With a race-time temperature in the single digits and the sun shining bright, the hardiest runners and walkers rang in 2010 with a crisp run in Minnesota. This year, the Polar Dash tripled in registrations with nearly 2,000 people signed up.

The 5K and the 10K runs both started at 11:00 a.m. along East River Parkway. The course took them from the starting line at our beneficiary, Shriners Hospital for Children, south along the Mississippi River from Minneapolis into St. Paul. Then the runners turned around and came back to the finish line at Shriners Hospital. All finishers received their beautiful stained-glass medals and then headed to the food tent for snacks and hot chocolate and hot apple cider.

If you are used to running in a warmer climate, don’t let the words “single digits” scare you. Team Ortho Facebook friend Katherine Forbes summed up the weather and the race very well couldn’t help but talk about how fantastic the weather was after the race, “…came feeling a little frozen and left feeling full of positive energy!! …It was exhilarating and I will do it again!! Not too bad for a California transplant!!”

New Additions to the Polar Dash