News: Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championships

I’ve always thought of snowshoeing as a nice leisurely hike through the woods, so imagine my surprise upon arriving at the Jeremy Wright North American Snowshoe Championships, held in McCoy Park among the slopes of Beaver Creek, and realizing that a number of my fellow competitors were planning to run the entire race. The race, which is held as a tribute to a local competitor and soldier lost in Afganistan, begins with all the entrants departing as a pack then then quickly splinters into a 5k run/walk or a 10k endurance challenge.

I chose to walk most of the 5k (with a few surprisingly simple sprints along the way, thanks to the Atlas "Run" snowshoes I was wearing) but it was so inspiring to be passed by a number of athletes, red-faced from the cold, as they raced their way to the finish line. As graceful as the competitors appeared, the race and unusual conditions weren’t without a few minor snafus. The first- and second-place winners in the men’s division entered into a bit of folly on the way to the finish line, falling/colliding on the final sprint and eventually ending with Greg Krause coming in first (with a time of 49 minutes and 51 seconds) with Josiah Middaugh right on his heels.

March 2nd will usher in the next such event at Beaver Creek, named the Snowshoe Shuffle. The race, which is expected to attract up to 1,000 snowshoers, is held to benefit and raise awareness for breast cancer. The course, which is again split into 5k and 10k sections, draws a number of survivors and their loved ones, and event sponsors hope this year's challenge will be the largest snowshoe race on record.

(At right, me in race mode with my "coach," Nate Goldberg, of the Beaver Creek Nordic Sports Center.)