Shamwow
Jack McLean, Bridget Moore, Juliana DePietro, Ashley Meagher, Sediqa Nedam, and Pat Liu celebrate their teamwork in the finish chute of the Shamrock 5k. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Written by Karl Dickman
After a well-earned rest in December, Rose City Track has eased back into racing, competing at the Race for Warmth in January and the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon and 4 mile in February. In March, the racing season shifted up a gear with Portland’s Shamrock Run.
This year’s Shamrock saw the most ever participants from Rose City in a single race, with 65 entered in the 5k, 8k, and half marathon. 20 team members set personal records and another 11 debuted in a distance. They achieved this across-the-board success by working together, including cheers from their friends on the sideline, the comfort of their teammates on the course, or a pacer who towed them to a new PR.
Jake Lewis, coming off the Tokyo Marathon, notched an 8k PR. Jake says:
I was feeling good, but also felt like I raced a marathon two weeks prior. I went out at a PR pace to see how long I could hold it. I was able to hold on the whole 8k with pretty even splits while working together with Cade and Lizzie and keeping Ryan in my sights ahead.
The Rose City support was surreal. Every step you took you saw another teammate either racing or cheering their head off. Another special weekend to be a part of Rose City.
Jake Lewis, center, seconds away from an 8k PR. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Lizzie Harmon ran her first 8k ever at Shamrock and had a great time doing it. Lizzie says:
I haven’t had that much fun on a race day since... maybe ever? Typically, I am incredibly nervous and quiet before races but having so many teammates around on Sunday put me completely at ease. Even when the gun went off and we were about 20 rows too far back, I was able to laugh about it and blindly follow Steven through the chaos, with Emma [Huston], Kayla, Cortney, and crew in tow. After the chaos of the start, I was able to settle in over the next couple of miles, and before I knew it, we were approaching the turnaround. Seeing teammates fly by (and doing my best to muster up a thumbs up or a word of encouragement) distracted me quite nicely for a little.
Eventually, the second half of the race got hard (as it always does) but that’s when I was able to lean on the cheers of the many friends, teammates, and strangers along the course. When I finally made it to the finish, I was welcomed with congratulations from teammates, and before I could even catch my breath, 10 more teammates had finished too. What ensued was more hugs, high-fives, and enthusiastic “how was it?!”s than I could keep track of, but I know it was special to be a part of. Shamrock is magic and so is this community.
Lizzie Harmon kicks it in at the end of the 8k. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Cortney Berling also ran her first 8k at Shamrock:
This [race] happened to fall in peak marathon training weeks (5 weeks until Boston). I didn't have a time goal, but I just wanted to race and compete against the stellar field! I felt so strong for 4.25 miles, and the last 0.72 miles were as hard as the final miles of a marathon! The team support was as good as it always is! Honored to be part of the fastest women's 8K team at Shamrock!🔥🌹
Cortney Berling enjoying the last 0.72 miles of the Shamrock 8k. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
In the 5k, Arjun Viray made their debut in the distance and walked away with a win. Arjun says:
5 stars for my first 5k! After years of being a marathon racer I finally jumped into my first 5k, and it was a BLAST. I had just ran the [Los Angeles] Marathon the weekend prior so I went into this 5k with two goals: fun and finally run with the team! Shoutout to Kirk, Juliana, Pat, Jack, Bridget, and Ashley for showing me the ropes, fun vibes warming up and snaking our way up to the start line. This race was so fast and short and I still have a lot to learn about pacing this type of race, but I hit some negative splits and even got 1st place for the gender expansive category! Now that I know what it's like I’m excited to do more 5Ks with the team and hit some PRs.🌹
Arjun Viray, right, accepts a high five after at the finish line. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
In the half marathon, Rahul Marathe paced Mia Yerton to a new PR. Rahul says, “I just did a little motivational cues (not sure how much they helped) and heads up about upcoming aid stations and helping out fetching fluids so that she didn't need to break a stride.” Mia says, “I'd never been paced before and I ended up really needing it that race. It held me accountable and felt really special to know someone was there with me caring about my goals alongside me!”
