USSSA to Hold First Snowshoe Marathon Championships

The U.S. Snowshoe Marathon National Championships will make its debut in 2016 at the Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah, making it the newest addition to the Snowshoe National Championships event held by the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) February 26 through 28, according to a USSSA press release.

The Snowshoe National Championships started in 2001 with a 10K event for participants aged 20 and over, and a Junior 5K for entrants under 20. In 2015, the USSSA added a half-marathon event.

Entrants will complete laps around a 10K loop course, with an eight-hour cutoff for the 26.2-mile event and a four-hour cutoff for the 13.1-mile race. There are aid stations on the course, but the USSSA recommends that contestants be prepared to self-support.

In past years, participants in all National Championship events had to first compete in one of many qualifying races, but this year, any and all athletes who are members of the USSSA are eligible to compete, opening the field to a wider group of snowshoers.