Halloween season is upon us and Loveland is preparing its own particular celebration by hosting its first Loveland Frogman a part of the city’s Small Stacks Festival that will take place Oct. 14 and 15.

The Loveland Frogman is a Clermont County legend that had its beginning more than 50 years ago in and near the Little Miami River.

The Loveland Frogman includes a 5K foot race, a 2K water race, a 5K bicycle ride and tie, and an obstacle course. The starting time is 11 a. m. The run begins in the Downtown Historic District (Clermont County). In the canoe segment, individuals will kayak and teams will canoe and each competitor must wear a personal flotation device. The obstacle course will include five obstacles.

“We wanted to do an adventure race that included canoeing and kayaking. I felt this would be a fun and different kind of race,” said Mark Bersani, the founder of the Loveland Frogman. He and his wife, Robyn, are the owners of Loveland Canoe and Kayak, Inc., in Clermont County.

“When we were looking to buy (the business) we kept hearing about this Loveland Frogman, the folklore and the legend.

“We are excited. This is going to become an annual event. Next year we want to make it a series of three or four races that maybe will be run in the spring, summer, and fall. We believe this is going to be a good addition to Small Stacks.

“It is going to be a really fun thing.”

A special honor will be bestowed upon competitors in the Ironfrog Competition. An Ironfrog athlete is someone who enters both the Beat the Pumpkin 10K Run and the Loveland Frogman. The Pumpkin 10K begins on Oct. 14, at 8 a. m. It, too, will begin in the Loveland Historic District.

The entry fee for the Loveland Frogman as an individual competitor is ($40), teams ($60); for the 10K ($25); and for the 2K Fitness Walk ($15).