A sea of green at two of Canada’s most popular St. Patrick’s Day races

Off of one hour less sleep, runners (and walkers) in Toronto and Calgary participated in two of the country’s more popular St. Patrick’s Day races. The Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run and 2017 Original St. Patrick’s Day Road Race in Calgary were Sunday following daylight saving time and “spring forward.”

Toronto

Both winners of Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day 5K are high schoolers including Graham Baird and Martha MacDonald, both of who will run for Canada at the 2017 IAAF World Cross-Country Championships. Baird ran 15:22 and MacDonald covered the 5K in 17:25. (Full results here.) The duo also competed at the NACAC Cross-Country Championships in Boca Raton, Fla. last weekend.

RELATED: In other weekend action: Must-see moments from the 2017 U Sports Championships.

As was announced prior to the race, the men’s and women’s winners were slated to receive their weight in beer courtesy of Steam Whistle. The race began at Roundhouse Park in downtown Toronto adjacent to the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower. Conditions were cool, temperatures around -12C with a -20 C feel with the windchill, though sunny, on Sunday morning.

According to race officials, there were 1,500 people slated to run the Sunday event that featured an out-and-back course along Wellington Street. The race was sold out.

3 thousands people signed up the race for st. patrick day!?? Fucking cold weather. #canada #toronto #torontolife #stpatricksday #캐나다 #토론토 #토론토일상

A post shared by 현주 HyeonJu ?????? (@hyeonju1004) on Mar 12, 2017 at 9:11am PDT

Not a bad place to start/finish a 5K ? Balmy -11 C temperatures for this morning’s St Patrick’s Day ☘️ #achilles5K in ? Toronto. ? Winners: @graham_runner (15:22), @marthamacd_ (17:25) @achillesruns @steamwhistlebrewing #steamwhistle #canadianrunning #cntower @cntower @toronto @johntory #rogerscentre #stpatricksday #achillescanada #achilles @athleticscanada @sauconycanada @saucony

A post shared by canadianrunning (@canadianrunning) on Mar 12, 2017 at 9:10am PDT

Action shot during today’s @achillesruns 5km race! I had a tough run in the cold but was super happy to come 4th place woman overall. ? I loved seeing @wildbrucechase teammate @nykimapcheck pre-race and enjoying beers with @laurajean.b post-race. Shout-out to my coach @michelletherunner for being so supportive (even after I told her I forgot to wear my garmin watch during the race ?). Fun times for a great cause! ???

A post shared by Kathryn Dean (@deanroutine) on Mar 12, 2017 at 2:32pm PDT

Calgary

Fresh thres sesh #minus17C #stpatsyyc #frostface pic.twitter.com/lsPknxdK0V

— Jessica O'Connell (@jess__oconnell) March 12, 2017

Dubbed the “Original St. Patrick’s Day Road Race,” Calgary’s green-themed St. Patrick’s Day 5K/10K/30K celebrated its 30th anniversary on Sunday. Two Rio 2016 Olympians, Jessica O’Connell and Maria Bernard, were out racing the 5K. Temperatures were cooler than Toronto at -17 C.

Bernard won the women’s 5K in 18:50 with Keith Bradford the top male in 17:54. O’Connell won the women’s 10K in 37:45. (See full results here.) Calgary was a popular spot for racing on the weekend as there was a second race, the Legacy Place St. Patrick’s Race, which happened on Saturday.

RELATED: What it feels like to run in -30 C conditions.

The St. Pats Day Run also awarded a grand prize of one’s weight in beer from Village Brewery for the victory. The winners will be fully stocked for St. Patrick’s Day, which is this Friday, March 17.

Of all the times we've raced in snow, -16°C, & on daylight savings morning… this was by far the most fun. #FindYourStrong @SauconyCanada pic.twitter.com/pqhlQMGA2J

— Maria Bernard (@maria_bernard) March 12, 2017

A number of the country’s St. Patrick’s Day races, including the popular BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5k, will take place next weekend.