The Colorado Youth Snowshoe Championships will be held at Summit HS on February 13. Photo contributed by Darren Brungardt.
Special to Colorado Track XC by Darren Brungardt
Winter is upon us in Colorado: the high plains of eastern Colorado are coated in a blanket of white as far as the eye can see, the uplifted mesas of Colorado’s western slope are aglow in beautiful reds and whites, and the High Rockies are buried under feet of endless powder. It is the hardest time of the year for a high school runner in Colorado to stay fit after such a successful cross country season and preparing for an epic track and field season.
Your hometown may resemble mine…the Land the Snowplows Forgot…streets filled with slush and ice, motorists cruising at you splashing slush that looks like the gravy the lunch lady slopped on your plate two weeks ago, and the bitterly cold wind cutting through the layers of Turkey Trot shirts you have been wearing all winter long. What is a runner to do? Some of your teammates have decided hibernation is the best tactic . . . when spring time hits, they emerge from their cave of winter slumber more ready to heave a shot than run a 5:15 mile.
Fortunately, you have decided to stay active this winter in preparation for the track season that sportswriters will be writing about for ages . . . you are going to PR in every event this year and take home every color of ribbon imaginable. There are many options for a Colorado high school runner to stay fit this time of year. One option is running road races of all kinds: Turkey Trots, Jingle Bell Runs, Resolution Runs, Frostbite 5Ks, and Super Bowl Races. Another option is running through the halls of your high school . . . just watch out for the custodial staff and those vacuum cords! You just watched an insane 1000 meter indoor race on ESPN 8 (the Ocho) where runners were running on wooden tracks that were banked steeper than a NASCAR track, and you were wondering about changing your last name to a first name . . . like Ricky Bobby. Coloradans are lucky to have many fine indoor tracks; one of the world’s finest indoor tracks is at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs . . . a facility that you wish you had at your campus.
If you are like me, you just want to be outside. Treadmills and rec center tracks are only fun for so long! Snowshoe running has become my favorite winter time activity, and this year Summit High School will host the first ever Colorado State Youth Snowshoe Championship 5K. The race will take place February 13, 2010 at Summit High School in Frisco, CO. This race is also a national qualifier for the Snowshoe National Championships in Syracuse, NY. The national championship race will take place on March 6, 2010, and the top ten boys and girls that are members of the United States Snowshoe Association (www.snowshoeracing.com) in the Colorado Youth State Championship will qualify for the national race. The course is a fun mixture of big uphills, fast downhills, and speedy flats. It is also a fun time for the whole family: there is a non-competitive 2K snowshoe walk and the Love Me Tender Snowshoe Adventure 10K (this is also a national qualifier for adults over 19). There will be snacks and awards after the race and an Elvis costume contest. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds will go to the scholarship fund for the children of a Summit High School English teacher that passed away from a long battle with cancer.
You might be asking yourself, “Is snowshoe running for me?” The answer is “Yes!” The art of snowshoeing is a simple one: get some warm water resistant clothes on, get your favorite running shoe on, strap on a pair of snowshoes, and start running! The snowshoes are not the same snowshoes your grandpa has hanging in his garage; they are lightweight, small, tight straps, and not wooden. When I first started I was worried about tripping over my snowshoes, but it never happened . . . and if you fall running downhill the snow is very forgiving, unlike that icy bike path in your neighborhood!
Please come join us for the first ever Colorado Youth Snowshoe State Championship taking place on February 13th at Summit High School in Frisco, CO. If you would like an event form, please email me at summitrunner3521@yahoo.com. The race is $20 for youth and $25 for adults, which includes snacks and a T-shirt. Come have fun in the sun and the snow!