Cleveland - It may be February, but many people made the trip out to Edgewater Beach in Cleveland to take a refreshing dip in Lake Erie.
The 2019 Polar Plunge event took place Saturday at the near frozen beach, and featured many different sponsors, a costume contest and of course, a dive into the icy waters of Northeast Ohio.
"I'm just here to take my wife home after," says Rick, a warmly dressed bystander. "I tried to talk her out of it, but it's for a good cause so she won that argument".
The Plunge benefiting The Special Olympics, and had a special backing this year from Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who wasn't present but did sign a pair of wireless Bose headphones that one lucky fan did manage to win from the event.
"I don't think he had to actually be here for it, he's already done a lot for the city and just putting your name on this and being an advocate for the Special Olympics is more than enough," said Rick.
As far as for the people that actually did jump in, the choice of clothing and costume varied. Some played it safe, wore layers and tried to brave the cold conditions. Others, meanwhile, went in bikinis, shirtless or in animal onesies. From average joe to some of Cleveland and Brooklyn's finest.
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The event did raise over $65,000 for the Special Olympics, and of course, gave some cold Clevelanders a chance to practice jumping into Lake Erie before summer hits in a few months.
Photos and Video by: Kyle Cornell / WTAM 1100 / IHeartRadio 2019
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