the Way of the Turtle

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW...
The Wild & Wacky World of Snowshoe Racing in the Northeast, Part 1 -
Snowshoe Racing Series
Monday, November 17, 2008

Ok, I can't say I'm that eager to see snow, especially since I haven't put the snow tires on my Civic yet. Though it would be nice to get in some practice before snowshoe season kicks into gear!

This looks to be the biggest season yet for snowshoeing in the Northeast... so far I've gotten word of four snowshoe series, one winter multipsort series, and numerous "non-series" races. Quite a change from the humble days of old when snowshoe events were few and far between... assuming we have the necessary white stuff covering the ground, there are weekends where folks could conceivably have numerous options of where to go and what distance to run... wow.

Here's a rundown on some of the many options for torturous winter fun... of course, these events are very dependent on weather conditions, with a few becoming trail races if there's no snow.

WMAC Dion Snowshoe Racing Series

The original and the biggest series in the northeast... this year there are 16 races currently scheduled, with the series kickoff on Dec 28 in Woodford, VT. Races range from 5k to 13 miles (keeping in mind that snowshoe course distances can be very approximate) and include events in VT, MA, NY, and NH. The atmosphere at the WMAC races is always very friendly and relaxed (well... as relaxed as you can be with your heart rate redlining as you trudge up a hill in the snow feeling like you're going to throw up.) Spending time with these folks is definitely a highlight of my winter!

More info about the series can be found here. The current race schedule (which of course is very dependent on weather/snow conditions) is:

12/28 I LOVE WOODFORD 3.5mi Woodford,VT
1/3 NORTH POND 3.5mi Florida,MA
1/11 SOUTH POND 4.0mi Florida,MA
1/17 GREYLOCK GLEN 3.5mi Adams,MA
1/18 BRAVE THE BLIZZARD 5k Guilderland,NY
1/25 CURLY'S RECORD RUN 4.0mi Pittsfield,MA
1/31 NORTHFIELD MTN 10.3k Northfield,MA
2/1 SARATOGA WINTERFEST 5k Saratoga Springs,NY
2/7 SIDE-HILLER 4.0mi Center Sandwich,NH
2/8 MOODY SPRING 5.0mi West Hawley,MA
2/14 CAMP SARATOGA 8.25k Wilton,NY
2/21 COVERED BRIDGE 4 & 13.0mi Adams,MA
2/22 HALLOCKVILLE 3.8mi West Hawley,MA
2/28 HAWLEY KILN NOTCH 5.0mi Hawley,MA
3/14 NORTHFIELD STATES 3-5mi Northfield,MA
3/21 CATAMOUNT SUNSET 3.0mi Hillsdale,NY

Fleet Feet Rochester Snow Cheap Trail Series

A new addition to the winter outdoor scene, this is a series of 6 races organized by Fleet Feet Sports in Rochester and Yellowjacket Racing (both run by the same folks, Dave "Boots" and Ellen Boutillier and their dedicated crew) and sponsored by the City of Rochester. All 6 races will be held at Cobbs Hill Park on Wednesdays throughout December, January, February, and March. Runners can sign up for the snowshoe or the non-snowshoe series; if there's not enough snow then races will be trail races. Having run Boots' Powerbar course at Mendon Ponds and Lake Effect course at Webster Park, I suspect the folks doing this one are in for some challenging but fun runs... I've done 12 races with the Yellowjacket crew in the last 4 years and they've all been a really good time. I have to admit I'm a little bummed they're on Wednesdays and I won't be able to be there for any of them!

More info can be found here.

Granite State Snowshoe Racing Series

Another new series, which grew out of a series of three races put on by Acidotic Racing last year (I drove out to southeastern NH for one of their races, the Kingman Farms Moonlight 5k.) This year there are six races in the series, with two more possible additions. So far all of the races are in eastern NH and focus on shorter distances (3-5 miles.) Given the travel involved I doubt I'll make it to any of these - it's tough to rationalize driving for eight hours to run a 3 mile race. The current schedule and series info can be found here.

Atlas Mad Trapper Snowshoe Series

Just for something different, this is a series of 4 races in Canada, at a site about 40 minutes north of Ottawa. Each race offers both a 5k and a 10k option. Unfortunately, it's far enough away that I doubt I'll be able to even remotely justify travelling such a long distance for a relatively short race. Series info can be found here.

********************************************

Those are all the snowshoe racing series in the Northeast that I'm currently aware of... I'll do an update if any more come to my attention. Tomorrow I'll write a bit about non-series races and winter multisport. In the meantime - go enjoy the outdoors (even if it is bloody cold here!)

JMH