Snowshoers Outrun Frostbite
By Dave Foley
TRAVERSE CITY (1/24/09) -- The chill was in the air, frosting hands and biting at tips of noses of the 264 snowshoers lined up in 5-degree temperatures for Running Fit’s Snowshoe Boogie.
Once the starting gun fired and the mass surged forward, the icy air became irrelevant as everyone’s heavy breathing soaked them in sweat.
No start in endurance sports produces oxygen debt quicker than snowshoe racing. Part of the urgency comes because everyone is desperately scrambling for position on the wide packed trail before the route becomes an off-road, single-file run through the woods.
Four hundred yards into the race, red directional arrows painted in the snow directed us off the packed surface and we started plowing through two feet of loose snow the consistency of sugar.
The uneven, narrow pathway made for precarious footing. Grotesque snow-angel shapes gave evidence of those who had tripped and fallen.
About every half-mile the course would intersect with the VASA groomed ski trail and we’d have about 100 yards of running over hard pack. For some this was a break and a chance to catch their breath, while others, with more energy, took the opportunity to sprint ahead.
Then the course would veer off the VASA trail and we were back floundering in the powder for another half-mile or so before returning to the ski trail for another respite.
As the race went on, veterans started looking for The Hill, which signals the end is near. The Hill, a Boogie tradition, offers the strong and inspired one last shot at moving up in the pack. Michigan Runner columnist Tom Henderson shares the more typical view, seeing it as “an excuse to stop running and walk to the top.”
Once The Hill is crested, the bushwhacking through the snow soon ends, leaving about a half-mile run on packed trail to the finish -- unless you are doing the 10K, in which case you make a left and repeat the loop.
First over the finish in the 5K was Dan Deyo, 50, from Sutton’s Bay in 29:29. One of the state’s top masters runners, Deyo acknowledged that he may even like snowshoe running better than doing his training miles on the roads.
Petoskey High School’s Nate Ismond, one of that school’s six runners competing, was second in 30:25. Jami Grant (34:41) and Angelina Bauer (35:23) were the women’s top finishers.
Five of the top 15 finishers were cross country runners from Petoskey and South Lyon high schools.
Traverse City’s Yaro Middaugh, 32, swept through the 10K distance in 56:58, almost three minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Allen.
Surprisingly, Middaugh was wearing snowshoes for the first time this season. Occasional runs outside plus lots of treadmill running, workouts on a spin bike and cross country skiing have been his training mainstays. However, six years of snowshoe racing in Colorado with his brother Josiah, a five-time national champion, have given him valuable experience.
Erin O’Mara, 24, from Goodrich, clocked a winning 1:04:38, almost eight minutes ahead of women’s runner-up Sara Williams.
O’Mara, last year’s 10K winner, also had on snowshoes for the first time, although she is following a tough running program in hopes of improving on her 2:55 marathon personal best.
The top 10 open and master runners in the 10K qualified for the U.S. Snowshoe Association Championship to be held March 9 in Portland, Ore.
Running Fit CEO Randy Step’s electronic chip timing system endured both the Arctic temperatures and having to bury timing mats under snow, to spit out perfect results.
In addition, Step and Jeff Gaft, a Traverse City Running Fit store manager, laid out a GPS-measured, genuine 5K loop, which all agreed was tougher and longer than the routes of previous years.
The overall awards, four 2-1/2-foot tall, heavy statue replicas of the hairy Big Foot/Sasquatch monster, were so striking that awards ceremony spectators crowded around winners holding the statues to take photos of them.
Full results can be found at http://www.runsnow.com. Photos can be viewed and purchased at http://www.sadlershots.com.
Michigan Runner editor emeritus Dave Foley’s 61-year-old body was pretty stiff the day after placing 16th out of 200 finishers.
