The cold, icy cr-r-r-r-unch and sc-r-r-r-unch of running in the ice is familiar to most runners who can’t let go of their passion even in winter, even if they live in the South (except South Florida, of course).
All those miles training on all that ice and snow can’t go to waste, can they?
That’s why we’re highlighting these 21 races for the true die-hards, giving you plenty of events two to three months from now that’ll give you one of the most prized medals you’ll ever take home.
1) Polar Prowl Half Marathon • Lakewood, CO
You’ll run mostly paved trails through the 2,600-acre Bear Creek Lake Regional Park just outside Denver at this race, run when the average low is 15°F.
Sat, Jan 9, 2016 • Race info & signup »
2) Chicago Polar Dash Half Marathon • Chicago, IL
Set for its inaugural running this January, the Chicago Polar Dash promises cooooooooold weather in the city with two seasons — “winter” and “construction”.
Sat, Jan 9, 2016 • Race info & signup »
3) Red Nose Half Marathon • Columbus, GA
Set for its 10th annual running in 2016, the Red Nose Half unfolds through the streets of Columbus here in the cold of early January, to give runners a chance to get their resolutions started off on the right “foot.”
Sat, Jan 9, 2016 • Race info & signup »
4) Sorry ‘Bout That Half Marathon • Polson, MT
When you take to the roads and highways in and around this small town of just over 4,000 in northwestern Montana, you’ll be braving both the terrain and what very well could be bitterly cold weather.
Sat, Jan 9, 2016 • Race info & signup »
5) Run to Read Half Marathon • Fairmont, WV
Set among the winding trails of Prickett’s Fort State Park, this race starts at 2:00 in the afternoon, a good idea thanks to the fact there’s often snow and ice on the ground along the trails.
Sun, Jan 10, 2016 • Race info & signup »
6) Sandman Extreme Half Marathon • Wytheville, VA
Why travel to Florida or a similar sunny climate for a winter race when your event might get cancelled by a little snow? Why not just go ahead and bundle up for the real thing, with a course that climbs 1,000 feet?
Sat, Jan 16, 2016 • Race info & signup »
7) Nookachamps Winter Runs Half Marathon • Mount Vernon, WA
Set in Washington state’s Skagit Valley, in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains, this cold-weather race starts and ends at Skagit Valley College. Hot chili will be served, and runners will be able to take hot showers after the race.
Sat, Jan 16, 2016 • Race info & signup »
8) Triple D Winter Race Half Marathon • Dubuque, IA
Just west of this city along the Mississippi in the dead of winter each year, a group of hardy souls takes to the snow-covered hills of eastern Iowa by foot, bicycle and skis.
Sun, Jan 17, 2016 • Race info & signup »
9) Frostbite Series Half Marathon • St. Louis, MO
The race takes runners on a double-loop course inside and through Forest Park, a nearly 1,300-acre park that lies just west of downtown and a few miles from the Mississippi River flowing by.
Sat, Jan 23, 2016 • Race info & signup »
10) Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon • New York, NY
One of the largest half-marathon events in the country with upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 runners each year, this cold and blustery late January race event unfolds through two loops around the hills of Central Park.
Sun, Jan 24, 2016 • Race info & signup »
11) Snowmans Half Marathon • Mt. Pleasant, MI
If ever a race had an appropriate name, the Snowmans Half fits the bill. Run in the middle of winter here just over 150 miles northwest of Detroit, the race will test the mettle of any runner.
Sun, Jan 24, 2016 • Race info & signup »
12) Securian Winter Run • St. Paul, MN
Believe it or not, 1,000 runners or more are bold enough to brave the 30-degree conditions in the winter here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area each year to run this half in downtown St. Paul.
Sat, Jan 30, 2016 • Race info & signup »
13) Cedars Frostbite Half Marathon • Lebanon, TN
This race takes runners on what can be a cold late-winter run through the Cedars of Lebanon State Park, which gets its name from the dense cedar forests that grew throughout Lebanon back in biblical times.
Sat, Feb 6, 2016 • Race info & signup »
14) Groundhog Half Marathon • Grand Rapids, MI
Frigid temperatures, possibly snowy ground and — like the 1993 Bill Murray movie — the feeling of repeating yourself over and over await at western Michigan’s Groundhog Half, which takes runners through Millennium Park.
Sat, Feb 6, 2016 • Race info & signup »
15) Fly With the Eagles Half Marathon • Marion, IL
This cold-weather half marathon that takes runners along the roads and trails of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, which lies just to the west of Marion.
Sat, Feb 13, 2016 • Race info & signup »
16) Ice Cube Half Marathon • Mt. Pleasant, MI
Organizers say that runners need to be prepared for any kind of inclement weather at this late-winter race — rain, freezing rain, ice, sleet, snow and anything in between.
Sat, Feb 13, 2016 • Race info & signup »
17) Half Fast Half Marathon • Vadnais Heights, MN
Cold weather running gear will be a must at this race, which offers runners the chance to really prove their mettle in Minnesota in what should be some of the coldest weather of the year.
Sat, Feb 13, 2016 • Race info & signup »
18) Lake Effect Half Marathon • Syracuse, NY
The aptly named race is organized by the Lake Effect Run Club, for the weather phenomenon that’s quite common here in the winter as the wind blowing in from Lake Ontario creates its own weather.
Sun, Feb 21, 2016 • Race info & signup »
19) Warm Up for Boston Half Marathon • Dublin, OH
If there’s one thing you can say for sure about the Warm Up for Boston Half, you’ll get to know the course. That’s because participants run a roughly one-mile loop course over and over (13 times for runners in the half).
Sun, Feb 21, 2016 • Race info & signup »
20) Colchester Half Marathon • Colchester, CT
Wintry weather including ice, snow and sleet have frequently fallen on the day of the race, known for its challenging hills along the rolling New England countryside surrounding the town.
Sat, Feb 27, 2016 • Race info & signup »
21) Snow Joke Half Marathon • Seeley Lake, MT
Cold, blustery February weather is never enough to deter the hundreds of runners at each year’s Snow Joke Half Marathon, which takes runners on a loop around Seeley Lake in western Montana.
Sat, Feb 27, 2016 • Race info & signup »
