Saturday, March 2 - Hawley Kiln Snowshoe Race

Jen and I headed down to Hawley, Mass to run in the Hawley Kiln 5mi snowshoe race on Saturday. It was a nice ride down through the back roads of Buckland and Hawley. It was evident that there was a lot of snow still in Western Mass. I did a short warm up with Tim Mahoney to preview the course. The course started and ended on groomed snowmobile trails, but 80% of it was on single track that winded through the forest. The snow was crusty and I could stand on top of the snow with my snowshoes without sinking in. Unfortunately, with a running stride I would sink in. The conditions made me wish that I had brought my 30" back country snowshoes to test if they'd be faster than the smaller running snowshoes that sank in. Next time I'll bring them with me for giggles. At the start of the race, I took the lead with Dave Dunham right on my back. We climbed the early groomed hill and DD stayed right with me, I was hoping to open up a larger gap, but it wasn't to be. We hit the single track where we would be running for the majority of the race. This was brutally tough! It was crusty and soft underneath and just exhausting work. Occassionally, I would punch through the crust and almost fall down trying to lift my snowshoe back through the crust. I managed to stay upright the entire race which was a major feat. DD asked to pass me around the 3 mile mark. I was more than happy to let him lead for a while. The trail was already broken, as Ed Alibozek had hiked the trail to mark it, but it did seem easier following. DD was really setting a good pace and I was getting pretty tired. I was getting to my breaking point, the single track seemed to go on forever and I was physically and mentally exhausted running on that stuff. Mercifully, I saw the 4mile mark on a tree. Ed told everyone that the race was 4.7mi, I knew I could hang with DD for another 7 tenths, especially since some it was back on the snowmobile trail. DD continued to hammer and as soon as we got onto the groomed trail I bolted into the lead. DD was very gracious and waved me by him. I was able to put a little distance on him and get the win. Damn! Those were tough conditions. DD amazed me by how strong he was on that crusty single track crap. It was brutal but very fun! Tim Mahoney and TiVo were next to finish and then Jen came in 5th! Well actually she had stomach issues and opted for a shorter snowshoe adventure! I did a short cool down and we headed back. It was really fun driving the back roads home and driving past the childhood dwelling of Mark Miller. Here are some pics demonstrating how the snow conditions were and how I felt after the race.