The Embrey Mill neighborhood is getting ready to hold its fifth annual Frosty Three-Miler and Reindeer Run.
The event will occur at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sports Center at 1600 Mine Road in Stafford. Organizers expect 600 people for this family-friendly event on Saturday, December 11. Organizers encourage participants to dress up in holiday-themed costumes.
Forecasters say showers could spread across the region after 8 a.m. on race day. However, the run will be anything but frosty with a forecasted high temperature of 68 degrees.
Runners have two courses to choose. The Reindeer Run is a one-mile run for kids aged 12 and younger. Girls will race at 9 a.m., and boys at 9:15 a.m.
The second event, the Frosty Three-Miler, will see participants run a three-mile course along Mine Road. Organizers will award prizes for each age group, including cash prizes for the top three runners in the male and female categories.
Organizers will also hold a virtual event for athletes, allowing participants to run by December 12.
The event is the fifth and final race of the Stafford Race Series. These included races held earlier in the year, such as the Stafford Hospital Spring Fever 5K and the Halloween 5K. The race series is co-sponsored by the Stafford County Economic Development and Tourism Department and run by the Garrisonville-based Arsenal Events.
Arsenal Events coordinates races throughout Northern Virginia, like the Fredericksburg Blue and Gray Half Marathon and the Dahlgren Half Marathon.
Proceeds from the race will support Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation, a Virginia-based non-profit organization dedicated to teaching CPR and the use of Automated External Defibrillators. The foundation also supports research on congenital heart defects, pediatric neurology, and traumatic brain injuries.
Joel and Jennifer Griffith created the foundation after the death of their daughter Gwyneth in 2012, who died from cardiac arrest just after her 13th birthday. The event inspired Gwyneth’s Law, signed by then Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in March 2013. The bill mandates training for Virginia teachers in CPR and automated external defibrillators.
Participants for the races can sign up online. The fees will cost $40 for the three-miler and $25 for the Reindeer Run.
