the Way of the Turtle

Season of the SnōShū 2009 - Race #9
Saratoga Winterfest 5k Snowshoe Race
Sunday, February 1, 2009

OK, that's what I get for thinking of Saratoga as an "easy" course. The terrain is actually pretty nice - mostly level, with two steep uphills and two fast downhills. And for the past three years, we've either had no snow and a trail race (2006) or a fairly thin layer that was just barely enough for snowshoeing (2007/2008) which made a hefty contribution to some of my fastest paces ever running on snowshoes. But one of the things that can never be discounted in snowshoeing is the type of snow, and this year Saratoga struck back with deeper, loose snow that made for one heck of a tough run, and my first "repeat" of the season where my time was longer than previous years'.

We had hints that the turnout would be good when RD Laura Clark asked that anyone with extra snowshoes please consider loaning them out to runners without. I got there around the same time as I always do and found the parking lot packed and the more distant lot starting to fill up. There were more folks than I've ever seen at a snowshoe race registration... fortunately it was very well organized or it would have been a real zoo. Headed back to the car, picked up what little gear I didn't have with me and made the decision to dress light (two long sleeved shorts, no vest) - it was feeling a bit warmer than the other races I've done this year. Also offered some advice to two fellows parked next to me who'd never run on snowshoes before (they were all set to dress good and warm and really appreciated my input that they should stick with lighter layers... I also gave them a quick overview of the course) then headed back to the quad for the very crowded starting area. Chatted briefly with some of my friends (Bill, Konrad, Rich, and Chris) while Jeff Clark tried to give some instructions, and then - it was time to run!

The initial loop around the quad always seems like it takes forever to me, and this year was no different, except that there were a lot more people running which presented its own challenges, in particular trying to find a spot where I'd be able to maintain my own pace. The snow was deep (for Saratoga) and loose... nothing I haven't run on plenty of times before, but tough going all the same. And the unbroken snow had a layer of ice on top, which made passing very difficult, so once we left the quad and headed along the various singletrack stretches (well... singletrack in that's what was already stomped down) the field didn't really start to spread out until we hit the first hill past the geyser. On the way up the hill the front runners came blasting by - they were flying!

I definitely started feeling the effort as we circled around the pool complex but couldn't really stop for any length of time for fear of getting stuck behind a group running slower than I was. Fortunately the road heading back down the hill was wide enough that I was able to take a break before running down and following the creek. Through the picnic area and then... ack, up the killer hill they introduced last year. It's not as long as the path up through the gully, but it's a lot steeper and rough going. On the plus side - it's pretty smooth sailing once you get to the top.

After that it was just a matter of trying to maintain as much speed as possible without breaking... not easy in these snow conditions. Through the woods and along the top of the ridge, passed one or two folks and was passed by one or two. There was one fellow running on a huge set of backcountry shoes (30" or so) who had an incredibly steady pace - he passed me a few times duiring the first half of the race when I stopped to walk, but I managed to stay ahead of him during the 2nd half - it would have been embarassing to have my butt kicked by someone on shoes that size. Finally made it to the last stretch through the pines and pushed as hard as I could to the finish, crossing the line at 41:32 - about three minutes slower than the last two years, but not too bad considering how much harder the snow made the course this year.

After that I stagggered back to the car to change into dry clothes, ruled out the possibility of doing a slow second run on the course to take some pictures and get in a few more miles (maybe if it had been sunny...) and wandered back over to the post-race gathering to try and find some food and chat with a few of the other runners. I smelled food but never saw where it was, but did get to talk to a couple of friends which is always nice, and then hit the road to run some errands before getting out on my skis for a bit.

In the end, Saratoga set an informal record for turnout this year, with almost 200 runners and walkers on the course... incredible! Great for them and for the sport in general... but I have to admit I'm looking forward to the smaller field at next Sunday's race in West Hawley (the Saturday race is 4 hours away in northeast NH... too far for me to drive to run a 4 miler.)

JMH

2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike
Snowshoe 30.2 mi, 7 hr 32 min

states visited: MA, NY, VT