Run to the Plunge 5K runners brave a 23-degree day
The Run to the Plunge 5K held Feb. 4 on the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach was a 23-degree prologue to the zaniness scheduled the next day, when 3,000 scrubbed souls hurled themselves into the ocean to benefit Special Olympics Delaware.
The plunge is held the first Sunday in February, a collaboration of the Lewes Polar Bears and Special Olympics Delaware that began in 1997 and has raised millions of dollars.
“It’s not so cold; it could be windy,” was the working mantra at the 5K, as 321 runners, including some wild and crazy guys without shirts, completed the course. Safety and sensibility sometimes go out the open window on polar plunge weekend.
Ken Draper, 18, was the overall winner in 17:34. He was followed by Johnny Green in 17:41 and Nathan Waydelis in 17:58.
The top three women were Stefanie Houseknecht, 38, in 21:34, followed by Kelsey Oliphant in 21:50 and Nikki Hudak in 22:12.
Results can be found at plungede.org/weekend-festival/5k-run-to-the-plunge.
