With the temperature about 50 degrees warmer than it was for last year’s Fox Lake Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics, it felt more like a spa day.
Unless you were one of the participants who actually plunged into the lake, where the water temperature was 34 degrees, according to Fox Lake fire officials. Combined with an overcast sky and a brisk wind, the charity effort was still nothing to sneeze at.
“It’s freezing, but it’s actually not as bad as it could be,” said Jen Marcello of Fox Lake as she stood dripping wet, fresh out of the lake, in a soaking wet Green Bay Packers jersey.
More Top Picks Avulux Vs Fl 41 How The Lenses Differ
A veteran of 11 various polar plunges, Marcello said it was “awesome having open water” without any ice in sight.
Last year, the temperature for the annual plunge was 10 degrees. On Sunday, the temperature was in the upper 50s in Fox Lake, flirting with, but not eclipsing, a record high.
Countering Marcello’s Packers presence was her friend Neil Kelso, of Fox Lake, who dove in wearing a blue Bears jersey for his inaugural polar plunge.
“She said she was wearing that, so I couldn’t let that go,” Kelso said as he pointed toward Marcello’s Green Bay shirt.
In what organizers described as a very smooth event, more than 300 participants ran in and out of the water at the Lakeside Park beach area in less than half an hour. Two Fox Lake firefighters in wet suits remained in the water keeping an eye on participants throughout the event.
For the past three years, participants had to plunge into artificial pools of municipal water because of lake levels and ice thickness. The outdoor temperature might have been much colder in recent years, but the temperature of the municipal water pools was actually warmer than the lake water, according to Lt. Curt Martin, a dive master with the Fox Lake Fire Department.
Brenden Cannon, Area 13 director for Special Olympics Illinois, called this year’s event “much better than the last few.”
“This is fantastic,” he said. “Today is one of the best temperatures we’ve had in years. You can get in the lake.”
Cannon said the group would not know how much was raised by the event until Monday.
A costume contest drew some imaginative outfits, including those worn by a group from Mundelein dressed as “Shark Week.” The group wore shark costumes and shirts, each of which specified a day of the week.
The Shark Week group received an award for their efforts, as did Matthew Ward, who came decked-out as “Deadpool guy,” the comic action hero of the movie hit Deadpool.
Dawn Raisor, a Special Olympics coach from Wonder Lake, dressed as Sponge Bob Squarepants for this year’s plunge.
“This is my sixth year and it was great,” she said. “It was so much warmer. It’s the best year yet.”
One of the last into the lake, was Marlene Thomson, 70, of Fox Lake, who seemed in no hurry to get out as she lolled in the water between the two fire department divers.
“To me it’s not cold out here,” she said as she stood on the beach after her plunge. “The water doesn’t seem so cold. Last year was terrible.”
Twitter @jimnewton5