Polar Bear Winter Classic
Indianapolis, IN
- 8.1 Miler, 5 Miler, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Join one of the oldest races in Indianapolis: the Polar Bear Winter Classic! This historic race is always strategically placed on the calendar on the third Saturday in February to help you gauge how your spring training is progressing. The race offers a unique format including a 5K, 5 Miler … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 28):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 59 | 64 | 69 | 51 | 52 |
| L (°F) | 36 | 33 | 28 | 40 | 27 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Good but not amazing
I've done all 3 variations of this race, the 5K (was my very first race in 2018!), the 10K in 2019, and then The Bear (15K) this year. It's a … MORE
I’ve done all 3 variations of this race, the 5K (was my very first race in 2018!), the 10K in 2019, and then The Bear (15K) this year.
It’s a very average race! If you’re participating in the 15K, you’re actually just running 2 back-to-back races–which means you’ll get a short reprieve between the two.
The 10K portion is basically the same course as the 5K but with a little loopy jaunt further south that goes over a bridge–which was extremely icy this year–and an EXTREMELY pot-hole riddled road. It was not the best choice for the course.
5K had a bunch of food options after and the 10K participants were left with just a protein bar and a bottle of water.
One medal for all participants.
It was well-organized, but again, it’s just a very average race 🙂
Great local race - 5k or 10k or both!
This is a fun race in downtown Indpls that starts with a 5k loop, then you can stop there or keep going for another 10k. The 10k starts/finishes on the … MORE
This is a fun race in downtown Indpls that starts with a 5k loop, then you can stop there or keep going for another 10k. The 10k starts/finishes on the 5k loop but goes out for a bit in the middle, so it’s not like you’re repeating the 5k loop twice. The swag is nice as well – since it’s during winter, the past few years were warm toboggans (hats) but this year I was excited to get big, really warm mittens! (plus a tshirt and medal)
This was the 3rd year I’ve done this race (2020’s was my first time running it and it happened to be my last in-person race before everything shut down), then 2022, then this year — the race company who has been doing this one is no longer after 2023, but I believe another company will be continuing it in 2024. I’m hopeful that it’s the same, if not better – as this is a fun way to stay active in the cold months.
Sad this is the last Polar Bear!
This was the last running of the Polar Bear classic, and I'm bummed! I really enjoy this race. Indy in February isn't anything to write home about, but the 5k … MORE
This was the last running of the Polar Bear classic, and I’m bummed! I really enjoy this race. Indy in February isn’t anything to write home about, but the 5k + 10k challenge is a neat set up, and the race is managed very well.
Combined race for twice the fun
First time doing this one - first race is a 5k and runners need to complete it in 45 minutes before the 10k starts, if they want to participate in … MORE
First time doing this one – first race is a 5k and runners need to complete it in 45 minutes before the 10k starts, if they want to participate in both (The Bear). It was seasonably cold (15 degrees with a real feel of single digits) so runners could stay inside the Cityway Y before the 5k started – which was great, except the line to the bathroom was incredibly long. I opted to skip the bathroom visit and would stop in after the 5k/before the 10k to use the facilities. Probably wasn’t a good idea BUT I ended up with a 5k PR! (31:22) Unfortunately, the line was still long in between because it was filled with 10k runners – by the time I got back outside, the 10k had already started and I spent the first 1/4-1/2 mile trying to put my gloves on, eat a gel, get gel on my gloves, take gloves off, finish gel, put gloves back on, try to figure out what to do with empty gel package, take gloves back off, put empty package in pocket, put gloves back on … etc. which all added time to my 10k. If it weren’t for all that, I really think I could have had a 10k PR as well – so personally bummed about that, but the race itself (course, production, route, support, post-race goodies) was great and I recommend! Hope to do this one again and redeem myself (and go to the bathroom before the 5k!).