Navarino Snowshoe Adventure 5K
i’ve been bounding about on some redfeather snowshoes for the past few winters and have been pining for an opportunity to participate in a snowshoe race. even though we’ve been getting socked with plenty of snow the past few winters, there aren’t any local snowshoe races here in southeastern wisconsin. since we were headed to my in-laws in northeastern wisconsin, i did some research online and found a 5K/10K snowshoe race that was within an hour’s drive.
after a few wrong turns, i found my way to the Navarino Nature Center within an hour of the start time. i registered for the 5K rather than the 10K mainly since i was just getting over being sick and wasn’t real sure of how i’d fare. after a short warm-up with the snowshoes on the trail, i lined up for the start.
the race director’s pre-race announcements included the course markings and that the 10K is two loops of the course. he went on to explain a change to the course from the prior year to include an out-and-back section that would justify the use of the word “adventure” in the race name. assembled at the start were folks sporting all shapes/sizes of snowshoes including traditional long wooden shoes to ultra-light shoes that looked to be better sized for children’s use. two competitors had even opted to sport woolen kilts with some non-traditional spandex tights underneath.
the race started and i was astonished to see more than a few fellow competitors take off at a sprint churning up chunks of snow in their wake. i’ve done some training in these funky shoes but never really tried to run fast in them. we stretched out single file along the groomed ski trail as we made our way through a clearing then into the woods. it’s much easier to run on packed snow versus the powdered snow to the left & right of the trail so i kept focused on staying in the track and not taking the tangent on turns. hearing a fellow competitor on my heels, i did move to the side to allow them by.
the course rolled up and down as well as wound left and right through the woods. the description of the course from the event web site cited…
“Dedicated groomed trails for snowshoeing symbiose beautifully with off trail terrain including such pleasures as bog drifts and winding routes through pine forest, oak savannah, and tall grass prairie.”
…which i can say was pretty accurate. while i wasn’t in great shape, it was shaping up to be a pleasant racing experience. i made a right turn into the “new” section of the course that the race director had spoken about. i made my way over the footbridge and up the hill then descended through a narrow opening onto a frozen bog. this is where the “adventure” began. the handful of other competitors ahead of me had churned up the powdered snow and i could plainly see pockets of where shoes plunged deeper than i would have expected the ground to be. while i avoided these areas, i did find myself working pretty hard to work through the uneven terrain.
after this rather adventurous section, we rejoined the main trail for a short time until we were directed down another single track section. i found myself simply navigating the single track with the implicit intent of not tripping at the expense of really exerting myself aerobically. safely navigating through the section, i emerged from the woods and made the short final effort to the finish line.
glancing at the clipboard, i finished a distant fourth in the 5K and noted there were a handful of 10K runners that were already out on their second loop. while i haven’t seen the final results online, i believe the 5K winner was mustering a pace that was two minutes per mile faster than mine. needless to say, i think i’ve got alot to learn before i can truely be competitive.
regardless, the one trait that really stood out for this race was how friendly the volunteers and competitors were. everyone said “good morning” and were very outgoing. perhaps next year i’ll find myself in better shape so i can make a return trip to the event.