Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 mile cross country snowfest

The snow started to fall before Dan Vassallo picked me up. We were heading to the Assault on Mount Hood 3.5 cross country race in Melrose. It was going to be fun. I have not raced on snow and with it falling in a long time without snowshoes. We got to the Mount Hood golf course soon enough and did a warm up out on the golf course sort of checking out the first two miles with Dan and Scott Mindel before I headed back to get into the racing gear. I carefully hand-picked a Brooks Puregrip 4 and was impressed with the traction on the snow covered grass which accumulated 2 inches. However, the cart paths or any pavement were sketchy at best.  We had a team of three and felt decent for a CMS team win.

Terry on my tail after 2.5 miles

The race immediately went down a hill. I saw a few people fall - in a safe slow motion kind of way. I was pretty careful to keep on my feet and stay away from those sliding down the hill on their asses. It was quite funny. I scored a guy from Mystic Runners a 8.0 on his tumble. Being as cautious as I was buried me behind at least 40 runners. I worked to move into the top 20 over the next mile.  I saw several orange singlets ahead from Cambridge Sports Union (CSU). I recognized Kevin Delaney and Terry McNatt. I ended up battling them for a while. Terry was quick and fearless down the hills. I was able to close any deficit up the hills. The footwear I had on was impressive for the traction but was crap on any pavement. I went out of my way to run on the grass even if it caused me to not get the best line or tangent.

The race had a tough climb toward the Mount Hood tower but never approached the base of it. As the race started to decline into mile three, Kevin was going after Terry and I followed with astutely. However, once we hit the driveway with 400m to go, I had to downshift into defensive mode. I lost any and all battles going into the downhill finish. Kevin and Terry ran 22:50 and 51 to my 22:56 (20^th place). I went through the finish chute and confirmed that Scott and Dan went 1-2 overall. We immediately changed into some warm clothes and ran over the course for a cool down.

Upon return, there was plenty of beer, pasta, salad, bread, and chowder for everyone. In a bit of a surprise, our team never got called up as one of the top three open teams, hence striking out on reclaiming the top team as CMS has done in the past. After the awards, we approached the race director, Brian who is as cool as it gets. After researching the team entry forms, he found ours but it never got entered. He immediately let us pick out any Nutcracker on the table. And we did. 

CMS polar bears: Dan, Scott, and I

Polar Beverages getting free adverisement

Yes, Mount Hood Beer Glass, Nutcracker, and limited edition "Straight Outta Peabody" brew

Dan with the spiffy Nutcracker pick up

Hardware for the day

2016 Snowshoe Racing schedules for New England and beyond

2014 Snowshoe Nationals, Prospect Mountain, Woodford VT
Photo by KrissyK

In the spirit of the white stuff touching down upon us tonight, I wanted to share three 2016 Snowshoe racing schedules for those in New England: Granite State, Western Mass Athletic Club, and Central MA. All sites are currently getting updates for event URL's and finalized race distances which can often be dictated by snow conditions (if there is snow). Keep track of the links below for updates. 

The Granite State web site is pretty good with advising if the race is still happening the evening before the race. 

The WMAC series will send out an email update the Friday or afternoon before the race. If you do not get those updates, let me know and I will get your email added to the list. 

Lastly, the Central MA snowshoe series will hold their races regardless of a lack of snow (sneakers with use of traction device permitted). Otherwise, they will communicate through Facebook, web site series below, or through email to registered athletes. 

2016 Granite State Snowshoe Series

Best 4 races score in the series

January 16, 2016 Whitaker Woods (4 miles) - North Conway NH

January 23, 2016 Moose Mountain Runaround – Brookfield NH

January 31, 2016 Beaver Brook – Hollis NH

February 7, 2016 Horsehill – Merrimack NH

February 13, 2016 Kingman Farm Moonlight (4.5 miles) – Madbury NH

February 20, 2016 Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo (4 miles) – Exeter NH

March 5, 2016 Granite State Championships – Wolfeboro NH

March 12, 2016 Northeast Championships* Woodford VT

*not part of the GSSS scoring

2016 WMAC / DION Snowshoe Series

January 9, 2016 Hilltop Orchard 5K – Richmond MA

January 17, 2016 Greenwood Gallop 5K – Mt Prospect, Woodford VT

January 23, 2016 Hoot Toot & Whistle 5K – Readsboro VT

January 31, 2016 Curly’s 4 miles? - Pittsfield MA

February 6, 2016 Northfield Mountain 4 miles– Northfield MA

February 7, 2016 Saratoga Winterfest 5K – Saratoga NY

February 13, 2016 Camp Saratoga 8K – Wilton, NY

February 20, 2016 WMDP Snowshoe Scramble 5K/10K – Holyoke MA

February 21, 2016 Brave The Blizzard 5K? – Guilderland NY

February 27, 2016 Snow Summit 5K – Woodford VT

February 28, 2016 Bay State Games – Becket MA

March 6, 2016 Thunderfest 5K - Adams MA

March 12, 2016 Northeast Regional Championship – Woodford VT

Central MA Snowshoe Series presented by DION Snowshoes

January 17, 2016 Moore State Park 5K – Paxton MA
January 31, 2016 Newton Hill 5K – Worcester MA
February 13, 2016 Wallum Lake Twilight Tour 5K – Douglas MA
February 27, 2016 For the Love of Snowshoe 5K – Holden MA
March 5, 2016 Leominster State Forest 4.5 miles – Leominster MA