Press Release
“Old Man Winter” may have been charming Minnesotans with the unseasonal winter temperatures the state enjoyed over Christmas—but forecasts appear to offer a frigid dose of realty just before “Icebox Days” on Jan. 15-18 in International Falls.
But that’s never bothered the runners of the “Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run,” scheduled on Saturday, Jan. 17 for the 35th time in the Icebox of the Nation.
“Once again, the motto ‘Only the Bold Run the Cold’ will give FYGBR participants another chance to walk the talk,” said Faye Whitbeck, president of the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, which co-ordinates the annual winter festival.
The FYGBR is the feature event of the festival, and draws participants from all over the U.S. and Canada.
Over the last three years, the average number of participants is between 275 and 300.
The “Gizzard” run has never been cancelled in its 34-year history—but in 1982 it was abbreviated when temps of 28 degrees below zero F plummeted to a minus-72 degrees with the brutal wind chill factor.
“That was the year images of Gizzard runners’ ice-chiseled mustaches and frosted eyebrows first began circling the globe,” Whitbeck noted.
The audacious outdoor run has, over the years, brought a blizzard of media to the area, including Good Morning America, CBS, Lifetime Television, The Weather Channel, The Travel Channel, European journalists, regional media, and a host of others to witness the eccentricity.
At least half of the FYGBRs have launched in below-zero F weather. But Gizzard runners in 2010 enjoyed a balmy 31 degrees F.
Register for the 5K or the 10K FYGBR at www.freezeyergizzardrun.com or call the Falls Chamber at 1-218-283-9400 for a registration form.
Meanwhile, Icebox Days XXXV will see the traditional wacky events–such as the Viking Bar’s smoosh races, an original event invented for this winter festival years ago.
Also returning will be the toilet seat tossing, can-crushing, and red-neck trivia plus more.
Frozen turkey bowling, moonlight snowshoeing in Voyageurs National Park, boot hockey, the beach party, and the traditional chili cook-off, among many other events, also will return.
Fireworks under the winter sky are scheduled for the fifth-straight year in Smokey Bear Park at dusk on the Saturday.
