New Course Records:
Best Three Performances:
Worst Three Performances:
2003 Races
Race Number 22:
Race: Talking Turkey 6 Mile XC Race
Date: November 29
Location: Holyoke, MA
Distance: 6M
Time: 30:04
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: coolrunning
Comments: I really did not expect to break Sandu’s record today given the rather extreme wind. After about 400m, I went into the lead and ran well and in control for the first three miles passing through in 14:56. The fourth mile, however, heads straight into the wind and much of it is along a narrow causeway that offers no protection. After running this mile in 5:10, (20:05 split), I knew that the record was still within my reach. That fourth mile had taken a lot out of me, though, and I had to fight hard in those last few miles to maintain my pace.
Race Number 21:
Race: 23rd Annual Slattery's Turkey Trot 5 Mile Road Race
Date: November 23
Location: Fitchburg, MA
Distance: 5M
Time: 24:44
Splits:
Place: 4th
Link to results: coolrunning
Comments: Another road race… at least this one was hilly. After a first mile in 4:30 (quite possibly short), eventual one and two took off and I ran with eventual third for two more miles before being left behind to wallow alone in defeat. While I was not happy about placing just outside of the prize money, I was happy with my time (13 seconds faster than a month back at RoJacks on a much faster course) given the rolling nature of the race.
Race Number 20:
Race: Cape Cod Marathon
Date: October 26
Location: Falmouth, MA
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 2:33:10
Splits:
Place: 4th (3rd in USATFNE Championship)
Link to results: www.capecodmarathon.com
Comments: Marathoning is truely awful and I am never going to run one again.
Race Number 19:
Race: Rojacks 5M
Date: October 5
Location: Attleboro, MA
Distance: 5M
Time: 24:57
Splits:
Place: 13th (11th in USATFNE Championship)
Link to results: coolrunning
Comments: Road racing is truely awful. In addition to this race not being very much fun, I got outkicked in the final 50meters for the last money spot.
Race Number 18:
Race: World Mountain Running Trophy
Date: September 21
Location: Girdwood, Alaska
Distance: ~11 km
Time: 54:21.4
Place: 15th
Link to results: www.wmrt2003.com
Comments: While we only had a fraction of the snow on our course that the women and Jr. men had on the previous day, the 2003 World Mountain Running Trophy had its share of mud, water, and slipperiness. In the first 800 meters, I was thinking (as I usually do near this point in a race) that I had not warmed up sufficiently. For a mountain race, the pace just seemed so fast… I ran a hard effort to the start of the first lap and was still in about 30th place. I took it (relatively) easy for the first lap, loosing a few places at the start of the climb and then gaining a few back toward the end. Despite taking it easy (and losing one position in the process), the first downhill was over almost before it started. It was worth it (holding back) on the second climb when I passed about 10 people on the way up. At the top, I looked at my watch and it said 39+ minutes; I knew that I would run the course in 54 to 55 minutes and so I thought, “alright, just 15 more minutes of pain and then this is over.” I started running down as fast as I could, which; given the terrain was not that fast at first. At the top, the course is so steep that it actually impedes running quickly. I had two French runners with me and I knew that their team would be in contention for the medal stand so I did my best to lose them. One guy fell off right away while the other would pass me on the steep sections while I would pass him on the flat(ter) stretches. Other than these two, I did not see anyone for a while. Once we hit the lower part of the course, I closed the gap on a few more runners and just before the final climb, I was able to pass my way into a respectable position. After previewing the course on the Thursday before the race, the spot that scared me the most was this final climb. After destroying your quads running all out, straight downhill for 2.5 miles, you come to a short climb that is about one km from the finish line. The climb did not disappoint. It was just as bad as I had feared. Fortunately, I only lost two places on the climb but I gained them all back and got one more just after cresting. This late surge was due, in large part to the fan support along this section of the course. One of the major apprehensions that I had about hosting the WMRT in rural Alaska was that I thought that no one would be there to watch (except for the European women and juniors). This was absolutely not the case as the crowds were awesome. I ran the rest of the race closing on 14th place but ran out of course before getting to him.
