The annual Frostbite Half Marathon will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 20. A post-party and award ceremony will follow the event sponsored by Starkville’s Chick-fil-A.

In addition to the half marathon, the event will also include a 10k and 5k race.

A few avid runners in the Starkville area began the Frostbite Half Marathon in the 1980’s. Originally, runners were taken to Pheba, then ran the 13.1 miles back to OCH.

The annual event takes about nine months to put together. Various local businesses will sponsor the event, including Skylake Construction, Paul Davis Restoration, Kelly Cutshall CPA, McDonalds and Columbus Orthopedic.

Brad Jones, the director of the marathon, said when he and his partner, Wes Gordon, began organizing the race, they decided to move it.

“We wanted to give it more of a Starkville feel and try to show off the town and campus to the runners that may come from outside of this area,” Jones said. “So, we moved the start and finish to Main Street, and tried to come up with ways to turn it into more of an event.”

Gordon said he was initially hesitant to get involved with the race, but is glad Jones convinced him to take part.

“It was actually Brad that talked me into it,” Gordon said. “Once we said we would give a portion of the proceeds to a local charity, I was on board.”

Each year, a different charity receives the proceeds of the race, with this year’s proceeds going to the Starkville Fire Department. Donations can be made online through the Frostbite website.

The half marathon will begin and end on Main Street and will run through the Cotton District, Mississippi State University’s campus and Starkville’s Historic District.

Custom cowbells will be given out to the winners of each race and the winners of different groups.

Jones said this year, the Frostbite Half Marathon will partner with the Souper Bowl. The annual Souper Bowl shines light on local restaurants competing with various soup recipes to be awarded the Best Soup Award.

“I think we’re always looking for ways to enhance our event,” Jones said. “So, when the opportunity came up to partner with the Souper Bowl, we thought it was unique and wanted that to serve as a combined after party for our racers and Souper Bowl participants.”

Medals for the winners of the Frostbite will be awarded at noon on Jan. 20.