METROSPORTS BOSTON, March 2003 Edition
By Bob Murdock

Paddy’s Pub Shillelagh Shuffle • 3M run/walk
West Newton, Mass.

The new owners of Paddy’s Pub, formerly the Troubadour Restaurant, brought back the old Troubadour Trot. The course is flat and fast, and the race has many of the touches of Ireland: bagpipes, Guinness and engraved Shillelaghs (traditional Irish walking sticks) awarded to the top finishers. Even the event’s first winners—Keiron Tumbleton and two-time Olympian Sinead Delahunty Evans—were both from the Emerald Isle.

Last year’s race raised $10,000 to support recreation programs for people with disabilities. In a block-party atmosphere, Paddy’s Pub provided food, including chicken pot pie soup, and a variety of free beer. It must have caught the eyes of the Irish over at the New England Runner, as the Shuffle has been added as the Grand Finale to their popular Pub Series (see sidebar).

For more information, contact Mark Kelly at 617-796-1527