Saint Fennessy 4K was a success! This year Grandma’s Marathon and the Young Athletes Foundation saw a record high in the number of participants that registered to run the Saint Patrick’s Day themed race that took place in Hermantown, Minnesota. There were 728 registered participants with 684 finishers. The Saint Fennessy 4K is the first of the many annual races put on by the Young Athletes Foundation.
It was a beautiful and sunny spring day for the runners who started out the race at Hermantown High School. Before running the race, participants were able to enter into a costume contest to show off their Saint Patrick’s Day attire and be entered to win a prize. The winner for the best overall costume won a free pair of running shoes, the winner of the best group costume won a $50 gift card to Skyline Social and Games and the best kids costume won a pot o’candy and DEFY Duluth passes.
After participants arrived and entered the costume contest, they then had some time to socialize with each other before gathering at the start line, ready to begin the race. The race kicked off around 10 AM and runners began to make their way to the finish line. The race saw participants of all ages and abilities from new runners to professionals getting their spring training started.
Runners finished the race at Skyline Social and Games for the post-race party where there were a variety of activities for all ages. Finishers were presented with either a free drink ticket or arcade tickets so they could continue the fun inside Skyline Social and Games. The post-race party was a great way for runners to socialize with each other and relax after running the race while sitting down to have a beverage or enjoying the many activities Skyline has to offer such as bowling and the arcade.
The winner of this year’s Saint Fennessy 4k men’s race was 29-year-old John Curley, who finished the race with a time of 13:25 and was one of three runners who finished the race within the 14 minute mark. The winner of the women’s race was 38-year-old Julie Running who finished the 4k with a time of 15:19. For the first time, the Saint Fennessy 4k offered a non-bianary category this year. The winner of the non-bianry race was 29-year-old Majora Bengston who finished with a time of 47:28
The Saint Fennessy 4K is a great way to start training for the summer running season or to just get out and have some fun while celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. Grandma’s Marathon and the Young Athletes Foundation are looking forward to another great race next year at the 10th annual Saint Fennessy 4K, which will be held Saturday, March 18th, 2023.