The sunlight caught the sheen on Della Works' purple running tights as she braced herself against the wind and began her countdown.

"Five, four, three, two, one," she said, and took off running.

Saturday, a hardy group of Windy City Striders participated in the annual Resolution Run, a 2-mile run the club holds as a kick-off for the winter running season.

About a dozen club members met at Jonah Bank on First Street, the starting and finishing point for a two-mile race along the North Platte River. Runners estimated the time it would take them to complete the course. The runner closest to his estimated finish time was considered the winner.

Runners gathered at 8 a.m., and the race began an hour later.

Dawn Easton said the running club has been active for around 30 years, and the Resolution Run has been around probably just as long. The run attracts about a third of the club's members each year.

"We come out here on the coldest day of the year and run," Easton said.

Layers of clothes, hats, face warmers and gloves helped ease the chill of Saturday's wind.

Works was the first runner to start the race, and the other racers jumped around and shimmied their bodies before their starting times to keep their muscles warm.

A few runners gave little yells when they started their challenge. Mike McLemore's dog Maisy tugged at her leash and looked back at her owner, eager to get her own run started.

"I just like to go out in the cold and run," Works said before the race. "I eat too much over the holidays."

Jeff Carroll was the first runner to finish the race. As he crossed the finish line, Carroll slowed his pace and caught his breath.

"Oh yeah, that wind's a killer," he said.

It's always hard to dress for a winter run, Carroll said. Too many clothes means too much sweat. Too few clothes means you're going to be too cold. The key is to dress somewhere in between, and hope you stay warm, Carroll said.

Besides fighting the wind, runners said this year's course was also just a bit longer than expected.

"It was a little harder course than normal," Carroll said. "You had to slow down for ice and snow."

Reach reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.