OREANDA-NEWS. The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K announced today that 2015 champions Stephen Sambu (Tucson, Ariz.) and Alexi Pappas (Eugene, Ore.) will return to the streets of Chicago to kick off the spring running season and race for repeat victories. Joining Sambu and Pappas will be some of the nation’s most talented club runners, who will be competing for prize money in the eighth annual Deloitte Elite Club 8K Competition.

“We’re excited to welcome Stephen and Alexi back to Chicago,” said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. “With the Shamrock Shuffle, we strive to create a race that welcomes both Olympic-caliber athletes and first-time runners. The result is one of the best running celebrations in the city!”

Sambu and Pappas made their Shamrock Shuffle racing debuts last year with commanding performances, finishing in 23:03 and 26:32 respectively. Sambu’s time was the fastest time run on the course in more than a decade, and he returns as one of the hottest athletes currently on the road racing circuit.

Pappas, a creative force to be reckoned with off the road as a writer and movie producer, continued to climb the ranks of elite running in 2015 by setting personal bests in every distance from the mile to 10 miles. She kicked off her 2016 racing season with a win indoors in the 3,000m at the Track Town USA High Performance Meet.

On Sunday, April 3 Sambu and Pappas will race against local and national elite runners competing in the 2016 Deloitte Elite Club 8K Competition. The eighth annual team competition welcomes men’s and women’s USATF-member racing teams from across the country, vying for a $20,000 prize purse.

Last year, the competition attracted more than 200 athletes and 55 elite running teams from across the country. For the fourth year in a row, runners from the Michigan-based Hansons-Brooks Distance Project won both the men’s and women’s elite individual titles.

“Deloitte is proud to sponsor this great tradition of racing in Chicago,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Tax LLP Carl Allegretti. “The Elite Club 8K Competition shares in our commitment to supporting well-being, both personally and professionally.”

The 2016 race marks the first year of Deloitte’s title sponsorship of the elite and open team competitions.

About the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K
Long recognized as an annual rite of spring, a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the kickoff to the outdoor running season in Chicago, the 37th annual Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K takes runners on a scenic tour of downtown Chicago, starting and finishing in Grant Park. The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, and will conclude with live music at the traditional Post-Race Party in Grant Park. In advance of the event, the two-day Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K Health & Fitness Expo will take place at McCormick Place on Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, featuring more than 80 industry-related exhibitors. The Health & Fitness Expo is free and open to the public.