Stomp the Swamp

The Stomp the Swamp race was a great race at Nine Mile Ski Area near Rib Mountain in Wausau, Wisconsin. With weather conditions supposed to be extremely warm and with so much snow gone, there was still plenty of snow in the woods to play on. This set the stage for the last snowshoe race of my season. The race course consisted of a 6K course or racers could do two loops to achieve a 12K distance. I finished the 12K course in a time of 1:01:39 and had the fastest time of the day. I posed at the finish with fellow snowshoer John Kann and the snowshoer known solely as "Braveheart" to dedicated snowshoe racers in this part of the state. Supposedly, he will run in shorts and short sleeved singlet as in the picture in most races. I didn't fare as well as Braveheart, as ice built up in a very heavy layer on my socks, and at the end of the race I forgot to peel it all off. Well, it turned into frostbite on the side of my legs. I learned a lesson and won't do that again. Perhaps some gaitors might be a better idea. My wife also participated in the race and I was able to get a nice picture of the two of us at the finish. The postrace meal was awesome. There was homemade soup, hot dogs, many homemade bars, Leine's beer, and many other things that made this postrace meal unique compared to many others I have participated in. I loved the course. The hills on this course were relentless and the course was over 90% singletrack. The race organizer, Jay Punke, has put on a wonderful race which was very well organized and well-run.