Name: Frozen Foot Race
Start: 2026-01-17
End: 2026-01-17
Location: Traverse City, Michigan

About the Event

The Traverse City Track Club (TCTC) announces the annual Frozen Foot Race, a 5-mile run to help kick off the 2026 race season, with the event set to go on January 17th, 2026 in Traverse City.

This January event has been one of Northern Michigan’s staple running events since the mid-1980’s and is a favorite of the area’s year-round running community. Current members (2026) of the Traverse City Track Club can participate in the event FREE of charge!

The 5-mile footrace begins at 9:30 a.m. and starts and finishes at Eastern Elementary School in Traverse City. Just prior to the 5-mile event, a 1-mile fun run (not timed) for runners 12 and under starts at 9:00 a.m.

Awards will go to the Top 3 male and female runners in open and masters (40+) categories. Awards will also be given to the top 3 in 16 age-group divisions including 0-12, 13-15, 16-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-59, 80+.

Registration for current (2026) Traverse City Track Club members is FREE!

For non TCTC members registration for the Frozen Foot Race 5-mile is $30 for adults and $20 for students, 0-17. The 1-mile fun run for kids under 12 is $5 (the kids’ fun run is not officially timed). Online registration is open through race morning.

Packet pick-up will be held at Fleet Feet's South Airport store (3301 South Airport Road) on Friday, January 16th from 5-7:00 p.m. Race day packet pick-up will be available on Saturday, January 17th from 7:45-8:45 a.m. at the race site, Eastern Elementary School.

Since 1962, the Traverse City Track Club has presented the area’s premier running events and programs, provided grant funding and running/walking program support for the 5 surrounding counties of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau. The club’s annual Bayshore Events are known nationwide and attract thousands to the Traverse City area each Memorial Day Weekend.

For more information about the Traverse City Track Club, contact info@tctrackclub.com To join the club, here is the link: https://www.tctrackclub.com/membership

Races Offered

5K

Jan 17, 2026

straighten

Distance — 5K

terrain

Type — Road running

timer

17 days remaining

10K

Jan 17, 2026

straighten

Distance — 10K

terrain

Type — Road running

timer

17 days remaining

Weather Overview

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for January in Traverse City.

Temp (°C)

Feels Like (°C)

thermostat -6.1° / -1.2°

wb_sunny -11.8° / -6.3°

Wind (km/h)

Humidity (%)

air 14.1 /

water_drop 80.1%

Temp (°C)

Feels Like (°C)

Wind (km/h)

Humidity (%)

thermostat -6.1° / -1.2°

wb_sunny -11.8° / -6.3°

air 14.1 km/h

water_drop 80.1%

About Traverse City

Traverse City is a scenic city on the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Directly north of Traverse City, the Old Mission Peninsula splits the Grand Traverse Bay in two, with a beautiful windswept landscape and great views of the bay on either side. Slightly to the west, the Leelanau Peninsula, with its charming small towns, forms the "pinkie finger" of the Michigan peninsula, jutting into Lake Michigan. Both peninsulas are prime winemaking regions within the state, and as such are one of the main tourist attractions in the region. Over a million visitors come each year to tour the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a scenic lakeside park with impressively large sand dunes. It's also a very popular destination for outdoor activities, owing to the proximity of Lake Michigan in summer, the impressive autumn colors, and the high snowfalls in winter.