​It could not be a more South Dakota race.
 
Think of it: The dead of winter. Routes determined the morning of to avoid a headwind. A huge community chili and soup meal afterward. Families welcome. And, of course, an outstanding T-shirt with some kind of animal running in a scarf and mittens.
 
(Tip: This year, the shirt is red and the animal is a penguin.)
 
It’s the Frostbite Four, a 4-mile race in Beresford, S.D.
 
The race began the same way all the best ideas do, as the miles went by: A group of friends went out for a run the day of the Super Bowl. “They were like, man, it’s such a nice day, and it’s too bad nobody has an event in the winter,” said Troy Swee, race director.
 
So they started one.
 
This is the 18th year for the race, and usually about 400 runners show up to compete. It traditionally has benefited the Beresford Booster Club, and runners have raised more than $75,000 over the years. This year $5 of each entry will go to the American Heart Association. That’s also why the shirts are red.
 
The Go Red events, which bring awareness to heart health, kick off on Feb. 3. Swee said he heard the association was looking for a February fundraiser, and they jumped on board. “It escalated quickly,” Swee laughs. He’s asking runners to wear red to the event.
 
It was a natural fit.
 
“The two organizations really have the same goal,” Swee said. “Most people who are runners are very heart and health-conscious, so we will have a local heart attack survivor as our honorary starter this year.”
 
“We are incredibly grateful to be named as a charity partner for this year’s Frostbite Four event,” said Chrissy Meyer, communications director for the heart association. “The running community in the Sioux Empire is incredibly generous, and we are so thankful to the organizers, participants and volunteers who are so kindly contributing to our mission to save lives. Heart disease is still the No.1 killer of all South Dakotans, and events like this help the American Heart Association by not only raising mission-critical funds, but also by helping to spread the word that heart disease is 80 percent preventable.”
 
Swee said the board of directors is always looking for ways to improve the race. Last year there was a photo booth, and it was was popular enough they are bringing it back this year.
 
He’s also had people ask for more options at the lunch following the race – aside from the traditional (and amazing) homemade chicken noodle soup and chili. They will add either fresh fruit or salad this year, he said.
 
Runners who have stood at the starting line in Beresford know they put on an outstanding event. Swee knows, too, but he also knows it couldn’t be done without all the volunteers. He estimates there are about 40 volunteers on race day, doing everything from standing in the cold directing runners to helping with registration and the finishing chute. He’s committed to that.
 
“If you’re a runner, you know how frustrating it is to have a poorly run race,” Swee said.
 
And, of course, there are the buses. It takes eight buses with eight drivers to shuttle runners from the school to whichever corner has a tailwind. That’s maybe the greatest part of the race (after the soup): It’s so gloriously South Dakota. You can’t ignore the wind. And you can’t curse at it all day. And you have to fight it enough, so the Frostbite Four’s gift to you, for coming out in February, is to at least make sure it’s at your back.
 
And for that we’re all grateful.
 
If you go:
What: Frostbite Four
Distance: 2 miles and 4 miles
Time: 11 a.m.
When: Saturday, Feb. 4
Where: Beresford High School, 301 W. Maple St, Beresford, SD
Registration: Online or day of race
Post-race events: Free chili and chicken noodle soup feed for all participants at the Bridges at Beresford Golf Course Club House, with entertainment provided by the Crabgrass Crew of Sioux Falls.

Starting next week on Tuesdays and Thursdays we will be offering a dynamic strength training class in the mornings at 6:15am. We are very excited to be welcoming back our former General Manager and good friend Wayne Earney to lead these classes. Wayne has worked with athletes at every level and is very excited for this opportunity to be back at the store. I took some time to chat with Wayne to get a little more information to share with all of you about these great classes.

