From the small, family-owned brewery, hewn into a mountain containing the largest vein of anthracite coal on the planet, the Yuengling family has propelled America's Oldest Brewery, established in 1829, into an iconic institution. Located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the brewery surpassed Sam Adams as the top domestic beer producer in 2012, and recently cracked the top ten, placing 9th on the "Top Perceived Beers" list. Production continues to rise, and the company can barely keep up with the demand. It's Lager is superb, the Light-Lager, full-bodied, but my personal favorite is the Lord Chesterfield Ale, which is not for the faint of heart.
Family-owned, the company rose to prominence with the introduction of its Lager, in 1985. President, Dick Yuengling, is the fifth-generation of his family to brew beer in Pottsville, since arriving here from Germany in 1829. Dick Yuengling's day begins at 5:00 a.m., when he shows up for work in his usual business suit: jeans and a flannel shirt. His work day usually ends well into the evening. I am proud to consider Dick Yuengling, and his family, friends. In fact, Dick was my Little League baseball coach.
When the Yuengling name is attached to an event, it is conducted with precision and skill.
Such was the case this past weekend, when the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon was held in Virginia Beach.
In my 36-years of racing, I have never experienced an event that, from beginning was so well organized, and runner-oriented.
I was honored to conduct two seminars at the Expo. There was plenty of Yuengling beer to sample. Jennifer Yuengling also delivered seminars on the history of the Yuengling Brewery. We spent time with her and her family. She ran the Half Marathon, and her husband and children ran races as well.
On Sunday, I ran the Shamrock Marathon. Planning to run only 20-miles as a tuneup for Boston, I decided to run the whole thing, finishing with a time of 3:10:18 The course is flat and fast. Crowd support is terrific, with volunteers, bands, military personnel, and enthusiastic spectators everywhere. At the finish, medals double as bottle-openers, and the "space blankets" are real blankets. Mine adorns my sofa as I write. The post-race party went on well into the afternoon. In all, nearly 30,000 people competed in Shamrock Race Festival.
This is a 'must race' for any runner. It is superbly organized, the course is great, and the amenities are second to none.
As a side note, the Yuengling Brewery will host the first annual Yuengling Light Lager Jogger 5K on April 13. 2500 runners will participate. Don't plan to race, however, as the race reached capacity in a little over a month.
My FAVORITE marathon! Well done and congrats.
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