event features a Sports and Fitness Expo, races and challenges to accommodate all ages
and skill levels and a huge finish line celebration on the beach.
Runners enjoy flat, fast and scenic courses along the beautiful oceanfront and recover at a huge
finish line celebration that features live entertainment, ice-cold Yuengling beer and much more.
With five events, there is a distance for everyone to choose from: the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon,
Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon, TowneBank Shamrock 8K, Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile
and the Leprechaun Dash.
Weekend Highlights
• 30,000 Total Participants Expected
• 2 Day Sports & Fitness Expo with 90+ vendors
• Speaker Series at Expo with Chief Running Officer, Bart Yasso. More spekaers to be announced.
• Boston Qualifier
• King Neptune Challenge: Participants Running the TowneBank 8K on Saturday and the Yuengling
Shamrock Marathon and Anthem SHamrock Half full Marathon on Sunday
• Social Green Room
2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend
Event History
Jerry Frostick, Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend RAce Director made his first impression
on the Virginia Beach running scene in 1996 when he opened Inside Out Sports - later re-named
Final Kick Sports - one of only a few specialty running shops in the area and a regional leader in
triathlon training. During his tenure as owner of Final Kick, he led weekly group runs, coached
several elite athletes, and encouraged hundreds if not thousands of new runners of all levels.
In 2003 Jerry and his wife Amy Frostick took over as Race Directors for the Shamrock Sportsfest. The Frosticks were avid runners and Shamrock was always their favorite race. They helped
promote it through the store and trained people to run the race. The St. Patrick’s Day tradition
in Virginia Beach was already one of the largest sporting events in the state, but they took it to
another level. The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend has become one of the most popular
events in the country, growing from 3,000 participants to a record 30,000 in 2014. During their
stewardship, Jerry & Amy have added a half marathon, a children’s Final Mile run, and challenges and they have expanded the event to a five-race, weekend long running party.
In 2009, Jerry and AMy began to concentrate on what they does best – race directing - and
sold Final Kick Sports. They established J&A Racing headquarters a few doors down in the same
shopping center, and began to focus on making a good race, Shamrock, even better. The phenomenal growth of that flagship event is testimony to their success.
Most J&A races sell out a few weeks (sometimes even months) before the event, but the Frosticks are willing to turn away thousands of people to keep the size of the race manageable. Their
focus is on making the experience memorable for all participants, fostering pride in their community.
.
2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend
Fact Sheet
What:The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend, now in its 43rd year, is a weekend of festive activities! These include; a two-day Sports and Fitness Expo, the Yuengling Marathon (26.2
miles), Anthem Half Marathon (13.1), TowneBank 8K, Operation Smile Final Mile, and a Leprechaun Dash (Children’s 26.2 yards). All of our races have attracted elite runners from all over
the globe and the 8K has been the site of two World Records. The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend is an experience not to be rivaled by other running events!
When: Friday, March 18th 2016 – Sports and Fitness Expo
Saturday, March 19th 2016 – Sports and Fitness Expo, 8K and Children’s Races
Sunday, March 20th 2016 – Marathon and Half Marathon
Where: All the events start near and finish on the beautiful Virginia Beach Boardwalk. The
marathon and half marathon run through the resort area, along the Virginia Beach boardwalk
and pass the historic Cape Henry Lighthouse. All races finish to an old fashion beach party with
food and entertainment on the sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Expected Participants Expected Spectators
States Represented
Approximately 30,000+
Approximately 70,000
In 2014 we had all 50 states present
Demographics of Participants
Average Age
Gender
Education Level
Average Income
Total direct spending
Supported Charities
38 years old
Male – 42%
Female 58%
41% of participants have a Graduate degree, 83% have at least a 4 Year College Degree
$100,000 - $149,000
$22 million
LIVESTRONG, Operation Smile, Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, ACCESS College Foundation, The Noblemen
2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend
Weekend Schedule
(subject to change)
Sports and Fitness Expo and Packet Pick up are located at:
Virginia Beach Convention Center
1000 19th Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Friday March 18, 2016
12:00 pm – 9:00 pm Packet Pick-Up and Registration – Virginia Beach Convention Center
12:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sports and Fitness Expo – Virginia Beach Convention Center
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm Shamrock Speaker Series – Virginia Beach Convention Center
Saturday March 19, 2016
7:27 am Elite for a Day Start
7:45 am TowneBank Shamrock 8k/ACCESS College Foundation 8k
Student Challenge Start – 30th Street and Pacific
8:30 am to 12:00 pm Murphy’s Finish Line Celebration
10:30 am Leprechaun Dash Start – 32nd Street on the Boardwalk
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Sports and Fitness Expo – Virginia Beach Convention Center
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Packet Pick-Up and Registration – Virginia Beach Convention Center
11:00 am Operation Smile Final Mile – Elementary Students – 31st Street and Atlantic
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Shamrock Speaker Series – Virginia Beach Convention Center
Sunday March 20, 2016
7:00 am 8:30 am 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Anthem Half Marathon Start – 42nd Street and Atlantic
Yuengling Marathon Start – 31st Street and Atlantic
Murphy’s Finish Line Celebration
2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend
Social Green Room
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend aims to connect with it’s participants not only
before and after race weekend, but also during the 3-day event. J&A Racing, Yuengling
Shamrock Marathon Weekend Race Organizers, are launching a new Social Green Room
during race weekend that will utilize all of it’s social media networks and tools to improve
the overall race experience for our participants, volunteers, spectators and media.
The Social Green Room will use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for live interaction with
all of our participants, spectators, volunteers and media to answer all questions regarding event logistics, push out race-related content and announcements, recognize our
sponsors, and create an overall race day feel for those unable to make the event.
Social Media users are encouraged to use #SHAMROCKON16 to connect with the Social
Green Room via Twitter or through the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Facebook Page
and Instagram.
The Social Green Room will be operational during the following hours:
Friday, March 18, 2016: 10:00am-9:00pm
Saturday, March 19, 2016: 5:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, March 20, 2016: 5:00am-4:00pm
2016 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend
FORT STORY
WEST GATE
FORT STORY
EAST GATE
SHAMROCK
HALF
MARATHON
outbound route
inbound route
outbound mile marker
inbound mile marker
water stop
in this order at each stop:
water, gatorade endurance, water
(porta-potties will be located at each water stop)
PowerGel stop
live band
disc jockey
42ND STREET
(START LINE)