Name: Wayne Earney MS, CSCS, PES (Masters in Exercise Science, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist)

What should folks expect at the strength class at 605 Running Company? “We will be attempting to get the runners bodies back in balance. Running is mainly straight ahead, so we will be doing movements in all planes of motion. We will specifically be focusing on the hips, feet, and core. This class will be great for all types of runners.”

Do participants need to bring anything specific to class? “The store has mats available, but if folks would like to bring their own mat that is great. This time of year, a clean pair of indoor shoes would be good to so we don’t mess up the store too much. I remember how much fun that floor is to mop.”

When you and I sat down to discuss adding a class you mentioned twice a week would be best for runners. Explain why. “Runners tend to push themselves too often. The same pattern gets overloaded every day. Run-rest-repeat. I believe that meeting twice a week will be effective enough to make positive changes while not overtraining the body.”
 
What: Dynamic Strength Training Class
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Time: 6:15am at 605 Running Company
Cost: $1 per class or purchase a $5 punch card with 10 punches. Punch card turns into $5 gift certificate once filled.
 
I’ll see you all at class!
Cheers,
Greg “PEPSI” Koch

Runner of the month: Jamie Baldwin
Age: 39
From: Sioux Falls, born and raised
Family: Wife, Gina; daughter Lauren, 10, son Noah, 5, goldendoodle Soda
Works: In purchasing at Sanford Health
 
On winter: “I go way slower so I don’t fall on my butt, and it’s so much darker, and all the extra layers you have to wear, it weighs me down.”
 
On trail running: “Good Earth is the best thing that’s happened in this area for running, and they keep expanding. I can’t wait to see what they do.”
 
​Jamie Baldwin is an ultramarathoner.
 
But he didn’t start out that way.
 
The 39-year-old father of two was inspired by his mom, who began going to the gym and walking for a half hour on a treadmill to get ready for her daughter’s wedding.
 
“I was like, ‘oh, that’s kind of cool,’” Baldwin says. His daughter Lauren was a toddler at the time. “I was just sitting there and thought, ‘holy cow, I let myself go.’ I was pushing 200 pounds. I felt like crap.”
 
He and his wife, Gina, had a treadmill, but it was functioning as a clothes rack in the basement. He took the clothes off it, put the television in front of it, and stepped on the platform. He began running and got up to about 3 miles at a time, and was doing that a few times a week. He lost about 40 pounds and was feeling good enough that he considered starting a running streak.
 
But the same night he began thinking about that, his mom called.
 
This time it was because his father had a heart attack. He had been a smoker up until a few weeks earlier and was a recovering alcoholic, with five years of sobriety.
 
“Then three days later he passed away from another one,” Baldwin says. “And ever since then, I just kind of dedicated myself to a healthier lifestyle.”
 
Between his father’s history and other family history of heart disease, Baldwin knew he had to stick to his changes.
 
The first time he ran outside, he realized how different it was. “I went a quarter mile and was like, ‘wow, this is hard.’”
 
He started like many of us do – with the Avera and Lennox road races, running them for a few years, and then did a small local half-marathon. Then he signed up for the Sioux Falls Half-Marathon, and then did the marathon itself a few years ago. Soon enough, he heard about ultras and did the Lean Horse 50K, twice. This year, he hopes to do a 50-miler.
 
With a slow build-up, Baldwin hasn’t had too many injuries over the years. An ankle stress fracture at first, and then just normal aches and pains since then. Still, there’s no telling how getting ready for a 50-miler will be.
 
“If I can get through January without any issues, then I’m going to sign up and hopefully survive,” Baldwin says.
 
Part of the love of running has been searching for his limits.
 
“I really enjoyed the trail runs and trying to push myself,” Baldwin says. “I’m still not very good at it. But after you’re done, that sense of accomplishment feels really good.”
 
It’s true – it does. And that feeling, along with the changes you see in your own life, are part of what keep a lot of us going. But as any runner knows, it doesn’t always start out easy.
 
“At first, I hated it,” Baldwin says. “It was just horrible.”
 
