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“Running in the snow has its own special qualities — softness, quiet, the white landscape — and it can make you feel like a kid again.” — Claire Kowalchik
1) Twin Cities Polar Dash Half Marathon
Run on a day when the temperature is likely to start in the single digits here in St. Paul, where you’ll get to take in gorgeous views of the Mississippi River on the course.
January 1, 2018 • St. Paul, Minn.
2) Chicago Polar Dash Half Marathon
Set for its second annual running this January, the Chicago Polar Dash promises cooooooooold weather in the city with two seasons — “winter” and “construction”.
January 6, 2018 • Chicago, Ill.
3) Red Nose Half Marathon
Set for its 11th annual running, the Red Nose Half unfolds through the streets of Columbus here in the cold of early January, to give runners a chance to get their resolutions started off on the right “foot.”
January 6, 2018 • Columbus, Ga.
4) Run to Read Half Marathon
Set among the winding trails of Prickett’s Fort State Park, this race starts at 2:00 in the afternoon, a good idea thanks to the fact there’s often snow and ice on the ground along the trails.
January 6, 2018 • Fairmont, W.V.
5) All-Out Polar Prowl Half Marathon
You’ll run mostly paved trails through the Van Bibber Open Space just outside Denver at this race, run when the average low temperature is 15°F.
January 13, 2018 • Arvada, Colo.
6) Sandman Extreme Half Marathon
Why travel to Florida or a similar sunny climate for a winter race when your event might get cancelled by a little snow? Why not just go ahead and bundle up for the real thing, with a course that climbs 1,000 feet?
January 13, 2018 • Wytheville, Va.
7) Sorry Bout That Half Marathon
When you take to the roads and highways in and around this small town of just over 4,000 in northwestern Montana, you’ll be braving both the terrain and what very well could be bitterly cold weather.
January 13, 2018 • Polson, Mont.
8) Triple D Winter Race Half Marathon
Just west of this city along the Mississippi in the dead of winter each year, a group of hardy souls takes to the snow-covered hills of eastern Iowa by foot, bicycle and skis.
January 14, 2018 • Dubuque, Iowa
9) Run for Regis Half Marathon
Get ready for a very cold run through the woods of Cuyahoga Valley National Park at this race, which is likely to be run when there’s plenty of snow on the ground here in this 32,000-acre park just outside Cleveland.
January 20, 2018 • Peninsula, Ohio
10) NYRR Fred Lebow Manhattan Half Marathon
One of the largest half-marathon events in the country with upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 runners each year, this cold and blustery late January race event unfolds through two loops around the hills of Central Park.
January 21, 2018 • New York, N.Y.
11) Snowman Half Marathon
If ever a race had an appropriate name, the Snowman Half fits the bill. Run in the middle of winter here just over 150 miles northwest of Detroit, the race will test the mettle of any runner.
January 21, 2018 • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
12) Securian Winter Run Half Marathon
Believe it or not, 1,000 runners or more are bold enough to brave the 30-degree conditions in the winter here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area each year to run this half in downtown St. Paul.
January 27, 2018 • St. Paul, Minn.
13) St. Louis Track Club Frostbite Series Half Marathon
The race takes runners on a double-loop course inside and through Forest Park, a nearly 1,300-acre park that lies just west of downtown and a few miles from the Mississippi River flowing by.
January 27, 2018 • St. Louis, Mo.
14) Cedars Frostbite Half Marathon
This race takes runners on what can be a cold late-winter run through the Cedars of Lebanon State Park, which gets its name from the dense cedar forests that grew throughout Lebanon back in biblical times.
February 3, 2018 • Lebanon, Tenn.
15) Groundhog Half Marathon
Frigid temperatures, possibly snowy ground and — like the 1993 Bill Murray movie — the feeling of repeating yourself over and over await at western Michigan’s Groundhog Half, which takes runners through Millennium Park.
February 3, 2018 • Grand Rapids, Mich.
16) Fly With the Eagles Half Marathon
This cold-weather half marathon that takes runners along the roads and trails of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, which lies just to the west of Marion.
February 10, 2018 • Marion, Ill.
17) Half Fast Half Marathon
Cold weather running gear will be a must at this race, which offers runners the chance to really prove their mettle in Minnesota in what should be some of the coldest weather of the year.
February 17, 2018 • Vadnais Heights, Minn.
18) Ice Cube Half Marathon
Organizers say that runners need to be prepared for any kind of inclement weather at this late-winter race — rain, freezing rain, ice, sleet, snow and anything in between.
February 17, 2018 • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
19) Warm Up Columbus Half Marathon
If there’s one thing you can say for sure about the Warm Up for Boston Half, you’ll get to know the course. That’s because participants run a roughly one-mile loop course over and over (13 times for runners in the half).
February 18, 2018 • Dublin, Ohio
20) Colchester Half Marathon
Wintry weather including ice, snow and sleet have frequently fallen on the day of the race, known for its challenging hills along the rolling New England countryside surrounding the town.
February 24, 2018 • Colchester, Conn.
21) Snow Joke Half Marathon
Cold, blustery February weather is never enough to deter the hundreds of runners at each year’s Snow Joke Half Marathon, which takes runners on a loop around Seeley Lake in western Montana.
February 24, 2018 • Seeley Lake, Mont.
22) Lake Effect Half Marathon
The aptly named race is organized by the Lake Effect Run Club, for the weather phenomenon that’s quite common here in the winter as the wind blowing in from Lake Ontario creates its own weather.
February 25, 2018 • Syracuse, N.Y.
23) Peak Snow Devil Snowshoe Race Half Marathon
With a course that takes participants through the snowy mountains of western Vermont, this race stands out for the difficulty of the conditions and the terrain, as well as the fact that you’ll run on snowshoes.
March 3, 2018 • Pittsfield, Vt.
