OCEAN CITY- The annual St. Patrick’s Day Boardwalk 5K returns tomorrow, March 16, with hundreds of runners from all over the local area and beyond expected to descend on the resort for the third installment of the annual event.

Last year, 1,000 runners from all over the region participated in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Boardwalk 5K, produced by OC Tri Running for the benefit of Diakonia. The course starts on the Boardwalk in the area of 3rd Street not far from the main sponsor Shenanigan’s. From there, the runners will head south on the Boardwalk around the Inlet pier and the Inlet parking lot to the tram station.

From there, the course heads north again on the Boardwalk to the area of 16th Street, where runners will turn around and head south again to the finish line at 3rd Street. The race starts promptly at 9 a.m. and an awards ceremony and post-race celebration will start shortly thereafter. Because of the popularity of the race, coordinated with other St. Patrick’s Day events in the town, the number of competitors has been capped at 1,000 again this year and organizers expect to reach that figure again.