By Don Osterday

Republican Journal

DARLINGTON — Former Darlington and UW-Madison runner Tyson Miehe competed in the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago on Sunday, March 26. He finished sixth overall.

The Chicago Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle is the largest timed 8K road race in America. This year’s race had 19,619 participants. The male division features many professional runners among the 9,413 entries.

Zach Panning of Rochester Hills, Mich. won the race with a time of 22:48. Panning bested last year’s winner, Tai Dinger, to trade places from the 2022 race. Miehe finished with a time of 23:14 and averaged a 4:41 mile split.

Sara Disanza, also of Rochester Hills, Mich., won the female division. She finished in a time of 26:35.

The Shamrock Shuffle was Miehe’s first race since hip surgery last April following a win in the Crazy Legs Run. 

“I went into it [the race] with no expectations,” Miehe said. “I put myself behind the lead group and paid attention to how I was feeling. It was a distance I hadn’t competitively run since college.”

This competition is part of his long-range plan to prepare for the Olympic trial qualification. Miehe qualified for the 2020 trials with minimal experience as a marathon runner. This time, he hopes to be better prepared and healthy for the upcoming challenge.

“I had no outlook in how I wanted to progress,” Miehe said of his running career after Madison. “I was the 72nd fastest American. So, if I actually train for it, I think I’ll be able to improve.”

Miehe graduated in 2013 from Darlington and in 2019 from UW-Madison with a degree in physical education. He was part of two Big Ten cross country championships and was All-Big Ten his senior year. After graduation, Miehe received his masters degree from the University of Washington in intercollegiate athletic leadership. He currently works at UW-Madison. 

— Natalie Dillon contributed to this article.