Defending Shamrock Shuffle champions Stephen Sambu and Alexi Pappas will return to the streets of Chicago in April as they look to achieve a “hat trick” of victories.
The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K announced Monday that Sambu and Pappas would once again race to the finish line in the Windy City event, which marks the official kick-off to running season.
“We are always excited to bring Olympians and champions back to Chicago – Stephen and Alexi have developed a local following, and they magnify the fun spirit of the Shuffle,” Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski said in a statement. “For 38 years, this race has been a local running celebration of family traditions, debut runners, warmer weather and individual and team competitions.”
Both Sambu and Pappas raced their way to commanding victories in 2015 and 2016. Sambu finished with the fourth-fastest time in the Shuffle’s history and also came in fifth place at the Chicago Marathon last fall. He holds the world’s best time in the 8K.
Pappas ended her 2015 season with a personal best and went on to represent Greece in Rio in 2016, setting another personal best in the 10,000-meter women’s race.
The pair will face stiff competition as event organizers also announced Olympian Diego Estrada and 2016 runner-up Kristen Heckert will look to stop the duo from a three-peat.
Estrada is the seventh-fastest American over the half-marathon distance and despite an early fall in the 2016 Chicago Marathon, he managed to cross the finish line in eighth place. Heckert set a person record at the both Shamrock Shuffle and Chicago Marathon last year.
Local
Olympic bronze medalist and 2005 Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle champion Deena Kastor will also be featured in this year’s event. Kastor is the American record-holder for the event.
Paralympian and three-time Chicago Marathon champion Amanda McGrory will make her debut in this year’s wheelchair competition.
The annual kickoff to outdoor running season in Chicago steps off April 2, taking runners on a scenic tour of Chicago, starting and finishing in Grant Park.
For information on how to register for the event, click here.
