Glacial Park Snowshoe Race
i rolled into Glacial Park (Ringwood, IL – – one hour south of Waukesha, WI) a little more than an hour before race time and had the chance to attend the pre-race briefing. summarized, the race instructions were…
- 10K runners wear yellow numbers and run two loops
- 5K runners wear white numbers and run one loop
- there is a big hill to climb near the finish line, and 10K runners get it twice
- both races start together in about 20 minutes and 10K runners get dibs on starting up front as they’re aiming to qualify for the USSSA National Snowshoe Championships (assuming they paid dues before the race – – which i did)
i had pretty much settled on what i’d be wearing for the race as the meeting ended. essentially, base layer spandex (top & bottom) with a thicker insulating top and wind/waterproof shell pants. i then headed out for a five minute run on the park roadway to warm up a bit and then grabbed my Redfeather snowshoes from the trunk of my car.
after fastening my snowshoes to the bottom of my running shoes, i made my way to the starting line and struck up a conversation with a fellow entrant in the 10K. the race director called us to the line and sounded the horn to start the race. with a flurry of activity we were off and kicking up plumes of snow around us. the course funnels down very quickly after the short uphill start. my strategy was to simply keep my line without interfering with others so i’d avoid being tangled up in the donnybrook. honestly, the start is much more tricky than a running race due to the snowshoes. you’re simply not as maneuverable.
regardless, i started aggressively without going too anaerobic in the early stages of the race. even with a few of the 5K racers passing me in the first mile, we had plenty of room on the trail. the race course was very well marked and the snow was fairly packed down. we wound our way through the woods then into an open field for a square shaped section of the course then we headed back into the woods.
shortly after returning to the woods came “the hill.” it’s a good thing the race director called this one out as i could see some of the more whiny competitors complaining about it. the race web site describes the hill as 110 meters in length with a maximum grade of 21%. my strategy was to shorten my stride a bit, keep a steady pace and lean forward into the hill. as i climbed, i could see one of the 5K runners ahead me resorting to walking up the hill. i made up some ground on him but shortly after the hill was his turn for the finish line and my turn for the second loop.
admittedly, the second loop was much quieter than the first as the 10K field was smaller than the 5K. i didn’t mind being on my own so i focused on staying upright and moving forward. the other nice thing about the second loop was that the snow was even more packed down, especially in the open field. the packed snow made it much easier to run rather than blazing a trail through powder. i climbed “the hill” a second time and made the turn towards the finish. along the way, the race director was walking parallel to the course and i shouted “nice course” to him as i passed. i rolled downhill into the finish line and got some high fives from the volunteers.
my final time was 59:20 and my Garmin had the course at 9K in distance. doing the math, that meant i averaged 10:37 per mile which is more than 2 minutes per mile faster than i had done a 7 mile snowshoe training run last saturday afternoon. after putting my snowshoes back in my car’s trunk, i went for a ten minute cool down run.
the post race event included brats & burgers plus a raffle for door prizes. i bought $5 of raffle tickets and ended up winning a Columbia fleece jacket and an XL long sleeve t-shirt from the organizer (2K Adventure Gear). the guy next to me got a thermal base layer set sized for Girls 6-8, which he didn’t seemed thrilled with. i offered to trade him the XL shirt for the thermal set since i’m sure my daughters will use it. overall, he seemed to be pretty happy with the trade.
so now i wait to hear if my effort will qualify me to run the USSSA National Snowshoe Championships up in Cable, WI this March. i guess word would come via email or on the the USSSA web site.
the other thing i’ll patiently wait for are photos from the race as there was an event photographer out on the trails. overall, i had a great time and really enjoyed this first year event. there are a few things that could be improved if the event is held next year, but overall it was a great first year event.
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