Plenty of green at 15th annual Sunrise Rotary St. Paddy's Day 5K
More than 1,000 runner, walkers and joggers took to the streets of downtown Naperville in the 15th annual St. Paddy’s Day 5K on Saturday, March 9, just before the community’s West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The run, a benefit for the Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise, was sponsored by Naperville Running Company and Gerald Cares.
Top three overall male runners were Alex Danner, Darren Barlow, and Zach Hird. Danner finished the race in 14:29.
Top overall female runners were Kristin Dailey, Brittany Matteson, and Julia Ordzowaily.
Runners ranged in age from under 6 to over 75. Several families with babies in strollers also took part. There was plenty of green to be seen as participants were encouraged to dress up to salute the holiday.
Ann Reinink and her son Jason came from Sycamore. They said they often come to Centennial Beach and were eager to visit more of the community. They were among those recognized for their costume efforts. Wendy Martin, Shari Lendy and Karen Cochrane, friends since high school, came back to the run this year to up their costume game, saying they saw how decked out everyone was last year and knew they needed much more bling.
They were rewarded for their efforts with a $100 prize, which they planned to spend on lunch in downtown Naperville.
Beneficiaries from this year’s St. Paddy’s Day 5K are NAMI DuPage, Samaracare, and West Suburban Community Pantry.
Rotarian and event chairman Ryan Siebert views the race as the unofficial start of spring.
“There’s great energy and people who’ve been cooped up all winter love to come out and share this festive atmosphere,” he says. “Best of all, we raise money for deserving charities who support the people of our community. We love that.”