That feeling goes away, eventually.
 
“Once I kind of got comfortable with it, and I could zone out, it would relax me. … Once I’m done, I feel a thousand times better. Especially if I get my morning run in, I just feel ready to start the day and in such a good mood, too.”
 
The good feeling you get from a run can last all day, but the feeling you get from the running community can last a lifetime.
 
He meets fairly regularly with Andie Bennett to run in the morning.
 
“She’s motivated me to get out the door. If I didn’t have someone to be there waiting, I would just hit snooze and forget it.”
 
He tries to hit a few group runs, including the Good Earth trail runs on Thursdays with the Sioux Falls Area Running Club. (Note: Postponed until spring for ice!)
 
But it’s hard with young kids to find time. When he does, he sees a benefit. “When you run with someone and you’re talking the whole time, it makes the day go faster,” Baldwin says.
 
In his few years running and meeting others with the same passion, Baldwin’s view of the region has changed.
 
“The running community for Sioux Falls is just fantastic,” Baldwin says. “I’ve just been impressed with the different events the put on, and work together. I think that’s really neat how they all work as one, and just all the different people you meet.
 
“Before I looked into running around here, I had no idea there were all these people who did this. And then you start meeting people and hear what they’ve done, and it’s just really inspiring.”
 
It is.
 
And that’s why we all keep going out there, meeting each other, spending solo mornings watching the sun come up and then taking that good feeling with us all day.
 
Happy running.

​Jacqueline Palfy is a longtime runner, reader and writer, marathoner, mom and board member of the nonprofit Sioux Falls Area Running Club. Her contributions to the 605 Running Co. blog will appear each Tuesday. You can follow her on Twitter @runnerJPK or reach her at [email protected]. Story ideas are encouraged.
 

On January 15th, I got the opportunity of a lifetime to run the Houston Marathon. As a runner, it is great when you get to call a race weekend a business trip, but that is exactly what this was. For this trip, I traveled with store owner Grant Watley and Assistant Store Manager Kelli Vasquez. Grant and I have spent the last eleven weeks training together for the marathon, while Kelli has spent eight weeks getting ready to run the half marathon. This trip provided a unique opportunity for Kelli and I to spend time with all three owners of the 605 Running Company.

We rolled out of town on Wednesday afternoon in Grants Honda Pilot. Our first stop would be Omaha, Nebraska. We would be meeting Kelli’s parents for dinner and passing her son off to the most excited grandparents in the Midwest. Store owner and newly expecting father Logan would also be meeting us for dinner and I truly enjoyed the brother banter between Logan and Grant as we discussed the race. There was plenty of trash talk, a wager was discussed, and many laughs were shared. Following dinner, we made our way to Grants parents’ house where we would be crashing for the first night of our trip.

The smell of pancakes pulled us out of bed for day two! We were off to a great start. Grants mom provided us with breakfast and snacks for the road. Today we would be driving to Dallas, Texas. The roads were clear, the weather was pleasant and we were off and running as soon as Grant could find a coffee shop for Kelli and I (priorities people). As a true Midwesterner I, have always grumbled when my beloved region is passed off as fly-over states, that is until I drove through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and into Texas. If you follow us on twitter you will understand what I’m getting at here. Somewhere in there we grabbed a sub sandwich from Subway, I drove through Oklahoma City traffic and Kelli napped. We arrived at Store Owner Paul’s house in Dallas around 8:30pm and did a two mile shake out run in shorts and t-shirts to stretch our legs. After a bowl of cereal, a tasty local beer for me and light conversation day number two came to an end with anticipation slowly building for the weekend ahead.

