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New name. New race. New route. Same old frozen toes.

Two thousand winter athletes are gathering up their thermal underwear and neck warmers for the 26th Securian Winter Run, a keystone event of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. The morning of Saturday, January 29, three groups of runners will launch from the start line at Sixth and Jackson and enjoy a brisk dash through downtown St. Paul and some of the most beautiful sights the Winter Carnival has to offer.

"Downtown St. Paul is so beautiful during the Winter Carnival," said Lori Koutsky, manager, Securian Foundation, and organizer of the event, formerly known as the Securian Frozen 5K and Half Marathon. "We've been wanting for years to re-route the Winter Run around some of those sites. This year, light rail construction gave us an opportunity to work with city officials to map a more scenic route that runners will enjoy." For the half marathon, the starting pistol fires at 9:00 AM; the 5K and 10K start together five minutes later.

The new route winds through downtown St. Paul then drops down to Shepherd Road. Links to maps for each event are at the Securian Winter Run site, but the big difference is that runners will pass by Mears Park and Rice Park. Both are important centers for Winter Carnival events such as the ice carving contests, beautiful traditional Winter Carnival lighting, decorations, and the crowd pleasing events such as the beer dabbler, the King Boreas Parade, the Ice Bar and live music.

The Securian Winter Run also brings with it a unique new work of art featured on the mug given to each registrant and t-shirts sold at the run. The triptych, hung in the atrium of Securian's 400 building, was painted by local artist Tim Tozer, a runner who has participated several times in the Securian run.

Participants in the Securian Winter Run can register on line or download the form at the Winter Run site and mail it. On-site registration begins at 7:30 AM January 29. For full details, see the registration form. Visit the Saint Paul Winter Carnival site for more information about the many events held all over the city January 27 - February 6, 2011.

Securian has sponsored the run for 16 years, though there's been a Winter Carnival run since 1985.

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival attracts 350,000 visitors with an annual economic impact of $3.5 - $5 million. The carnival's mission is to foster a sense of community, pride, belonging and connectedness by celebrating Saint Paul's unique history and heritage with entertaining and educational experiences.

Since 1880, Securian Financial Group and its affiliates have provided financial security for individuals and businesses in the form of insurance, investments and retirement plans. Now one of the nation's largest financial services providers, it is the holding company parent of a group of companies that include Minnesota Life Insurance Company, Advantus Capital Management, Allied Solutions, Capital Financial Group, Cherokee National Life Insurance Company, CNL/Insurance America, Personal Finance Company, Securian Trust Company, Securian Financial Services, Inc., Securian Casualty Company, and Securian Life Insurance Company.

Securian Financial Group
Media Relations:
Maggie Jensen, 651-665-7558 / 651-236-0964