If you are as big a fan of St. Patrick’s Day as I am then you know it is only 6 weeks away! BUT…Most of the major St. Patrick’s Day runs are held the Saturday/Sunday prior (March 12th & 13th, 2016). So if you have not already signed up for one of the hundreds of St. Patrick’s Day Themed Runs across the U.S., what are you waiting for! Depending on where you live, a treadmill might currently be your best friend, and a fun St. Patrick’s Day Run might be just what you need to keep yourself motivated when it’s cold outside.

Needless to say I can’t list every one there is, but I wanted to mention some that are known to make other running races green with envy (see what I did there…sometimes I just can’t help myself)!

One event that is definitely going to be on this list is a personal favorite of mine, the St. Louis St. Patrick’s Day Parade 5 mile Run. Being in the Midwest you never know what they weather may hold, but one thing is for sure…there will be a lot of green AND a lot of people having a good time before, during, and after the run.

Similar to the St. Louis event, many of the major cities that host St. Patrick’s Day runs do so along with their parade and other day’s St. Patrick’s festivities. Bring the whole family out, get some exercise, and ‘may the luck of the Irish be with you’!

Make sure to check out your local race calendar (Running In The USA lists 517 St. Patrick’s Day themed runs!!) and if you live near one of these cities, do not miss out on a great St. Patrick’s Day Run and possibly some Guinness afterwards (still my favorite recovery drink)!

Here are my Lucky 7 Best St. Patrick’s Day Themed Runs in 2016

Saturday March 12th, 2016

• Leprechaun Leap 5k/8k Run (Chicago, IL)

The Leprechaun Leap, formerly known as the Chicago’s St. Paddy’s 5k/8k, is in it’s 15th year for 2016, takes place in Lincoln Park near Lakeshore Drive just north of Downtown Chicago. Chicago has one of the country’s best St. Patrick’s Day Parades and dies their downtown rivers green. It might be a little breezy and chilly in March so stock up on your warm green apparel after you enter this run that benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository. REGISTER HERE

• St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run (St. Louis, MO)

My personal favorite mainly because I am from the area and use to reside in St. Louis…but this St. Patrick’s Day tradition speaks for itself. Thousands of runners make their way from both sides of the river to take part in this 5 mile run through the city streets of St. Louis that will be in its 38th year! If you are a fast runner make sure to get there early to work your way to the front, otherwise you will be bobbing and weaving your way throughout the first mile (trust me, I learned the hard way one year). The parade that follows draws nearly 250,000 spectators so saying that St. Patrick’s Day is popular in St. Louis is putting it mildly. REGISTER HERE

• Leprechaun Lope (Salt Lake City, UT)

I am really drawn to runs that have a long history. That speaks volumes about the detail that goes into making these annual events a success year after year. The 27th Annual Leprechaun Lope benefiting Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Salt Lake City is precisely one of these classic running events. Make sure to spot leprechauns throughout the course and if you and 3 of your friends are coordinated enough, enter the Centipede division. While you are in downtown Salt Lake City stick around for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at The Gateway. REGISTER HERE

• The Leprechaun Run (Philadelphia, PA)

Another long standing St. Patrick’s Day themed run makes this ‘Lucky 7’ list, this time in the city of brotherly love. Back for its 31st year in Philadelphia, PA, The Leprechaun Run benefiting Special Olympics Pennsylvania offers up a 5 mile run and a 2 mile fun run/walk. Runners and walkers can also sign up to raise additional funds for Special Olympics Pennsylvania to offset the near $227 is costs for just ‘ONE athlete to participate in Special Olympics programming for an entire year’. REGISTER HERE

Sunday March 13th, 2016

• Runnin’ of the Green Lucky 7k (Denver, CO)

My favorite state in the U.S., and also a former home of mine, hosts a very popular St. Patrick’s Day run and aptly named…Runnin’ of the Green Lucky 7k (why aren’t there more St. Patrick’s Day runs that follow the 7k format?). LoDo is an amazing section of Downtown Denver and with the Rockies as an ideal backdrop for the 28th running of this St. Patrick’s Day tradition that donates ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars to Volunteers of America’ what more do you want? Well guess what…there is more…a massive Irish block party awaits you after you finish the 7k run in the form of live Irish music, Irish dancers, and some cold Killian’s beer to wet your whistle. REGISTER HERE

• Shamrock Run Portland (Portland, OR)

If adidas is sponsoring a St. Patrick’s Day run then you know it must be big. “Founded in 1979, the adidas Shamrock Run is the largest running and walking event in Oregon and is the third largest running event in the western United States.” They limit the field to 35,000 runners and claim to have sold out ‘every year for the past six years’. As I write this, registration is still available, but if you are in the Portland area I would not wait any longer to enter. There are 4 distances to choose from, 5k up to a half marathon, so what will your lucky distance be? There are multiple beneficiaries of this large St. Patrick’s running event, with the main one being the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation. It is no wonder many of these events stay around as long as they do with the positive impact they have on their community. REGISTER HERE

Saturday March 19th, 2016

• St. Patrick’s Day 5k (San Antonio, TX)

Hopefully you would have recovered from your St. Patrick’s Day libations in time to take part in the 33rd Annual Donovan’s Run St. Patrick’s Day 5k in San Antonio, TX. The run benefits the Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas which aims to keep the ‘Irish history and culture alive in South Texas’. There’s even an Ugly Kilt Contest and bagpipers to get your run started. Stick around afterwards for the parade and the South Texas Alamo Irish Festival. REGISTER HERE

I know some of you reading this may be thinking that I left off your city’s popular St. Patrick’s Day themed run. When there can only be a Lucky 7 it is hard to choose, but these really stand out from the crowd with their longevity and charitable giving. With that said, what runs would you like to see added to the list? Let me hear your choice in the comments below and maybe I will have to make a 17 in 2017 of the best St. Patrick’s Day Runs list for next year!