Where do three Midwesterners go on there off day in the big city? IKEA of course. Our schedule called for a down day to acclimate to the Texas heat. That would have been a great plan if Dallas got the memo. Instead we had perfect running weather. Cool, upper forties to mid-fifties, a slight breeze with very low humidity and cloud cover with occasional light showers. We spent the morning shopping at IKEA, Grant claimed he had been to the store before, but within a minute of perusing the finished rooms it was clear that if he had been before it was a long time ago. There is nothing like watching a first timer at IKEA. We grabbed Swedish meatballs for lunch and spent the afternoon touring local running shops.

After a three-mile run where I accidentally pushed the pace because it was so gorgeous out we made our dinner plans. Kelli had been pointing out every taco shop in the area so we felt like Hispanic cuisine may be in order. Paul directed to his favorite local spot and we made our way. Following our run, we put on comfy clothes, athletic shorts, sweats you get the picture. We pulled up to Paul’s suggested restaurant and noticed that they have valet parking and we were vastly underdressed to eat at that restaurant. Luckily, Grant knew of a great pizza joint next door that he had visited previously. We gorged ourselves on chips and assorted salsas, pizza, free mini margaritas and lots of water. The perfect ending to a relaxing day.

Let’s go to Houston! We woke up early Saturday morning to drive to Houston. Grant and I were plenty happy to pass of the driving duties to Paul. We drove for a couple of hours and stopped at the largest gas station I have ever seen – Buc-ee’s. Kelli and I each bought a breakfast taco and Grant questioned our sanity. Silly Grant what could go wrong buying a gas station taco the day before a marathon? We were fine. We pulled into Houston just after noon and could check into our hotel early. Grant had gotten us a very nice room at the Embassy Suites overlooking the finish line of the race – beautiful. We met our friend Matt Smith and his lovely wife for lunch. Matt would also be running the marathon and the two of them had run the 5k earlier that morning. It is at this point in the report that I should mention humidity. It was thick in Houston and the weather conditions were nothing like Dallas. Yikes.

Lunch for me was a modest bowl of alfredo with water at a nice local spot we stumbled into in Downtown Houston. From there we made our way to the race expo. After collecting our race packets and t-shirts we found ourselves at the massive Skechers Performance booth. We met up with our sales representative Adam and were promptly outfitted in race themed shoes, shirts, coats and other assorted swag. The expo was incredible, lots of other races to learn about, ongoing seminars and athlete meet-and-greets, plenty of samples and multiple product booths. Following the expo; Grant, Kelli, and I took the time to get a nice shake out run in around the starting corrals and finish line area. This was Grants idea and I’m very thankful we took the time to do this because it allowed me to get my bearings and made the hectic areas more manageable.  

For dinner, we were invited to the VIP pre-race party with Skechers. There we tried multiple hors d’oeuvres including my favorite bacon wrapped quail. The highlight of the party was the opportunity to meet Skechers Performance athletes Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher. We had a great evening and were now properly motivated to run the streets of Houston. After the party the three of us ventured off to find a store to purchase our breakfast items. We had spotted a CVS earlier and thought that would be the perfect spot to get some cereal and other miscellaneous items. Unfortunately, they were closed. Kelli mentioned that she previously spotted another market just down the street. Words cannot describe how terrifyingly awesome this market was. With our snacks in hand we made our way to our room for the night. One more sleep until race day.

Race day was upon us. Today was the day. I didn’t feel like I slept at all. Kelli and I were the first awake and neither of us felt rested. Grant on the other hand joined our conversation with a big smile,

“I slept Great!”

Of course, he did. Kelli and I had a cup of coffee and we all enjoyed our assortment of cereal, pop tarts, Gatorade and water for breakfast. The time was now. We set out toward our starting corrals. We agreed that we would meet-up with Matt in the expo area which doubled as a staging zone for the corral areas. Once we arrived all marathoners had to weigh in prior to the start of the race. The weather was clearly a concern for the race officials as we were about to run a marathon in 96% humidity. Kelli and Matt would be starting in the “B” corral while Grant and I would be in the “A” corral. We set off to our assigned areas. As we parted ways Grant speculated how long it would take Kelli to catch up to us. He guessed it would be around mile five or six.

