Snowshoe Running

Have Snowshoes, Will Travel

It’s Snowshoe Running and Walking Season!

by Laura Clark

While some folks spend the winter traveling between the fridge and the TV, others have learned that more rewarding journeys begin outdoors. Snowshoeing on favorite trails offers a unique opportunity to experience a hushed landscape from a different perspective. Better still, ground normally too swampy or inaccessible is now frozen and waiting to be explored. And while other winter sports demand a certain amount of give and take to accommodate friends and family members of varying abilities, snowshoeing allows everyone to get in a good workout. Energizer bunny types can break trail or jog alongside in deeper snow while others stick to the beaten path.

Eventually, though, you will want to explore areas further afield. The best way to do this is to travel to one of the many snowshoe races held throughout the New York and New England area. Even if you consider yourself “just a walker,” do not be intimidated. Most races welcome hikers, and in reality, snowshoeing is such a strenuous activity that only those out front actually run the entire course.

Paramount is the emphasis on enjoying the outdoors with friends. This attitude was especially evident last year at the I Love Woodford 5K race near Bennington, Vermont. Maureen Roberts of Saratoga Springs was enjoying the day with three other women, and with half a mile to go, a course marshal shouted, “Hey, ladies, don’t you know this is a race? Somebody’s got to WIN!” At that, Maureen’s competitive drive revved up and they all broke out in a sprint, finishing within seconds of each other.

Traditionally the kick-off race of the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club (WMAC) Snowshoe Series, I Love Woodford exists in a microclimate where snow falls early and deep so get ready for December 18. Kate Karlson from Binghamton chose Woodford for her first attempt on snowshoes and recalled, “The hardest part of the race was getting to the starting line… Repelling down a steep hill, backwards, and wearing snowshoes for the first time in my life made the rest of the event a real cake walk.” Of the race itself, she asserted, “The ability to go at your own pace, depending on conditions, without any pressure, was a big plus.” WMAC events can be found in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire and all are beginner-friendly with free loaner snowshoes and advice supplied by Bob Dion of Dion Snowshoes. And because diehard competitors eagerly vie for series points, you will recognize many of the same folks each time you attend.

New to the Adirondacks this year is the Hoffman Notch Wilderness Challenge 10K on January 21, which is part of the Schroon Lake Festival Weekend. In keeping with the trend toward destination races, race director John Huston hopes that families will plan a weekend getaway to enjoy the area’s other winter activities. John operates Northwoods Wilderness Guide Service so he’s intimately acquainted with the beauty of this pristine wilderness and is excited about sharing it with others. Inspired after reading about snowshoe races in Adirondack Sports & Fitness, John has designed a 10K course featuring drop-dead views with a rugged, backcountry first half and an easier finish on wider state land trails. Although the course is fairly isolated, John’s skill as a wilderness guide guarantees that your journey will be well-marked and that all who go astray will be found!

If your kids prefer snowboarding or skiing and you are tiring of your role as chauffeur and bench warmer, then head for Gore Mountain’s 4.5-mile Great Gore Raquette Race on January 22. While the course is challenging, featuring lots of single-track and rolling terrain, you can schedule plenty of practice in the weeks leading up to the race and earn valuable family points at the same time. Inexplicably, this event usually attracts only 20-40 participants, so you will have a good shot at some of the terrific age-group awards, from outdoor gear to Adirondack Gold Maple Syrup made by one of the course marshals.

Weekend warriors will be interested in WMAC’s Great Northeast Two-Day Snowshoe Challenge which consists of Northfield Mountain 10K in Massachusetts on February 4 and the Saratoga Winterfest 5K at the Spa State Park the following day. Mercifully, the toughest challenge comes the first day, with an uphill 5K including a black diamond trail with an 11-percent grade. Then you get to test the “what goes up, must come down” theory on a rollercoaster ride to the finish limited only by how out-of-control you are willing to fly. The Winterfest has a reputation for being the fastest and largest snowshoe event in the Northeast with 165 participants last year. But if your goal is simply to enjoy the outdoors, don’t be intimidated by the top ten unbelievably fast times listed in last year’s race results. They are set by national class athletes, some of who would be going to the Olympics if there were snowshoe running competitions. To top off the weekend, there will be a four times 1K relay race around the spa park quad, with day-of race sign-ups.

If an odyssey across two states seems a bit much, you can tackle a unique “two for one” race at Mount Greylock in the heart of WMAC country by combining the Hoxie-Thunderbolt 3.5-miler with the Covered Bridge 4.5-miler, both on February 25. Hoxie Thunderbolt is not an obscure Roman deity, but rather denotes the climb up Hoxie Brook on the Thunderbolt Ski Trail. Yup, you guessed it, another black diamond special, but luckily only for a brief portion of the course. After finishing Hoxie, survivors continue their journey, snowshoeing across an actual covered bridge. WMAC Series participants who opt for the combined eight-mile trek have the opportunity to rack up double points in one day. Naturally, there is a catch: since points are awarded on a sliding scale based on number of people in each individual event, athletes must plan their strategy carefully. For example, Laurel Shortell of Northampton, Massachusetts, a dedicated streaker who has done every race for the past three years, set her sights on a faster than normal first half. She reasoned that, “Since the first half had more people, finishing a couple of minutes faster than usual would mean coming in ahead of more people. In the second half where there would be fewer people who were much more spread out on the course, finishing a minute or two faster might not change my finishing place at all.”

The winter snowshoe season is brief, but intense, with races scheduled every weekend. Bear in mind, however, that unlike a road race where you always have a road, you don’t always have snow. So it is prudent to be cognizant of changing weather and check the Web site or contact the race director if conditions warrant. A race director might have to alter the course somewhat, delay the start time or even move the event to a different location entirely. Just go with the flow and enjoy the journey wherever it takes you!

Sites along the way:

• www.adksportsfitness.com (This web site!) for race listings and guided hiking tours in state parks
• www.dionsnowshoes.com for running and hiking snowshoes made in Vermont
• www.havlicksnowshoe.com for hiking and running snowshoes made in the Adirondacks
• www.fingerlakesrunners.org for central New York snowshoe events
• www.runwmac.com for WMAC races
• www.saratogastryders.org to take a virtual tour of the Winterfest course
• www.snowshoeracing.com which lists most New York races and has information on Empire State Games and US Snowshoe Association Nationals.

Laura Clark of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children and young adult’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

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