Polar Run 5K and Reindeer Plunge
About this race
Gather you friends, family, neighbors, and even that adventurous kid down the street (with parental permission, of course!) for a winter adventure like no other! Imagine this: a thrilling 5K run through beautiful Central Park followed by an exhilarating jump into a freezing lake.
Join us on December 19th to work off some of those holiday calories and embrace the great outdoors. Be prepared for a little shivering and possibly some questionable life choices, all while making unforgettable memories.
A portion of your fee will support one of the three Jones County School Athletic Boosters that you choose, listed below. So while you are braving the cold, you're also giving back.
-Anamosa Athletic Boosters
-Monticello Athletic Boosters
-Midland Athletic Boosters
Events:
Candy Cane 800 Meter Run (ages 10 and under) @ 12:45 PM
Polar Run 5K @ 1PM
Reindeer Plunge Only @ 2 PM
Award Divisions:
Candy Cane 800 M Run (ages 10 & under)- trophies will be given to 1st place boy and 1st place girl
Polar Run 5K- medals will be given to top three places in all age divisions and genders:
12 and under, 13-15, 16-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+
Pick your distance
Running
Candy Cane 800 Meter Run (ages 10 & under)
This is a short 800 Meter run for ages 10 and under. The first place male and female runners will receive a trophy. All others runners will receive a candy cane.
Polar Run 5K (ages 18 and under)
This 5K course will take you around beautiful Central Park, but the route may change depending on the weather and conditions. Expect both trail and hard surface running.
Polar Run 5K (ages 19 and older)
This 5K course will take you around beautiful Central Park, but the route may change depending on the weather and conditions. Expect both trail and hard surface running.
Reindeer Plunge
After all 5K participants have crossed the finish line, the adventurous souls will gather at the dock for a fun jump into the lake. If we have a great turnout, we'll have several waves of jumpers. And don't worry- if the lake is frozen, we'll make sure the ice is cut away around the dock so everyone can take a leap.
Race-day daylight
We have no recorded weather for Center Junction yet, but sunrise and sunset follow from the venue and the date.
The sun rises at 7:28 AM and sets at 4:34 PM local time (CST) in Center Junction on December 19, 2026 — 9h 06m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 1 Center Junction event
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