To put everyone in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit I thought this week called for a little green and a few leprechauns. Last weekend a thousand people took part in the Leprechaun Chase 10K run held at Mahoney State Park in near Ashland, Nebraska. The race started and ended at the Strategic Air and Space museum, located next to the state park, and it was quite the site to see. They were not little green men, but fun just the same. I wonder if they found a pot of gold at the end of the race?

I did not run, nor did I walk, I was a volunteer and helped my daughters Spirit Squad (cheerleading) from Elmwood-Murdock high school with their first official fundraiser. The premise of this race is the women get a 5 1/2 minute head start, then the men (leprechauns) chase them. If a women wins they get free drinks, green beer, and if the men catch the women and win, the men get green beer.

Never have I seen so much green in one location. Obviously there was a costume contest and it was difficult to chose between the kilted red bearded Irishmen, or the mass of green above. So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day I give you the bearded leprechaun below as a bonus.

If you have participated in a Leprechaun Chase race I’d love to see your costume or hear about your experience.