Frosty fun on New Year's Day

COEUR d'ALENE - Like most of the runners at the New Year's Day Hangover Handicap, Ken Beno wore a winter hat during the chilly five-mile run.

It was no ordinary stocking cap, though. Light blue and a bit worn out, with a small hole that you could barely slip a finger through, the hat came from the 1988 New Year's Day event - a race Beno ran 23 years ago.

"They gave these hats out (in 1988), instead of a T-shirt," the Coeur d'Alene resident explained, and the old standby has been keeping him toasty ever since.

Nostalgia aside, a nice warm hat was essential on Saturday. The mercury hovered near 15 degrees when the race began at 9:30 a.m., and the course was ice-covered and slick. But wintry conditions didn't slow down the 330 participants who turned out for the annual event, a Coeur d'Alene New Year's tradition.

"It was nice. I thought the weather was gonna make it bad, but it wasn't bad at all," said Kip Sharbono of Coeur d'Alene, one of the first runners to cross the finish line. "It was a perfect day. Keeps getting better every year. It's fun to see all the local cross country runners."

Young Cody Curtis, a swift runner from Coeur d'Alene, was the top overall finisher, completing the course in 28:38. Brandy Anderson posted 33:29 and was the first female across the line.

Racers started and finished in the open lot behind Michael D's Eatery on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive. According to several participants, the route was slippery but manageable. There were icy spots where shoes wouldn't grip, some deep snow in places, but for the most part the course was in good shape.

The Centennial Trail was plowed, Sharbono reported, which made for easier going.

"It's a good way to start out the year," said Ian Martin of Coeur d'Alene. "(I) warmed up pretty fast. It was great."

Registration fees benefited TESH, Inc., a private nonprofit that provides opportunities for local people who are disabled and/or disadvantaged, according to the organization's website. Runners enjoyed the camaraderie of a fun road race, but also helped out the community.

For protection against the arctic cold, they wore fleece jackets, vests, running tights and gloves. Some sported chains on their running shoes for added traction.

"Perfect," said Mike Lee of Coeur d'Alene, whose long beard was coated with ice. "It was cold, but we were dressed for it. I may have been overdressed."

The beard, he added, kept his face pretty warm on that cold morning.

Lisa Canterbury-Woods is in training for the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene. She raced last year's Hangover Handicap, and gave the race another try this year. Undaunted by the frosty temperature, she said the course offered a good run, even if it was a bit treacherous.

"It was great," Canterbury-Woods said. "It's a kickoff for our (training) schedule."

She would not, however, be participating in the Polar Bear Plunge a few hours later. That was one New Year's event Canterbury-Woods didn't mind passing up.

"I'm not jumping in the lake," she said.