Sun, Dec 27, 2026

63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races

Asbury Park, NJ

Registration open63rd annual

5K1 Mile

Entry is $20 now and rises to $25 after Dec 26, 2026, so registering before then saves $5.

About the 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races

The course starts outside Convention Hall, near a waterfront ale house, and runs south along the boardwalk and into the neighboring town before turning back. The out-and-back shape means you pass other runners on the return, and the organizers flag the narrower stretches and ask everyone to stay right. It is a late-year road race on the coast, so dress for wind off the water.

Bib pickup runs the day before at a running shop in Little Silver, with race-morning pickup available at Convention Hall starting early. Awards are handed out inside Convention Hall after the finish, so there is a warm place to wait for results. A local food-equity nonprofit, Interfaith Neighbors, is the charity partner.

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Finish-Time Stats

Going by the 2026 results, this is a decent-sized field, and the spread of finish times is wide, so this is a mostly recreational race rather than one for club runners.

5K · 2026 results

306finishers

15:12winner

28:55median

54:06cutoff

Top 3: Michael Bond (15:12) · Brian Hill (15:15) · Troy Hill (15:22)

1 Miles · 2026 results

16finishers

7:20winner

11:12median

16:40cutoff

Top 3: C. Meyers (7:20) · F. Contois (7:55) · A. Meyers (9:14)

The 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races is in its 63rd year.

Where Would You Finish?

Enter a finish time to see where it lands against the most recent 5K results.

Median

See how your time stacks up nationally →

How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.

Distances & Start Times

5K12/27/2026 10:00$40

1 Mile12/27/2026 09:30$20

5K12/27/2026 10:00$40

Going for a Time?

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Common Questions About the 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races

Will I finish last at the 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races?

Almost certainly not. Half the 5K field finished slower than 28:55, and the last recorded finisher came in around 54:06, so there is a long tail of runners behind the middle of the pack. Most fields are far slower than people expect.

Is the 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races a good first 5K?

A field of 306 is big enough that you will have company at your pace without feeling lost in a crowd. There is no qualifying time, and the finish-time spread above shows how varied the field really is. If it is your first 5K, that spread matters more than the winner's time.

How competitive is the 63rd Annual Asbury Park Polar Bear Races?

The 5K winner ran 15:12 while the median finisher took 28:55. That spread points to a broad, mostly recreational field rather than a race dominated by club runners.