Grant and I spent most our time waiting in a bathroom line in our corral. We never did make it to the front of the line, but it didn’t really matter much. After the national anthem, introduction of the honorary starters and some words from the sponsors we were starting the 2017 Houston Marathon. Have I mentioned the humidity yet? Muggy doesn’t really do it justice. The fog was so dense at the start line most the massive skyscrapers disappeared into a hazy abyss. Grant and I agreed a slower pace to begin the race was a good idea. We wanted to feel-out the conditions before we determined how exactly our winter training would hold up on the streets of Houston. After a half-mile, Kelli appeared with a very bubbly,

“Hi!”

Grant was stunned. His calculations were way off. He was so shocked he had to swing into a porta-potty to compose himself. Kelli quickly disappeared into the haze like a wisp of smoke. Grant and I continued and as we passed the 5k mark I said,

“And everyone tracking us in Sioux Falls just said, aww they are running together.”

The miles clicked by effortlessly. Every once-in-a-while, Grant would tell me to slow down or vice versa. We both couldn’t believe how much crowd support there was. Wall-to-wall people cheering our names (they were on our bibs). Music groups, dancing troops and little kids with signs. It was an awesome show of support. At the 10k mark Grant copied me,

“Everyone in Sioux Falls just said, aww they are running together.”

As we carried on a gap started to form between myself and Grant. While I was already drenched in sweat and feeling the burn, I wasn’t concerned. My training had been reasonable and I felt like now was the time to see just what I had for this race. I started to pick up my pace. At every water stop I took a Gatorade and water. My plan was to use a Gu every five miles and a had a pack of Sport Beans as back-up. At the half marathon point the course double back on itself and I spotted Grant. This allowed me to see just how much of a gap I had put on him. I gave him a thumbs up and he shouted encouragement in my direction. At this point of the race my adrenaline was really pumping and I felt awesome. Miles fourteen through seventeen blew past and I was starting to do a happy dance in my mind knowing I was on pace to PR by a lot.

“Hello wall, I see you and you will not win today.”

I said that line out loud at mile eighteen and got a joyous response from my fellow runners. And then I promptly got a leg cramp in my right quad. I reached for my sport beans and massaged my leg while walking. The cramp went away relatively quickly and I got back underway hoping that that was the worst of it. By mile twenty I was running at a slower pace from water station to water station and walking while I hydrated trying to manage the situation. At mile twenty-three my legs completely locked up and I was in trouble. This was the point that the raw emotion started to pour out of me. I used profanity, loudly (crying may have been a better option – hindsight). I was in a lot of pain and I was seriously considering a medical tent. My mind was a mess, but somehow, I started running again. As lumbered my way toward downtown the rain came. At times, it was a straight downpour, but mostly it was a mist. Once I hit downtown I knew I would not be walking again until the finish line. I spotted Paul and shortly after Kelli. Before I knew it, the finish line was right there and just like that it was all over. I had finished my second marathon.

Thirteen. That is how much weight I lost on the streets of Houston while running. I got my medal, my finishers shirt and food and went to the hotel room. I hadn’t noticed Grant on the course since our exchange at the halfway point. It wasn’t unreasonable to think that he could have passed me at some point during the race, but I was sure that while things hadn’t gone the way I hoped with my overall time, I was still under the impression that I beat the boss. When the door to the hotel room opened and Grant was already there my heart sunk a little bit (we are nothing if we aren’t competitive with each other). Then I found out that he couldn’t find the food and came straight to the hotel room. I on the other hand enjoyed eggs, sausage, biscuit w/gravy and chocolate milk. With the victory over the boss secured my mood perked up quickly.

