There are easier ways to spend New Year’s Day than standing on a beach in snow squalls, getting blasted by wind, and asking your body to go against its instincts to protect itself…and yet, here we are celebrating fifteen years of freezing our clams off!
The Frozen Clam has never been about comfort or logic. It’s been about community, challenge, and showing up when it’s way more practical and appealing to stay home.
Shoutout to the Crew Behind the Course
Before a single Clam toes the line, our team of volunteers from the gym spends hours bringing the course to life. These mentally strong and physically competent badasses have shown up early and stayed late in all weather conditions to create a unique experience and then make the beach look like we were never there.
Setting obstacles in sand is not easy. Setting them in frozen, wind-whipped sand while navigating a slippery parking lot adds a whole new layer of contextual demands. And yet, nobody complained (or maybe I just couldn’t hear them through the wind?). In any event, they carried, slipped, caught themselves, and laughed through a cold but productive morning.
This event simply does not happen without this “slightly off” group of natural movers. They are the unsung heroes of the Frozen Clam, and I am extremely grateful for the grit, humor, and teamwork they bring year after year.
Shoutout to the Sponsors Who Made It Possible
An event like the Frozen Clam doesn’t run on enthusiasm alone. It runs on people and partners who believe in the mission and are willing to support it year after year. Our sponsors help maximize our impact for Mentor Rhode Island. We greatly appreciate them, so we must shout them out…
Event Sponsors
Please take a moment to support the businesses and organizations that made this year’s event possible. When you support them, you directly support events like this and the community impact behind them.
Shoutout to Our Em Cees!
One thing that stood out this year was how much Funny4Funds elevated the entire experience. They’ve been with us before, and we didn’t know how much we missed them until this year! Their commentary was perfect, and they definitely helped make a long, cold day not just tolerable, but genuinely hilarious.
Shoutout to the People Who Say “Yes” Anyway
I definitely don’t take it lightly that people show up for this…
It is a big ask to wake up on a brutally raw, frigid day and step into discomfort. To sign up, to travel, to stand on a beach and say, “This was a terrible idea, so when do we start?”
And yet, dozens of you did in the worst conditions ever!
We’ve had our share of tough Clams:
In 2018, the bay was frozen, so we ran the course on 1/1 and plunged four weeks later.
In 2021, RI DEM decided it wasn’t “safe” to allow people to plunge, which actually worked out since we made it up on a beautiful day in March.
In 2025, DEM had a hike planned and decided the park wasn’t big enough for the two of us; 1/1/25 was beautiful, but we plunged on 1/4/25 with wind chills in the single digits.
But in 2026, we collectively faced the toughest conditions we’ve ever had.
The water temperature was 37.6°.
The wind made the air feel like 5°.
A record-low tide forced us to run nearly a half mile to get deep enough to plunge, and running back over snow-covered sand, accelerated the toe-freezing process.
And still, you showed up, not just to test yourselves, but to support Mentor Rhode Island.
Over the past 15 years, together we’ve raised more than $135K for their mission, real dollars that translate into real impact for young people across our state!
Closing Gratitude
To the volunteers who endured the weather. To the sponsors who believed in the mission. To the spectators who brought energy and encouragement. To every participant who stood on that cold beach and said yes (among a few other choice words 😉).
Thank you!
Fifteen years in, I’m grateful, honored, and deeply proud of what we’ve built together!
Here’s to choosing hard things in 2026, and doing them for something bigger than ourselves. 🙏💪🥶❤️
