Runners braved the cold on Saturday, Jan. 27 for the annual Frigid 5k and Penguin Plunge into Utah Lake.
“My wife and daughter are around here somewhere,” Chase Peterson, a runner in line for the polar plunge, said.
Peterson said he was excited for the chance to run alongside his 13-year-old daughter in her first 5K.
“Hopefully I didn’t push her too hard, but she enjoyed her experience of it,” Peterson said.
It took 15 minutes for the first runners to cross the finish line. Then the runners had the choice to plunge into the frozen lake.
“I just plunged. Coldest thing I’ve ever done,” Cinco said shortly after jumping in.
A frozen section carved out of Utah Lake left just enough room for a few brave souls to jump in at a time.
“Someone said they came out and they said it feels like a jacuzzi, and I’m like, ‘Are you sure?’” Emilee, shivering from the icy water, said.
Peterson saw the penguin plunge as a way to face a challenge and confront adversity in a controlled setting, he said.
Unlike last year, participants did not have to battle a snowstorm.
“Weather was good in terms of running, but not for the polar plunge, because the ice didn’t freeze completely for us,” Habtamu Cheney, marketing associate of Runtastic Events, said. “But everything else was perfect.”
Many runners enjoyed the event, especially because they could share the experience with loved ones.
“I don’t regret it. I’m actually really happy and at least I got to do it with my uncle,” Riahna said.
