Thirty-two hardy souls competed in this year's Ring in the New Year Mile, a short race held annually on the greenway south of West Edgewood Drive.
The event, a fun run hosted by the Jefferson City Road Runners Club, has become a tradition for some Jefferson City racers. This is the ninth year the club has held the event. The group hosts a similar race on July 4, but runners head the opposite direction.
The weather didn't comply with President John Weghorst's hope for nice weather. Although it was bright and sunny on New Year's Day, mid-morning temperatures were a frigid 27 degrees and the wind was biting.
"It's been cold and windy every time we've done this," Weghorst lamented.
He said his hands got cold as he handed out cards to the people who finished the race. (The cards recorded their names, ages and race times.)
The fastest racer was Brian Schulte, who finished the mile in five minutes, 41 seconds, Weghorst reported.
Nick Wagner, 33, of Jefferson City finished the race in six minutes.
He said racers are rarely happy with their finish times, but considering he was running uphill into the wind, he wasn't displeased.
"It's to be expected," he said.
Wagner takes his running habit serious. He said he usually books between 40 and 60 miles weekly, doing his speed work on the Blair Oaks High School track, going out on eight and nine miles runs on weekday evenings and joining a group of friends for longer runs on weekends.
"I enjoy competing," he said.
He said the Ring in the New Year Mile, although it isn't long, helps the more-serious runners work on their speed.
"It's good training, even for long distance runners. It's speed work. Even endurance runners have to work on moving their legs fast," he said.
He said mostly only "hard core" runners come out for the New Year event.
"The weather is never perfect and the night before is a little hard on people," he said, admitting he was up at 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve.
"But it also brings out people who want to start working on their New Year's resolution," he said.
Stacey Beddoe brought out her foster son, Brendan, for the race. The two finished their mile in 11 minutes, 15 seconds.
"I was so proud of him. He didn't quit and persevered," she said.
Her racing habits aren't as intense as Wagner's, but she tries to exercise four times a week, running at least twice. She's been running since 2002, when she made a commitment to lose weight.
Beddoe said she tries to complete a 5K race almost every month, usually completing between six to eight a year.
"It's kept me healthy," she said.
"I used to have respiratory problems and head aches and now I don't have to deal with those anymore."