Catch the Leprechaun is a 5K held on Thursday night around St. Patrick's Day each year. The proceeds benefit a local school for special needs children, and the race is at Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant. The course is flat and very fast, with lots of parking (you can park in the surrounding lots of the doctor's offices as well as in a large field).

This is a very large race for a 5K, with almost 1,000 registrants this past year and a very competitive field. The prizes are great, as there are cash prizes for the winners (in the form of a "pot of gold"- it's gold dollar coins!). Age groupers get medals and there is a team category for largest team.

A leprechaun runs the course and talks to people, and everyone who finishes ahead of him gets a small plastic mug. I like this concept because it helps mid-packers set a goal for the race and they get an award because it's very hard to place with such a competitive field. This year, the leprechuan's pace was approximately a 9 min/mile.

The after party has lots of beer as well as sandwiches. I do wish the party had more vegetarian options for food, or something healthier (the only vegetarian options were fruit, potato chips, and cookies). I don't think that's a concern for most people and I'm used to it. The beer was unlimited and there was a band playing too. Overall I would highly recommend this race- just be sure to get there early as it is an evening race and traffic can get backed up coming over the Cooper River Bridge.