Snowshoeing at Empire State Games

In the course of the 1500m race your soul is revealed. Five laps around a 300meter- four lane "track" with fifteen or twenty other competitors may not seem like much. Depending on snow conditions the men's masters race is over in 5:45-9 minutes. The women's masters division competitors are done in 7:00-11:00.

When I can see the arteries of my heart beating through my skin,
typically after the first lap because the leaders dragged us out too fast, I know the race has really begun.

By the second lap I'm wondering if I can finish. In the third lap it seems I might black out, my body is blinded by the snow and sun and delirium sets in. With 500 meters left the decision has to be made; How deep are you willing to take the pain? Can you embrace the moment, enjoy being out there at the same time you must make a move NOW and go for a medal or a personal record time? If so, you have to dig and it has to be immediately. Not being a fast-twitch fiber guy I can't wait and hope my opponent will fade. Punish him now, if he's ahead make a decisive move and go by like you have a 100m left. Do not let up at the 1200m mark! The spectators are listening to the breathing, especially yours, it's as if a freight train is coming down the track or a bear is being chased out of the woods by a hunter. Don't let this bother you. Think of Sir Roger Bannister, miler Jim Ryun or Olympian Emil Zatopek. They weren't pretty during the last laps. Why do you care? This is a race, you aren't there for anything but to see how fast you can go. As your legs tighten remember the training, use your arms to propel forward, get up and sprint that last 300m knowing that in 70-90 seconds it is over. You are snowshoeing a faster 1500meters than 98% of the population can run on a track in the summer. It may be crazy, but it's cool.


The big weekend of snowshoe racing is finally upon us. In what may possibly be the last Empire State Winter Games (state budget cuts) the pressure mounts to try and snare a medal.

Saturday begins with the 1500m race, followed by the short sprints, 100m, 200m and 400m. The sprints are held on a 4 lane 300m track around a soccer field in the woods near Paul Smith's College, north of Saranac Lake. It is typically cold (5-15 degrees). Jan and I learned quickly to make sure our vehicle has a full tank of gas so we could stay semi-warm between events and to bring lots of snacks to eat throughout the day.

Sunday at 1:00pm is the cross-country 5k race, usually run near Mt. Van Hoevenburg south of Lake Placid (near the bobsled area). Most of the course is groomed, through the woods, with fairly wide trails, and is rolling hills, not anything super steep and long.