Wanderers Endure Frostbite

By Babs

On Saturday, February 18, four intrepid Wanderers endured cold temperatures and strong winds to run in the sixth annual Frostbite 5-Miler, sponsored by the Ambler Area Running Club. A record number of runners (over 600 at the starting line) came out for this suburban mid-winter favorite. The Wanderers showed AARC that you don’t need annual dues and a flashy mascot to run fast.

The fastest Wanderer of the day was Phil Ranley, who at 29:07 was 13th overall and third in his age group. Chris Moore finished in an impressive 30:08, 26th overall and also third in his age group. In her Frostbite debut, Barbara Gorka ran a 34:48, finishing second in her age group. Randolph Clever “followed the pony tail” and finished close on Barbara’s heels in 34:54. Clearly Randy has recovered quickly from his stress fracture and is ready to race again.

Phil and Chris easily defeated the new mascot of the Ambler Road Runners, AARCky the Penguin (pictured on the right). Barbara tried hard to beat the webbed beast, but he slid by her on the last downhill and finished in an admirable 34:04. Is there anything more humbling than being beaten by a penguin? A little easier to outrun was the Frostbite Celebrity Grand Marshal, Amy Freeze--the NBC 10 metereologist--who finished in 40:39.

In the post-race Hotdog Eating Contest, Phil Ranley out-ate all his Wanderers competition, downing a whopping total of TWO hotdogs. The final score of the weiner fest was 2-0-0-0. Phil is eager to take on more hotdog-friendly Wanderers next year. Phil also won the Most Visible Skin Contest, running in shorts in below-freezing temperatures.

In the post-post-race show down, Aarcky the Penguin challenged the Wanderers to come up with a mascot who could rival him in his cuteness and speed. Are the Wanderers going to let a web-footed sorry-excuse of a bird boss us around?

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