Every March, Operation Smile teams up with J&A Racing to host thousands of elementary school students from all over the Hampton Roads area, gathering at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to run the final mile of the Shamrock Marathon.

The Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile is the culmination of an ongoing global education program and a running/walking program for elementary school children. By participating in the Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile, students learn about the importance of developing lifelong fitness habits as well the impact they can have in bettering the lives of children who are growing up in developing countries with cleft conditions.

Each year during the Shamrock Marathon in March, Student Programs has the opportunity to host the Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile for elementary school students ages 5-12. This race, which will be March 17, 2018, is the culmination of months spent running 25.2 miles, where students have the opportunity to run on their own, or through their school’s PE class or running club. The Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile is the final mile of the student’s marathon. Throughout this training, students are also learning about Operation Smile by visiting our headquarters for a World Tour field trip and helping to fundraise for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries abroad. Last year, more than 120 schools were represented at the Final Mile with nearly 5,000 elementary school students participating.