STARKVILLE – Kicking off bright and early Saturday morning, the 41st annual Frostbite races are set to host more than 1,000 runners for the second consecutive year.
Online registration remains open through 9 a.m. Thursday, though runners who miss the deadline still have a chance to sign up starting at 7:30 a.m. on race day.
“We are encouraged and excited about the number of runners already registered,” Brad Jones, co-race coordinator, said in a press release. “We are looking at potentially the highest level of participation in the history of Frostbite.”
The half-marathon will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the 10K and 5K races starting five and 10 minutes later, respectively. A portion of proceeds from the races will benefit the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability.
Due to ongoing construction near City Hall, starting and finish lines will shift slightly this year. Races will begin and end on University Drive in front of Reed’s and Regions Bank.
“Downtown’s making progress with their construction, and they’ve been great to work with,” Wes Gordon, co-race coordinator, told The Dispatch. “I just ask the runners to have a little patience. We’ll be back to better than ever next year, but this year, we had to make some slight adjustments.”
Runners in all three races will initially head west on Main Street, turn south onto Lafayette Street for one block and then turn west onto Lampkin Street before taking respective routes through the city’s central historic districts. The 10K and half-marathon runners will make their way onto the Mississippi State University campus and South Farm, respectively.
Gordon said the downtown roads will be closed for the event, and Starkville police officers will block intersections through each race.
Maps for each race route are available at frostbitehalf.com.
Registered runners can pick up their race packets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Mill at MSU on Russell Street. Packets include race bibs with their number, a T-shirt and other gift items. Runners who can’t make it Friday can pick up their pack on race day.
“Dress warm,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be cold. Frostbite will live up to its name this year.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
