A good day to take a polar plunge

On a day that seemed more like spring than winter, more than 325 people jumped into Fox Lake to raise money for Special Olympics athletes.

The 2016 Fox Lake Polar Plunge was held at Lakefront Park with participants dressed as sharks, superheroes, cartoon characters, and creatures from the sea before they ultimately took a run into the frigid waters.

The event was sponsored by the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and GEICO and raised more than $85,000 for Special Olympics Illinois, with the team Mundelein PD Frozen 5.0 bringing in $8,000.

"It's an incredible experience and I'm going to plunge along with other board members in our support of Special Olympics," said Fox Lake Police Chief Russ Laine before jumping into the cold lake.

A group of Wauconda High School students won this year's costume contest dressed as "Shark Week." The group wore shark hats and torn up, bloodied shirts with a day of the week on each jumper.

Each participant had to raise a minimum of $100 in donations from friends, family and people off the street before being allowed the opportunity to immerse themselves in icy waters.

Thousands participate in similar plunges each year at more than 21 locations across Illinois. According to Special Olympics Illinois, proceeds collected will benefit 22,000 traditional athletes and 21,000 young athletes served by the organization.