Race Number 17:
Race: Challenge Stellina
Date: August 24
Location: Susa, Italy
Distance: ~14.5 km
Time: 1:19:06
Place: 5th
Link to results: Athelica Susa
Comments: With only two weeks in between Sierra-Zinal and Susa, I was worried about recovery. I think that one thing that really helped me was the fact that I was so tired by the time that I reached the downhill to Zinal, I was unable to run at anything even approaching a fast pace- thus saving my legs from the pounding of a well-run descent. Regardless, the opening miles of Challenge Stellina were pretty rough. I sat in behind the lead pack during the opening mile while Simon Gutierrez took the early lead. Having done nothing in the way of speedwork during the past, oh, three months, the first mile (flat, paved, and fast) felt downright uncomfortable. That, however, was nothing compared to the discomfort of charging up the initial climb in the heat of the Italian sun. I paced myself through the first climb but even then, I was in a good position by the flat bit in the middle. I headed up the seconds climb chasing eventual second place finisher, Robert Krupicka. Going into the third climb, I could see 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in not all that far in front of me (well, actually, they were above me on the switchbacks). I failed, however, to close much ground on them by the flat portion at the top. Half-way through the flats, Simon G. passed me and we I ran with him, hoping to catch one more place. Going up the final hill, Simon pulled away and, with no one behind me, I thought that my race was over. Fortunately, the finish is on a technical downhill trail and I managed to gain back may advantage before the finish. The team race at Challenge Stellina is well emphasized as the race is run in memory of a WW-II battle that was waged on the mountain and all of the countries that fought in the battle now run in the race. With me in 5th and Simon in 6th, our combined times were 15 seconds better than the second-place Italian team. The Italians, who have never lost the world trophy, have only lost the Challenge Stellina once before and that was to a team consisting of Aaron Strong and Johnathan Wyatt. Needless to say, people (especially me) were pretty stunned.
Race Number 16:
Race: Sierra-Zinal
Date: August 10
Location: Sierra, Switzerland
Distance: ~31 km
Time: 2:43:50
Place: 9th
Link to results: datasport
Comments: This was my second most important race of the year and so I did a good job of taking it easy in the days leading up to the race. Last year, I ran the initial climb to Chandolin and, even though that is the toughest part of the course, I was still pretty scared of the full 31 km route. While last year’s race had been shortened to a mere 11 km due to excessive amounts of snow on the course, this year, there was a record-setting heat wave throughout Europe and, even at 2500 meters above sea level, the heat (over 90 degrees) was a major factor in the race. I went out easy at the start and was in about 50th place after about 400 meters. Slowly, I moved up into 10th or so by the time the race leaves the pavement and really starts to climb. The climb to Chandolin went really well for me. After running in 3rd, 4th, and 5th with Moroccan, Maati El Chaam and Mexican, Richardo Meja for a while, Chaam dropped back and Meja pulled away shortly thereafter. I continued in 4th for a long time after that, catching glimpses of 3rd every once in a while. I passed Kelli who she said that she was in eight and had stopped to re-tie her shoe; nevertheless, she was very encouraging. I continued to run strong through the two-hour mark, then, just when the course was beginning to get fun, I started running out of energy. On the final climb of the course (to Hotel Weisshorn- note: I never actually saw what is apparently a huge, landmark building), Chaam passed me like I was standing still. Then, several other runners passed me like I was standing still. I was in eighth place going into the steep descent part of the course and I managed to get passed only once more despite extreme fatigue.
Race Number 15:
Race: Thyone-Dixence
Date: August 3
Location: Thyone, Switzerland
Distance: ~15 km
Time: 1:15:42
Place: 10th
Link to results: www.thyon-dixence.ch
Comments: Regardless of two major mistakes that I made going into this race, I feel that I came away with a solid performance. First, the mistakes…one, I traveled too late (arriving late Thursday night) and two, I trained to hard in the seven days prior to the race completing an ascent of Pikes Peak and a workout on the incline in that time. These decisions left me with no ability to climb on the day of the race and as a result, I finished about 5-places in arrears of where I should have been. The invited athlete list was impressive and several Ethiopians and Kenyans that registered day of made the field a tough one. The beginning of the race is kinda weird with a start on the widest stretch of pavement in the vicinity followed by a sneak behind Thyon 2000 the resort that host the start as well as the invited athletes. After 200 meters of flat, x-c running, the course hits a climb that allowed eventual winner, Marco De Gasperi to open up a good-sized lead that he would never relinquish. Meanwhile, I was struggling back around 10th. The middle of the race is a 90-degree-induced blur. While the course profile would lead one to expect a stroll along the Merrimac river trail, the course is a never-ending series of vertical undulations. I should add on a positive note that this is the most beautiful course that I have ever raced. Near the end of the final big climb, I got passed into 11th; fortunately, at least one of the men who went by could not handle the descent down to the Dix reservoir (the largest reservoir in Europe). The final 300 meters is run on the dam that holds back the lake and the distance is marked in meters to go every 50 meters. That was a really long 300 meters.
