Upcoming race in St. James

The 4th Annual Freeze Your Caboose Off 4-mile race will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 31 at St. James Lake. Registration for the event is available now by mailing this form. Otherwise, race-day registration begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Hickory Inn in St. James. Cost for the event is $16 if registered by Jan. 23 (this Saturday), and $20 after that. For more information, contact the St. James Chamber of Commerce at 375-3333 or e-mail them at chamber@stjamesmn.org.

Apologies to readers for not posting information about this earlier. I didn't know anything about the race until receiving an invitation to it yesterday via the Greater Mankato Multisport Club on Facebook.

All indications point to it being a fun little local race, complete with door prizes, soup and crackers at the finish line for runners. It also seems pretty laid-back for a 4-mile race, with an alternate starting time offered for those who would rather walk than run. The weather isn't exactly ideal yet for outdoor racing (ice, anyone?), but at the very least, it should be a fun race around the lake and a good opportunity to see some diehard winter runners.