|
David Alden-St.Pierre
 I
prepared for my first snowshoe race appropriately. I packed
some waterproof Gore-Tex socks, waterproof athletic pants,
and a variety of lightweight jackets and vests (Crank Racing
of course), for layering. Yep, I did a great job preparing,
but the execution was off because I left that bag at home.
Fortunately, some tights and wool socks made it into the another
bag, otherwise I would have been running in jeans.
Anyway, this was my first snowshoe race,
and it felt like one of the hardest things I've done. I can't
compare to a 6hr mtb race or anything like that, but hour
for hour, this was all 100% effort. First off, passing was
almost impossible. The trail was narrow, and if you tried
to go around anyone to either side, you were in the DEEP snow
with hidden rocks and logs. You also had to keep back a bit
so that you didn't step on the snowshoes in front of you.
The biggest problem was that the snow was so light, I (like
everyone else) was fighting for traction with every step.
Actually, it felt like I was trying to stop myself from falling
with every step. I didn't fall, although it seems like everyone
around me took a spill at least once.
Even though I was cold, wet, miserable, cold,
wet, and very much out of shape, I did, have a very small
amount of fun, and I did fairly well, 39 out of about 120.
I may even do another one, but I'll have a check-list in the
car before I leave!
Link
to the full results...
More info from Doug, Jeff and Jean soon...
Doug with his post-race loaf, Jeff coming
across the line, Jean almost done
|
