The Big Melt from warmer temperatures helped the Newburyport Rotary Club hold their annual Frigid Fiver on Sunday 6 March. While the streets were not icy, they were definitely wet!
A smaller crowd than in years past gathered at Michael’s Harborside, the new start and finish this year.
Esther Sayer of Inn Street Barber Shop works with her support crew to make sure her playlist is correctly ordered:
Inside, Rotary President and Chamber of Commerce President Ann Ormond keeps things running smoothly with the help of Nick Chapman and Geri Dor.
Past club president, Grace Connolly, of Connolly and Connolly Law Office, makes sure to hydrate pre-race:
Past club president and district president, Liz Cullen, checks her stopwatch to make sure everything is in working order:
Dale Anne Granger-Eckert had already clocked in eight miles earlier that morning. Dale Anne is a marathon runner – often running to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. 
A runner shows off this year’s t-shirt with a nod to the generous sponsors: The First National Bank of Ipswich, Institution for Savings Bank, The Provident Bank, Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, as well as Michael’s Harborside restaurant and The Coca Cola Company.
As the clock gets closer to noon, the runners begin to line up.
Last second stretches:
Bob Manning of The Winner’s Circle Running Club gives directions:
And they are off!
Long-time Rotary member Zach Longley complimented himself on snagging a police vest – and managing to keep all the runners safe for the first 60 seconds of the race. Way to go Zach!
This year’s race fielded over 100 runners and raised over $4000 to assist Newburyport’s Rotary Club in funding their numerous local programs.