Race Number 14:
Race: Nike ACG 10k
Date: July 19
Location: Beaver Creek, Colorado
Distance: 10 kilometers
Time: 42:19
Splits:
Place: 1st (tie)
Comments: I hate to say it, but this race was all about the money. After competing in the Vail Hillclimb and the Barr Trail Mountain race in the two weekends prior, I really had no business racing for a third weekend in a row. Additionally, I was having difficulty properly recovering from the extended downhill portion at the BTMR, a race that damages my legs almost as much as a road marathon. Nevertheless, the advertisement of $1000, $750, and $500 for first, second, and third on a course that I knew would be well suited to my abilities was just too tempting. I knew that the competition at the front would be good with Scott Gall and Simon Gutierrez in attendance along with a large group from Wasted State. William Raitter III was there but opted for easy money in the 5k ($250 for the win). At the gun, Simon and I lead the race out along with a guy in triathalon clothes. After only a few minutes of climbing, though, it was just Simon and me. We climbed together on the first loop before hitting the downhill, a narrow, steep, twisting singletrack where I relaxed and still managed to extend my lead. I ran easily through the flat portion at the end of the first lap and by the beginning of the second climb, Simon was back with me. By the top of the second climb, Simon had pulled a slight gap on me and, as we descended on a gradual, smooth path (perfect for Simon), I began to worry that I had blown the race by not pushing the pace earlier. My luck changed, however, as the course left the main trail for a tight singletrack headed straight down. Within a few hundred meters, I had reduced my deficit to nothing and, with 800m to go, Simon and I reiterated a plan that we had discussed earlier (if we were together near the end) to tie for the win.
Race Number 13:
Race: Barr Trail Mountain Race
Date: July 13
Location: Manitou Springs, Colorado
Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:30:55
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: www.runpikespeak.com
Link to articles:
Comments: On my 2003 schedule, only two other races are more important to me than the BTMR (Sierra-Zinal and the World Trophy); needless to say, I took my preparation for this race very seriously. This year, there was a lot going on for the trip to Barr Camp and back, not the least of which was the introduction of preems along the climb wherein a horn is blown after the leaders pass a predetermined but undisclosed location and the first person to traverse the next 50m gets between $50 and $100. The first of these preems was only about 400m into the race and there were four of us together at the front when the horn sounded. I had spoken with Justin Chastin just before the race and learned of his goal of winning the first preem and not much else and I knew that the two-time Olympic steeplechaser (GB) would have little difficulty meeting this goal. Nevertheless, he and Simon Gutierrez got about 25m on me in the next 50m and it took another quarter mile for everything to get back to normal. Ten minutes into the race, Matt Carpenter, Simon, and I running together with no one visible in arrears. Toward the top of the W’s (the steepest portion of the course), Simon and Matt began to pull away. While I would like to say that I was being patient in letting them go, the truth is that I really had no choice as I was running close to all out at the time. Possibly to my advantage, this allowed for me to run my own pace for the rest of the race. Barr Camp finally came but not before I got to see Matt flying down the mountain already well ahead of Simon (despite Simon arriving at the top slightly in the lead). One advantage of an out and back race is that competitors can see each other; in this instance, I could see that I had a ways to go to catch Matt and that there was no one close enough behind to catch me. Another nice thing about an out and back race is all of the cheers and encouragement that you get from oncoming runners. Just above No Name (about one half of the way down), I finally caught sight of Matt and just below, I passed him. All that I could think about was to run as hard as I could to put the nail in the coffin. I had a really good final 3 miles and a good downhill run in general running almost 1.5 minutes faster than in 2002 from top to bottom. After finishing, I spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon accompanying my fiancé, Kelli to the ER for an X-ray and 10 stitches.
