Frosty Bear run frost-free but fun

Although the weather was almost 50 degrees and felt a good 10 degrees warmer in the sun, the annual Frosty Bear 5K run-walk saw a record 233 participants Jan. 25 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex.

The Defense Logistics Agency swept the top spots among the runners this year. Ryan Stickel took the top spot among male runners, with a time of 17:58. In second place was Alex Cano at 18:44. For the women runners, Beofra Butler was first with a time of 22:12, followed by Erin Hall at 23:08.

For the women walkers, DLA’s Louise Hansen took the top spot at 39:20, and Janice Sypolt was second at 39:55. Among the walking men, Marcus Young of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency was first at 38:54, followed by DLA’s Chris Misener at 44:35.

The 3.1-mile course began and ended at Gate 2 of the HQC, wending its way through the woods via a paved path on the main Fort Belvoir post. The DLA Police provided security where the course followed public roads.

The annual event, organized by Installation Support and the HQC Fitness Center staff, is intended to promote workforce resiliency by getting employees out of “hibernation mode” during the usually cold Mid-Atlantic winter. Last year’s historic blizzard and government closure meant the event was canceled. But this year, participants were mostly in short sleeves, given the spring-like conditions.

As with previous HQC walk-run events, the male and female winner in each category received a $50 gift card, courtesy of sponsor Wegmans Food Markets.