As race day approaches for the 41st Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, you can start your preparations — even if you’re not the one running.
Here’s how you can get ready to lock in your spot to watch runners embark on their 8K journey throughout Chicago on March 20.
Organizers are debuting a race course with scenes set with a green Chicago River, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and a newly-constructed Bank of America tower among other familiar classics.
To plan your rally route, refer to the course map.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The first wave of runners start at 8:30 a.m., and the second wave will follow at 9 a.m.
Runners will step off from Grant Park on Columbus Drive to reach their first mile along Grand Avenue.
Spectators can root the runners on for the second mile along Wacker Drive, which also is where the Bank of America Tower sits.
Local
Runners will reach mile three on Jackson Boulevard, and mile four on Harrison Street just before turning onto Michigan Avenue.
To cheer on the final laps of the course, head over to Roosevelt Road before runners track back onto Columbus Drive into Grant Park.
Spectators will not have access to the start corrals or finish areas of the race. These areas will remain accessible only to participants with event-issued bib numbers, staff and assigned volunteers.
After runners cross the finish line, everyone is encouraged to head over to the post-race party in Grant Park.
The celebration is open to the public and will feature live-music and drinks from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
If you can’t make it out to Chicago on March 20, you can root on runners from home, too.
No matter what you’re doing, you can catch live coverage of the race, including starting and finish line coverage, on nbcchicago.com and telemundochicago.com.
Online NBC live-stream coverage will run from 8-11 a.m.
You also can tune into NBC 5 for live reports of the race kickoff and winners.