We showered and were on the road back to Dallas in ninety minutes. The race was over and the memories were made on the streets of Houston. We crushed some fast food for both lunch and dinner, including my first In ‘n’ Out Burger experience and began to look ahead to our trip back into the real world. We were on the road the next day by six in the morning and danced around ice storms to make it home in just fifteen hours. For the record, long car rides don’t aid in recovery.

This was a truly incredible journey. I want to thank Skechers Performance for making this adventure possible. My travel mates Kelli and Grant were unbelievable and I’m so proud of their race accomplishments. I need to thank the entire Watley family for hosting us throughout our journey. What makes our store so amazing is the commitment from our owners to the sport. Grant, Logan and Paul are truly amazing men and our community is lucky to have them.

​Cheers,
Greg “PEPSI” Koch

​“Are we doing this,” I texted my friend Christine in the dark hours of the morning. “It’s 18 degrees below zero.”
 
I waited. Watched the grey ellipses on my phone and hoped she would say sleeping in sounded better, or coffee and pajamas, or anything sounded better than slipping out from under a warm blanket and putting on layer after layer of running clothes.
 
“Yep, see you in a bit,” she replied.
 
I sighed, dipped a toe out from beneath the blanket, heard the coffeemaker beep downstairs and followed the sound. Standing there in the kitchen, I checked the weather and saw there was little wind. A snowstorm the day before had dumped inches all over the city, and it was still and clear and beautiful outside
 
I had been struggling with winter running. It always takes me a few runs to remember that the joy in winter running is not caring about pace, instead just running for time and laughing as you high-step over every snowbank at every corner.
 
“Wearing cleats?” she texted.
 
“Ugh, if I have to find them, it will take me another 10 minutes,” I replied, and began digging through a bin of random running gear, thankful to stall a few more minutes. I found an entire case of chemical handwarmers that Santa leaves for me under the tree every year, and ripped one open to warm up while I kept looking.
 
I found my cleats, put them on my shoes, and then shrugged on a dirty fleece I had run in earlier in the week, a windbreaker, balaclava, fleece hat, cheap stretchy gloves with holes in the fingertips and giant windproof mittens.
 
And then I began.
 
The worst was the first stretch, as I headed north into the wind and remembered that I usually put Vaseline on my face in the winter to keep it from freezing. I have a spot on my cheek that I think once had frostbite, and it always goes a little numb when I run in the cold. I waved to the people snowblowing, thanked them for clearing the sidewalks as I made my way down the middle of the unplowed street.
 
I met up with Christine a half mile later, and we turned west, out of the wind, each choosing a tire rut as our path on a side street, and the day opened up to us. We went down to the bike path, realized it hadn’t been plowed yet and chose to go back through the neighborhood, turning a loop into an out-and-back.
 
We saw other runners, only recognizable from their stride, every other part of them covered in gear. Followed the path of someone who had been out with a dog earlier in the day, the pawprints loping alongside the shoe tracks.
 
She ran me back to my house, and we stood in the driveway and talked about the miles. We wiped our noses with the backs of frozen mittens, dipped our chins into our balaclavas and breathed warm air for a minute. My glasses fogged over, and her eyelashes were frosty and white.
 
“I knew you’d be OK once you got going,” she said.
 
She was right. We’ve run together for more than 12 years, having met during a race and connecting immediately. We’ve logged hundreds of bitter cold miles, through blizzards and ice pellets and every possible bad idea weather you can set out in.
 
Coffee and a library book in my picture window, the blinding white of the outdoors illuminating the pages as I read, would have been a fine way to start my Saturday. I know that.
 
But a better way was to be held accountable by a friend, to just open the door, let someone else make a plan for you sometimes and just go along with it, knowing that sometimes they know what you need more than you do. And that Saturday morning what I needed were a few mindless miles, conversation stopping as we turned into the wind, picking up again as we came down a hill and looked at a few new houses being built.
 
The reminder that the true love is being outside.
 
That the weather only matters if you let it, matters more on race day than in training, and not at all on a snowy Saturday when the whole point is just to go. 

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