Race Number 12:
Race: Vail Hillclimb
Date: July 6
Location: Vail, Colorado
Distance: 7.5 Miles (or thereabouts)
Time: 50:10
Splits:
Place: 4th
Link to results: vailrec
Link to article: coolrunning
Comments: Despite the exclusionary nature of the race location (at 8,500' above sea level-the lowest domiciled man in the top ten hails from Boulder, CO at almost 6,000'), the first ever USATF National Mountain Running Championships had an amazingly talented and deep field. With its smooth footing, wide paths, and minimal elevation gain, the hybrid course provided an excellent opportunity for some of the country’s top mountain runners to meet some top high altitude road runners halfway. The weather was beautiful for spectator if a bit hot for running uphill with 65 degrees and plenty of sunshine at the start. At the gun, Simon Guitierrez, quite expectedly, shot into the lead but failed to open even a slight gap over four more ambitious competitors. After about one kilometer, Peter DeLaCerta took over the lead and pulled the pack through the mile marker in 4:26 (possibly a bit short seeing as I my sea level track pr is 4:30). Shortly thereafter, DeLaCerta and Josh Eberly pulled away at a startling rate. I worked with Guitierrez through two miles at which point DeLaCerta had already opened up a 30 meter gap. Guitierrez then picked it up and easily passed Eberly within a few miles leaving me to run at my own pace (which, on the hills, is what I like to do anyway). Running “my own pace”, I caught up with Eberly and passed him relatively quickly; unfortunately, I lacked the speed/strength to finish the job and he managed to latch onto my pace. Normally, I like it when this happens in a mountain race because it is a really easy way to beat a competitor- by making him run your pace until he blows up; however, the top of the Vail Hillclimb is rife with flat spots, gentle grades, and even a few downhills and so the tactic did not work. With a few miles to go, Eberly passed me, quickly built a 10 second gap, and stubbornly held it until the finish. While I was disappointed with my finish, I did run faster than in the previous year and I was happy to run against such as quality field on US soil. I do, however, look forward to running a national mountain running championship on a course that is a bit more, um, mountainous.
Race Number 11:
Race: Northfield Mountain
Date: June 6
Location: Northfield, Massachusetts
Distance: 8.33 Miles
Time: 50:05
Place: 1st
Link to results: coolrunning
Link to article: coolrunning
Comments: During the 1.5 weeks leading up to this race, my legs were extremely tired; even a few days out, I was really worried that I would not be able to bring things around and recover in time for what would be an important race against a very deep field. That field included six former members of the national mountain running team, the last three USATF mountain runners of the year, and, of course, a few wild cards. At the gun, Eric Morse took the lead and lead a large pack on the one km runout. At the first hill, this pack maintained cohesion before Eric and I began to stretch it out on the first long ascent. Early in the climb, the ascent is interrupted by a sudden drop down to a stream crossing. Eric almost stopped and I decided that I would take the lead after this so as not to get caught behind for any of the more technical sections that I more my specialty than, well, most people. Leading up the hill, I maintained a pace that kept Eric right on my heels and allowed us to stay in striking distance of the rest of the field . For the first downhill, I traded the lead with Eric at a leisurely pace that allowed for a pack of about eight runners to round to pond within a few seconds of one another. My plan for the past few months was to run easy for the first lap and then separate myself from the field during the climb on the second lap. I had accomplished the easy part of my objective and now it was time pull away. I managed to pull an immediate lead without killing myself. I held this level of exertion to the top before running down hill fast enough to maintain fluidity. This was a very big win for my (New England Mt. Running Champion and my first automatic selection to the national team) but I was most pleased with the fact that my 1.5 minute margin of victory was amassed entirely within the final lap.
Race Number 10:
Race: Wachusett Mt. Road Race
Date: May 24
Location: Wachusett Mountain., Massachusetts
Distance: 4.3 Miles
Time: 24:50
Place: 1st
Link to results: coolrunning
Comments: I did not quite know what to expect going into this race never having seen the course, not knowing what kind of shape Eric Morse was in, and not knowing how I would run off of large amounts of base mileage and little speekwork. Eric and I separated ourselves from the rest of the field in the first mile. At the entrance to the state park, I moved into the lead and pulled to a slight advantage on the relatively flat portion of the course. I had been taking it pretty easy up to three miles into the race. At this point, the road starts a long, uninterrupted climb toward the summit and I ran hard but controlled until I reached the parking lot near the end.
Race Number 9:
Race: adidas 7sisters trail race
Date: May 4
Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
Distance: 12 mile +/-3,700’
Time: 1:45:27
Place: 1st
Link to results: www.7sisterstrailrace.com
Comments: Well, I still won but I was two minutes slower than last year. I could blame this on the leaves or the hard race from the previous day but the main reason that I ran slower was that I was just not as focused on this particular race as I was last year. Last year I was really afraid of not winning this race and I put a considerable amount of specific mental and physical preparation into what many people regard as a rather low-key event. This year, I just tried not to fall down.
