Chilly winter temperatures don’t faze serious runners. Most fans of St. Patrick’s Day aren’t opposed to beer. Potterville Parks and Recreation has brought the two together for the inaugural Blarney Stone Race set for Sunday, March 16 in Potterville.
The Blarney Stone features 5K, 10K and half-marathon routes through the City of Potterville, each starting at Lake Alliance. Sponsored by EagleMonk Pub and Brewery, a beer tent will be set up at Lake Alliance, providing refreshments for all participants.
The idea for the late-winter run came from a race Aric Prudden, a member of the Potterville Parks and Recreation Department, has run in Mount Pleasant.
“I thought we could start something similar here,” Prudden said. “This will be the only half marathon in the area. The Lansing Marathon is in May so people need to be running these sorts of distances right now.”
An avid runner himself, Prudden is a co-founder of the Pville Pacers, a running club in Potterville. He said Potterville is home to many people who are passionate about running.
“The national average is 1 in 1,000 people are capable of running a marathon,” Prudden said. “We have just more than 2,000 people in Potterville, which means going by the national average, we should have close to three people capable of running a marathon…I know at least 14 Potterville residents that have completed a marathon. It is a running community with a long history of good cross country and track teams. People like to run.”
The Blarney Stone has already registered close to 100 runners and Prudden said he is hoping to draw close to 200 for the event.
Registration for the Blarney Stone Race can be done online at Playmakers.com, pvilleraceseries.com or by picking up a registration form at Potterville City Hall.
The race will start at 9 a.m. March 16 regardless of the weather conditions.
