GUNTERSVILLE — Connor Johnson and Maggie Triplett raided the pot of gold at the 48th annual Wild Irish Run 10K Saturday morning.
Johnson captured overall honors, and Triplett the women’s title with a Top-10 finish. The iconic race sends runners off from Sunset Drive along Lake Guntersville, through downtown and back over Patterson Drive to Sunset. The start-finish was at Guntersville Recreation Center, which by the end of the race was bustling with youngsters on the ball fields.
Johnson, 20, of Fyffe, took top honors by more than 20 seconds, finishing in 39:33. Alan Lara Bocanegra, 30, of Albertville, was second in 39:54, and Bradley Henderson, 32, of Madison, was third in 40:10.
Triplett, 22, of Owens Cross Roads, was eighth overall, crossing in 42:48. Rachel Joffrion, 29, of Huntsville, was second (12th) in 43:58, and Kate McCurdy, 47, of Guntersville, was third (13th) in 44:14.
The Top 20 had a nice mix of ages, from 16 to 64. The 10K and 5K attracted runners from five states and throughout Alabama.
Shannon Godfrey, 40, of Arab, won Women’s Masters honors (49:51). Brian Bearden, 49, of Fort Payne, took Men’s Masters (43:13).
Wild Irish Run 5K
Kanji Shichinohe of Cullman smoked the 5K field to win by almost three minutes.
Shichinohe, 54, bolted and didn’t stop, finishing in 20:20 for the gold. Cole Shelton, 14, of Altoona, was second in 23:01.
Angelica Santiago, 23, of Albertville, was third overall and won the women’s title. She finished in 23:38. Esmeralda Escobar, 19, of Albertville, was on her heels, just 10 seconds behind for second and fourth overall.
About the Wild Irish Run
Why would a 10K in a small town that, honestly, isn’t easy to get to if you have to take backroads, attract upwards of 300 runners from multiple states and throughout Alabama?
The course isn’t flat. It’s runnable, but not flat. Only age group top finishers get a medal. There’s no swag bag overflowing with shirts and caps and boots and chaps and… (well, no one gets boots and chaps, thankfully). So, what’s the draw?
It’s because the Wild Irish Run is an icon, almost a bucket-list checklist “gotta do that at least once” event. It is certified, too, so state age records are attainable. Here’s the backstory about it.
In 1979, today’s Wild Irish Run was called the Lake Guntersville 10,000 and hosted by the Lake Guntersville Track Club. This course became sanctioned in 1980 by the Road Runners Club of America and added .2 miles to be an official 10K. In 1984, the race was held on Saint Patrick’s Day and subtitled the “1984 Saint Patrick’s Wild Irish Run. The “Wild Irish Run” name stuck.
As one of the oldest 10K races in Alabama, it has been chosen as an Alabama TopTen Event in past years. This all-paved, fast course with small, rolling hills takes you through downtown Guntersville and a scenic tour along beautiful Lake Guntersville.
The Wild Irish Run is now hosted by the City of Guntersville Recreation Department. The race was facilitated by Running Lane, with course support from the City of Guntersville police, fire and public works teams.
See all of the 10K results here and 5K results here.