Race Number 8:
Race: Merrimac River Trail Race
Date: May 3
Location: Andover, Massachusetts
Distance: 10 Miles
Time: 57:32
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: coolrunning
Comments: During the week before the race, I learned that the field would be dramatically different than I had initially though with Dave Dunham and Eric Morse declining to race due to injuries and Rich Bolt traveling out of state for the weekend. With the 7sisters race only 24 hours away, I wanted to conserve my energy and win as easily as possible. Defending champion, Ben Nephew, however, made sure that it was an honest win. After leading through the first mile in 4:59, Ben gave me the lead and I held it until the turn-around where I stopped momentarily to drink some water and he did not. Ben then led until about 8.5 miles into the race when I picked up the pace just enough to pull away. Meanwhile, my legs were telling me that I had not been all that close to 5-min pace for quite some time…
Race Number 7:
Race: USSSA National Championships
Date: March 29
Location: Solitude Ski Resort, Near SLC, Utah
Distance: 10k
Time: 48:00
Place: 1st
Link to results: snowshoeracing.com
Link to articles: coolrunning.com
Comments: What do I have to say about being the first (and possibly the last) person to actually run slower at the USSSA Nationals than at the North American Snowshoe Championships? Not a whole lot.
Race Number 6:
Race: North American Snowshoe Championships
Date: March 15
Location: Vail, CO
Distance: 10k
Time: 48:00
Place: 1st
Link to results: gohighline.com
Link to articles: gohighline.com, Vail Daily
Comments: Recent thawing dramatically altered the course and any strategies for the 2003 North American Snowshoe championships. Tactical situations often required for snowshoe racing were largely unneeded on the day due to the crusty nature of the snow. At the gun, Simon Gutierrez shot into the lead. I pulled even about 50 meters before the rapidly climbing course left a groomed trail for some singletrack at about 800 meters into the race. A few days prior, Tom Sobal had been advising me on efficient tactics for this course and his council was to make sure that I was in the top 20 or 30 going into this section. The hard crust allowed me to lead the field through the singletrack without the usual detriment to my own race. As I am not a big fan of the tactics required for proper backcountry snowshoe racing (I lack the patience), I was very pleased when I discovered that I could run at my own pace and let the race develop around me. I then ran comfortably for the first four miles of the course thinking that doing so would allow me the luxury of being rested when the field caught up with me. I started to push it during the fifth mile by which point I had decided that I could actually win the race. I pretty much hit the wall with a (largely uphill) mile to go; fortunately, I had a good enough lead that I managed to hold onto first place.
Race Number 5:
Race: Beaver Creek Snowshoe Series 10k
Date: February 22
Location: Vail, CO
Distance: 10k
Time: 52:13
Place: 3rd
Link to results: gohighline.com
Link to article: gohighline.com
Comments: This was my first experience racing in a Colorado snowshoe race and, although the competition was good, the stories of the extreme nature of the Rocky Mountain course seem to have been largely exaggerated. The 10k course at Beaver Creek could be likened to a longer version of the Northfield Mountain race starting at 8500'. One nice thing about a longer, more difficult course, though, was that the race began at an easy pace. In my four previous attempts at snowshoe racing, my first km has been an all-out sprint; it was nice to go out “on pace” for a change. Josiah Middaugh and I traded the lead for the first half of the first climb after which I was content to sit back in second. At the top of the climb, the course flattened out, Bernie B. moved into second place, and the three of us continued in close quarters until a long, gentle downhill separated us by a few seconds. I managed to close some of this gap during a powdery descent before holding a steady gap behind the leaders on a very steep uphill heading toward the four mile marker. By 4.5 miles, I was about 95% certain that I would be finishing in 3rd place and so I worked on running hard (ok, I worked hard on maintaining my pace to the finish). This was more difficult than anticipated as there was a long, sloping uphill about which I have not recollection running down during the first mile of the race. It made me happy to be alone on the course for once.
Race Number 4:
Race: Saratoga Winterfest 5k Snowshoe Race
Date: February 2
Location: Satatoga Springs, NY
Distance: 5k
Time: ??
