Dress like a leprechaun and run! This week in Michigan outdoors

• St. Patrick’s Day-related runs are on tap across Michigan
• Two outdoors shows, the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo and the Ultimate Sport Show, happen this week
• Outdoor volunteer opportunities are taking place in Muskegon and Inkster

For some reason, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that inspires all kinds of running events. 

We’re not sure if that’s because legend has it St. Patrick ran all the snakes off the Emerald Isle, if it’s a way to compensate for an increased Guinness intake or if it’s because some people apparently find it fun to dress up as leprechauns. 

Or maybe it’s just because the weather is starting to warm up outside?

Whatever the reason, St. Patrick’s and Irish-themed runs in March are about as plentiful in Michigan as (we imagine) coins are in a leprechaun’s pot of gold.

On Saturday, there’s the Leaping Leprechaun 5K Fun Run/Walk in Richmond and the Time to Paddy 5K/10K & Lucky 13.1 in Ypsilanti. 

On Sunday, there’s the Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5K in Ann Arbor and a different Time to Paddy event in Lansing. March 13 there’s the Shamrock Sprint 1 Mile Race in Marquette. 

March 15 is the big day for the races. There’s the Clare Irish Festival Road Race in Clare, the Corewell Health Irish Jig 5K in Grand Rapids, the “Irish” I Was Faster races in Imlay City, the Jackson YMCA Shamrock Shuffle in Jackson, the Leapin’ Leprechaun 5K in Traverse City, the Lucky Leprechaun Race in Utica, the Lucky Shamrock 5K Walk/Run to benefit Ireland’s Dream in Davison, #RunLudington Irish Jog 5K/10K in Ludington, St. Patrick’s 5krawl in Cadillac, Shamrock Run Walk or Roll in Saugatuck, Shamrock Shuffle 5K in Muskegon, Shillelagh Four Mile Run & Walk in Flushing, St. Paddy’s Leprechaun Chase and Children’s Wee Chase in Holland, St. Patrick’s Beer Run in Sandusky, St. Patty’s Day 5K in Owosso, St. Patty’s Day Strev Strut in New Baltimore, YMCA Leprechaun Loop in Port Huron and on March 15 and 16, the Bay City St. Patrick’s Day Races in Bay City.

On March 16 the Corktown Races happen in Detroit.

March 17, St. Patrick’s Day itself, features the Pot O’ Gold Races in Flint.

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Finally, on March 22, there’s the Blue Lake FireFighters St. Pat’s 5K in Twin Lake and the MSU Tower Guard Shamrock 5K in East Lansing.

If just reading that list got you out of breath, but you still want to celebrate the holiday outside, a handful of Michigan communities will host non-running events. Clare will put on its 50th annual Irish Festival March 11-15, and parades happen on March 15 in Holland and March 16 in Detroit and Bay City.

Other great ways to get your outdoor fix:

Saturday

• The Midwest Fly Fishing Expo starts Saturday. At the event — which organizers say is “the oldest all-fly angling event east of the Mississippi” — there will be fly fishing seminars, demonstrations and exhibitors. Peruse waders, rods and reels, as well as nets built by artisans. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Macomb Community College Sports & Expo Center in Warren. Single day adult tickets cost $15, which includes free parking. Tickets and more info here.
• Try out a Winter Adaptation Walk through woods and sand dunes in Ludington State Park in Ludington. The hike, which will be led by Park Interpreter Brandon Griffith, will last about a mile and a half and is meant to help participants “discover how human life is shaped by what we have learned from the natural world around us.” The event runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Find out how to register here.
• A massive cross country ski event, the UP Health System Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon, is scheduled to take place in Swedetown Recreation Area in Calumet. Race options include varying distances each for the Skiathlon, Classic, Freestyle, Sit Ski and Junior Bear Chase. The first race starts at 8 a.m. Registration fees range from $0-$125. Sign up and find more info here.

Sunday

• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a Volunteer Stewardship Workday in Muskegon State Park in Muskegon. The DNR will show participants how to identify and remove invasive shrubs before they continue to spread in the dunes. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Find out how to sign up here.

• At Sauna & Sip at Takka Saunas in Hancock, you can cool down with “sauna-inspired” kombucha and mocktail samples provided by Living Proof Brewing Co. Your ticket includes three tastings and a 60-minute group sauna session. 2-6 p.m. $45. More info and reserve your spot here.

Tuesday

• When Friends of the Rouge planted about 13,000 trees along the lower river in the Inkster area, they put them in protective tube coverings to deter predators. Now that those trees are established, Friends of the Rouge hosts a weekly volunteer event to remove the tubes. The group hikes for about two miles to complete the task, learning wildlife fun facts and identifying native plants along the way. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Find more info and sign up here.

March 12

• Wild Ones Ann Arbor Chapter will host a workshop entitled Plant A Rain Garden - Keep Our Rivers Clean, One Garden at a Time. Learn about the benefits of rain gardens and how to put one in yourself from Master Rain Gardener Susan Bryan. 6:45-8 p.m. The hosts have yet to decide if the event will be virtual or in person. If it’s in person it will be at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor. Free. More info here.

March 13

• The Ultimate Sport Show-Grand Rapids happens March 13-16 in, well, Grand Rapids. In addition to fishing and hunting exhibitors, the event boasts Lake Ultimate, a 110,000-gallon indoor lake; 100 seminars; and Big Buck Night West, where Michigan residents will show off some of the largest whitetail deer hunted this season. Hours vary by day. Single day tickets $5-$12. More info here.

Mark Your Calendar:

Here are some upcoming events you might want to start planning ahead for. We’ll probably tell you more about them as they get closer to happening.

• March 14: Lunar Eclipse
• March 20-22: Lasers on the Ore Dock in Marquette
• March 29-30: Two-day DNR Steelhead Fishing Clinic in Cadillac
• April 4: Tigers Opening Day in Detroit
• April 25-27: Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival in Vermontville
• May 2-11: Tulip Time in Holland
• May 9 - 11: Mesick Mushroom Festival in Mesick