BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County's state of emergency that went into place in 2020 just ended at noon on Saturday.
2020 is also the last time the full Shamrock Run took place in the Old First Ward before COVID shut everything down and changed all of our lives.
It's part of why this year's Shamrock Run was more than just a race.
"This is my 800th race in my life and my 33rd Shamrock Run, and it's the start of the running season," said Gene Baren, a runner from Lancaster.
It's a sign that life in Western New York is finally returning to what it was before COVID ever existed.
"Yeah, yeah, yes, absolutely. And with last year too, there's so many more people this year. It's really good to see everybody coming out," said some spectators who were watching loves ones run.
In 2020, more than 4,900 runners took part, but that number was reduced to just 150 during the pandemic.
However, Saturday there were no COVID protocols in place for the race, or even a single one in Erie County for that matter.
The run brought out 3,750 runners in-person and more than 160 who did it virtually.
"It's super important. We need a sense of community. We need to be together again. We need to spend some time together. It's time," some spectators said.
It doesn't mean COVID is gone.
"We are transitioning from pandemic to endemic mode. And what endemic mode means is that we still have COVID out there, but the number of cases are low and manageable. It's important to note that we still have more COVID out there than we did in our previous lows, which were last summer," said Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo.
However, even infectious disease experts say more cases will be common in the fall and winter, similar to the flu.
So as we get back to the "normal" many wanted, it will only get better from here.
"I just hope we have a successful 2022," Baren said.