Place: 4th
Link to results: WMAC
Comments: Things were back to normal for this race. Well, almost normal. I got to the race 5 minuets before the scheduled start, skipped registration (with the race directors hastily granted permission), put on my snowshoes and “bang.” Of all the races that I do this year, this might have been the more important one to have in a good warm-up. 5 kilometers of groomed, flat running with no time to spare for anything. Rich Bolt took the race out hard with Leigh Schmidt and I in tow. For the first half of the race, Rich pulled Leigh away from me and then for the second half, I was (very slowly) reeling Leigh in while Rich strode off into the distance. Then, in an ironic (for me) and unfortunate (for Leigh) “turn” Leigh led the two of us off course when he blew through an unmarshaled turn. When we reentered the course, we met up with the 5th and 6th runners in the race and, after passing, Leigh managed 3rd and I 4th. …not really the result that I was looking for but a good workout nontheless.
Race Number 3:
Race: Northfield Mountain
Date: February, 1
Location: Northfield, MA
Distance: 7.25 miles
Time: 33:06
Place: 1st
Link to results: WMAC
Comments: How do you win a snowshoe race in New England? First, you make sure that Dave Dunham is injured, then you manage to be the only runner in the top 5 at the half way point of the race to stay on the race course. The Northfield Mountain Snowshoe race was the most competitive field that I had encountered in my short “career” on the skins and the “Disneyland loop” start did nothing to spread things out at the front despite a fast opening pace. Five racers (with phonetically spelled names), Rich Bolt, Ian Lanza, Ethan Hemphill, Leigh Schmidt, and I hit the bottom of the hill shoulder to shoulder at which point I lead Rich on a break up toward the clouds. Rich and I traded leads for a while on the ascent (once because he slightly overshot a turn) before he pulled away while running through the outcrops. “No problem” I though, “I’ll get him on the down.” Once we hit the super-fast, groomed downhill, Rich continued to pull away such that after about 6km, I could no longer see him on the twisting, forested course. I finished the race in awe of Rich’s performance and feeling a bit dejected for getting my ass kicked so thoroughly. Then, I was handed a ticket denoting my finishing place and saw that it had the number “1” printed clearly on it. Rich, who generally stands around following a race to cheer on his competitors, was nowhere to be seen. “Well, it looks lie Rich took a wrong turn out there,” I told the finish line crew. Soon thereafter, Rich came through the finish line and confirmed that he had missed the final turn onto the singletrack which was probably 2 minutes from the finishline. Behind us, our three closest pursuers were gapped a bit on the climb before shooting through a turn and adding minutes to their respective times.
Race Number 2:
Race: Greylock Glen
Date: January, 18
Location: Adams, MA
Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 25:04 (CR)
Place: 1st
Link to results: WMAC
Comments: About one mile downhill from the start of the Greylock Glen snowshoe race, a bank thermometer read –5; however, it was also calm and sunny and sunny and, well, not all that bad. A shorter and faster course suited my strengths and allowed me to improve my place two spots from last week. A firm (relatively) crust also allowed me to decimate Dave Dunham’s course record. Leigh Schmidt shot to the lead with Rich Bolt and I right behind him. Ben Nephew made certain that it was a three-man race by falling in the first 100 meters (and then falling several more times throughout the race). Leigh led for about 9 minutes before I passed him on a groomed uphill and led (by a very small amount) all of the way to the end.
Race Number 1:
Race: South Pond Shuffle
Date: January, 11
Location: Florida, MA
Distance: ~4 miles
Time: 40:49
Place: 3rd
Link to results: WMAC
Comments: This being my first ever snowshoe race and my third ever run on snowshoes, I tried to come into the South Pond Shuffle with an open mind. Despite the cold, the wind, the getting my ass kicked, and the general absurdity of traveling somewhere to run that has more snow than your hometown, I genuinely enjoyed the experience. This is mainly because a 40-minute snowshoe race allows a person to run at 95% of their maximum heart rate for, well, 40 minutes. The race went out hard enough that, despite running all out, I quickly fell behind the leaders and into fifth place. At about one mile into the race, I moved into 4th and then caught Rich Bolt at two miles. Rich was nice enough to fall just before I passed him making it much easier to get around him. For most of the third mile, I could see eventual second-place finisher, Leigh Schmitt. By the forth mile, my legs were pretty much done and the leaders pulled most of the gap at this point. Winner, Dave Dunham finished a full two minutes in front of me after complaining of a bum ankle. I guess that I need to practice more…