Top Marks For A Colorado Classic Snowshoe Race
The 2009 Jeremy Wright Snowshoe Championships were held last weekend at Beaver Creek. This annual race is a Colorado snowshoe favorite, and unique in that it draws the fittest athletes and first-time competitors, and even has a race for the kids. And to sweeten the deal, they offer free, quality, loaner snowshoes from to those needing them. Organizers at Highline Sports and Entertainment do a great job of getting solid sponsorship (Beaver Creek Resort Company, Volvo, and Continental Airlines to name just a few), especially considering how increasingly difficult sponsorship support is becoming. Cold cash is offered to winners!
The Rugged Running blog posts a rave review, including good conditions, great race organization, and first-class treatment in general - the kind you’d expect from Beaver Creek.
From Rugged Running:
… an absolute blast. The 10k has 1,560 ft of gain, with a starting elevation of 9,800 feet. The high point is 10,400. The first mile is a steady climb of about 500 feet, the next 2.5 miles drop all the way to 9,400, with some steep powder sections to keep things interesting. The “5k” is actually 3.5 miles long, with about 700 feet of gain. Overall race scoring: 9 out of 10. …incredible views and nice scenery, and a well-thought-out course. There was more groomed terrain than at Eldora, but still some good powder. The groomed sections helped to prevent backups like I experienced at Eldora.
Race organizers take special interest an pride in this event, as it’s a tribute to their friend and snowshoer, Jeremy Wright, who was killed in 2005 while serving in Afghanistan.
