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by Teri J. Dwyer
If Mother Nature fails to deliver, there's a 2.5-mile loop of groomed cross-country ski trails around the venue – the Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minnesota – where snow-making equipment is at the ready. This would require elite snowshoers to complete four loops to get in their requisite 10K. However, if there is enough natural snow, event organizers will create a 5K loop. Either way, organizers are promising a snow-covered course. Zbikowski, who lives near Elm Creek and runs and snowshoes there often, said confidently, "There's going to be plenty of snow. There was snow over there in the park last year through May. I think some of it went into June before it completely melted off. I'm not worried about that." He does worry about one thing: the possibility of early March rain. "What would be horrendous for the event? A rainstorm. In that case we'd run without snowshoes," Zbikowski said. "Runners will run through practically anything." Elm Creek Park Reserve boasts a newly opened visitor center that will afford spectators the opportunity to view the races at the start, finish and points in between. The events will include national senior men's and women's championship races (10K), junior (19 and younger) national boys and girls championship races (5K), a kids' open race (12 years and younger) and an open citizen's race (5K) for snowshoers of all ages and abilities. The national championship events are for snowshoers who have previously attained a qualifying standard at one of any number of the races chosen by the USSSA throughout the country. There are a few notable athletes in the upper Midwest who are expected to be contenders. They include Scott Gall of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Mike Decker of Traverse City, Michigan; and returning champion Greg Hexum of Duluth, Minnesota (a profile of Hexum also appears in this issue). Among the women, Cindy Brockman of Maplewood, Minnesota, was a member of the 2005 and 2006 national snowshoe team. She's serving as chairwoman of the local organizing committee for this event. The 16-member U.S. National Snowshoe Team will be determined by the results of the national championships. The team is comprised of the top five senior men and women in the 10K and the top three junior boys and girls in the 5K. Zbikowski stressed that first-time snowshoers are welcome in the open races. "The intent right now is to have two different types of events. One is the very competitive national championships. And then we'll have a citizen's event that's more of a fun run or walk on snowshoes. It will be a noncompetitive event," Zbikowski said. "We just want to draw people to have fun." Mark Elmore, sports director for the USSSA, said a limited number of snowshoes will be available for those wanting to give the sport a try. He said a number of snowshoe representatives and events sponsors will also be on hand. Of course participants can bring in their own shoes. "They can bring in just about any kind of snowshoe they can think of. But they will not be allowed to run without some kind of snowshoe," Zbikowski said. "I suspect there will be some parents who want to walk or run the kids' run with their children. That's fine, as long as they're wearing snowshoes, too. We're hoping that those adults will have so much fun when they're done with the kids' run, they'll want to do the citizens' race as well." The event won't end with the morning citizens' race. Participants in this event will be able to get reduced rates on cross-country skiing and tubing at Elm Creek Park Reserve for the rest of the day. And the organizers have yet another event planned for the evening of the March 10. "We'd like people to stick around. We'll be doing a four-person 10K relay using that same 2.5K or 5K loop. It's all lighted," Zbikowski said. "There's no qualifying required. We're open to all teams." He said the relay will have men's, women's and mixed (two men/two women) divisions. Teams can sign up on race day. Zbikowski is a big advocate for opening up the sport of snowshoeing to everyone. "Anybody who can run, can run on snowshoes," he said. "I think by now we've progressed beyond the thought that we're running on great big wooden snowshoes. Today's shoes are lightweight and they're very easy to run in. We can't tell you what snow conditions are going to be like, but it could be interesting." With Minnesota already hosting many snowshoe races every winter, it makes sense for the national snowshoe championships to come here, too. Zbikowski took over the reins of this championship event late last fall but is confident it will go off without a hitch. "It's really the reason I volunteer to do these things," he said. "I've gotten so much out of these sports and someone has to put these things on. I think it's partly my responsibility to help out." Teri Dwyer, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been a runner for over 20 years and a writer for longer than she can remember.
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