Also in the half, Brendan Eng broke a ten-year old PR with pacing from David Jacobson. Brendan says:
I want to give the biggest of shoutouts to David Jacobson for pacing me to a half PR this past weekend! Despite coming off an injury in December, this man did not hesitate when I brought up the possibility of him pacing me at Shamrock. He [spent] the weeks leading up to the race dialing in my own target half marathon pace, even checking in with me everyday of race week to see how my legs were doing. I normally give David all of the shit in the world for pushing the pace at easy runs, but man did he set the perfect pace for me this past weekend! Thank you so much David!
David says:
It only took me 5 years to convince him to let me do it! It's kind of my goal over the next several months before I really start training to keep doing things like this.
If there's anything I'd like to share, it's just how rewarding pacing can be. To be able to help pace a friend to a goal they've had for so long, and to see how they feel when they hit that mark really makes things feel special and shows the type of running community we have. This race was a blast, and being able to dial in pacing exactly how Brendan wanted it so that he could just focus on running and enjoying the event is something that just makes me smile.
Rebecca Southerland turned in an excellent 8k debut as part of her London build. Becca says:
I went into the race thinking it would just be a casual part of training for London. I have been focusing on longer runs so I was pleasantly surprised to see how my legs would do with a short fast sprint. I've never raced a true 8k and really just went with my gut. I hadn't raced in a while and also loved hearing the crowds again. In the end I managed to go faster than I expected and loved seeing so many team members along the way. It's left me even more excited for London next month where my daughter will cheer me on for the first time.
Becca started the race with her sister, Sarah Ting. Sarah snagged an 8k PR but is even more proud of Becca:
[I want to say] how proud I am of my sister for coming back to racing after taking a pretty big break and for crushing it. She was still talking to me, breathing fine at mile 2.5 and then she just took off so I was happy to see her have a great day!
A small part of the 8k crew. Top row: Nico Banks, Brooks Barth, Jared Smith, Rebecca Southerland, Sarah Ting, Elli Brady, Tom Fuchs, Valerie Weilert, Maddie Meyers. Bottom row: Alejandro Fallas, Meagan Wakefield, Matilda Msall, Sam Rober, Emily Gokita, Nicole Kiley. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
It’s hard to pick a most inspiring performance with so many to choose from, but Emma Notario is a strong candidate. A year ago, in 2025, Emma ran 41:34, breaking by just one second her 8k PR that she set at the 2010 Shamrock Run. This year she knocked another 38 seconds off, running 39:56 and winning her age group (55–59). Emma says:
I wasn’t sure what race day would bring, especially after dealing with food poisoning the day before, but I knew that my training had gone well and my fitness was slowly coming back so I showed up determined to give what I had.
I started the race alongside a teammate (shoutout LT) trying to stay relaxed and let [her] steady pace pull me through the first two miles. As the race went on, I found my rhythm and did not look at my watch until I crossed the finish line with an 8k PR and even managed to win my age group.
I loved hearing the cheering from Rose City teammates both running the course (I do love an out-and-back route) and those cheering from the sidelines. This was a much needed reminder that resilience, support, and showing up can lead to something pretty special!
Laura Thomas (left) and Emma Notario (right) start the Shamrock 8k together. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
In addition to all the great individual performances, Rose City won the women’s 8k team trophy. The teams were scored by the average chip time of the top four finishers. Maddie Meyers led Rose City across the line, running a new team record of 26:37 in her 8k debut. Emma Huston ran 28:18, Lizzie Harmon 28:43, and Cortney Berling 29:15. With an average time of 28:13 they edged out runner-up Fourth Street Athletics by just 5 seconds.
Nicole Kiley, Abby Dalke, Emma Huston, Elli Brady, Lizzie Harmon, Kayla Richardson, and Meagan Wakefield pose with the 8k team trophy. Photo by Ryo Gokita.
Congratulations to all the day’s racers. Thank you to the dozens of teammates, family, and friends who brought their energy to the sidelines. Thank you especially to team captain Alejandro Fallas, whose recruiting efforts secured a spot in the team village; to Supreeth Mannava for arranging a partnership with 2XU; and to Kayla Richardson for planning the afterparty. It’s hard to do justice to such a special and memorable day.
Past coverage: 2019 Shamrock Run
5k results
8k results
Half marathon results
Group photo by Ryo Gokita.