Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run
Saturday, January 21
Running with Teri Dwyer The Icebox of the Nation beckons
Bob Connor has run 25 Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 10Ks. How many have you run? Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run
Saturday, January 21
5K fun run, 9:45 a.m.
10K run, 10:30 a.m.
Rainy River Community College, 1501 Highway 71, International Falls, Minnesota
Register online at active.com. Cost: $30
International Falls Chamber of Commerce, 301 2nd Ave.,
International Falls, MN 56649
800/325-5766
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Minnesota runners are hardy souls, usually by necessity. We run in all kinds of weather: in the summer it's hot and humid, in the spring it rains a lot, in the fall those of us with seasonal allergies have an especially difficult time, and in the winter, well, it can get a little bit cold. And windy. And snowy. But none of those things have gotten in Bob Connor's way. This month
he hopes to continue a very impressive running streak. He's registered to run the 26th annual (and his 26th annual) Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 10K Run in International Falls, Minnesota. The 48-year-old Connor has been a runner for 30 years. He lives and works in Bemidji, but grew up in Iowa where he played basketball and baseball in high school. As a Workforce Center jobs counselor, work keeps him very busy these days. But not too busy to train enough to
keep his streak alive. In 1980, Connor was talked into running the first Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 10K by co-workers. "They were more into running than I was. They said they were going to International Falls for a new race," Connor said. "I found that the community really supported the race and the people were super friendly."
Happy with his first Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard race, Connor decided to go back the second year and every year thereafter. Kallie Briggs is president of the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and race director for the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard run. She said the race has never been canceled due to cold weather. There was just one year (1982) when the race was shortened to three miles because the wind chill factor was 72
below zero. Ouch! The average race temperature is zero degrees.
For the first 20 years, the race was a 10K only. In 2003, race organizers added a 5K.
"Each year, approximately 200 to 250 runners from South Carolina, Georgia, New York, Ontario, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have attended," Briggs said. The Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard is part of Icebox Days, a larger winter celebration in International Falls.
"The festival's name was derived from the community's nickname: the Icebox of the Nation," Briggs said. "The city of International Falls, in June 1990, obtained the official trademark for the nickname. They battled Fraser, Colorado, for the title (and won) without having to go to court. The battle was comical and friendly."
Besides Briggs, the race organizers include a group dubbed "The Gizzard Girls" community members and
volunteers who plan and work the race, the post-race runners' reception and beach party.
"During the reception there is beer, pop and munchies for the runners as they watch a video of the race earlier that day," Briggs said.
For Connor, driving just over two hours to run this race each year is worth the effort. "I make a weekend out of it," Connor said. "It's a mini-vacation. But I'm going the wrong direction north in the heart of winter."
He added, "I think the race is a way to snub your nose at winter. It shows you can still do things no matter how cold it is."
Besides the hospitality of International Falls and the race organizers, Connor cites other runners as a reason he keeps coming back. "It's kind of like a reunion every year," he said.
The race is run on a USATF-Minnesota certified course. The men's course record, 31:29, was set by John
Wodney of Cloquet in 1993. The women's record, 33:16, was set in 1995 by Debra Gormley of St. Paul.
As the only person who has run the race all 25 years, Connor has become an unofficial race spokesman. This race has been covered by Runner's World magazine twice, The Weather Channel, the Washington Post and Fox News, to name a few.
Connor uses his notoriety as motivation to keep going to make sure he keeps his streak alive.
"It is really pretty cool to say that somehow I have managed to become the only one to run a 10K in the 'Icebox of the Nation' in northern Minnesota in the middle of January for 25 years straight," Connor said. "The challenge to get in shape enough to keep coming back is still there and it gives me something to look forward to every long winter. My friends still think I am crazy, but it's been fun."
Every participant receives a fleece pullover sporting the words "Only the Bold Run the Cold." The race also awards the top finishers in seven age categories.
Group discounts are available at registration. For groups of 15 or more, 20 percent is lopped off the total entry fee. Families, defined as three or more immediate family members, get a 15 percent discount. All groups must preregister by calling 800/325-5766.
And speaking of families, Connor's children two sons, ages 11 and 13 are pressing him to allow them to run the race this year.
"Yeah, the kids want to do it. I did it the first 25 years so they said they want to do the next 25 years," Connors said. "I've been apprehensive about letting them run in the cold. I told them, 'You have to train. You have to get used to running in the cold.' So we'll see."
Connor's personal goal for the 2006 race is "to get through another year," he said. "Just to finish without freezing anything."
Admirable, perhaps even lofty, goals. But history's on his side.
Teri Dwyer, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been a runner for over 20 years and a writer for longer than she can remember.
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