Exeter’s Snowshoe Hullabaloo is part of a growing Seacoast snowshoe racing scene
By Larry Clow
Running on snowshoes is not for the faint of heart. But running a full four-mile race on snowshoes? That’s for the truly dedicated, according to snowshoe racer Ri Fahnestock.
“It’s like doing a 5k, except going uphill. It’s about going max threshold for as long as you can,” he said. “No matter what the conditions are like, because you’ve got these big, flappy paddles on your feet, it’s a lot more resistant.”
Fahnestock is one of the race directors for the Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo, an annual snowshoe race that will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21. Snowshoe races are growing in popularity, according to Fahnestock, and a small community of racers passionate about dashing as fast as they can through the snow is developing both here in the Seacoast and around the state.
Fahnestock and Sarah Sallade organized the first Snowshoe Hullabaloo in 2010. They were already avid trail racers and members of the Acidotic racing team — in fact, they ran a similar trail race course through the Henderson-Swazey Woods in the summer. When the team got into snowshoe racing, Fahnestock said designing a course for the Henderson-Swazey Woods seemed natural. Fahnestock lived near the trails and ran them frequently.
“They were a staple in my life,” he said. “You just fall in love with that and want to share it with people.”
Though snowshoe races have been happening throughout the state for years, it’s only been since 2009 that they’ve been organized under the umbrella of the Granite State Snowshoe Series. Once the snow starts falling, Fahnestock said snowshoers can go racing at least once a weekend every week until March.
“Every snowshoe racer knows at least a dozen other snowshoe racers, and the (races) provide ample opportunities for camaraderie.”
— Chris Dunn of Acidotic Racing
The series includes races at Moose Mountain in Brookfield, in Whitaker Woods in North Conway, and at Beaver Brook in Hollis, among others. The Snowshoe Hullabaloo and a moonlight race at Kingman Farm in Madbury on Saturday, Feb. 28, are the series’ two Seacoast events.
“The snowshoe racing community in New Hampshire in general, and the Seacoast in particular, is one of the strongest in the region,” said Chris Dunn, founder and owner of Acidotic Racing. “The Granite State Snowshoe Series, along with a couple of really big winters, from a snowfall standpoint, has helped the number of participants grow steadily every year since 2009.”
According to Dunn, trail and mountain racing are increasingly popular, and snowshoe racing is a “natural extension” of the sports. There’s a lot of crossover between the groups, and, according to Dunn, the result is an open, friendly community of racers.
“Every snowshoe racer knows at least a dozen other snowshoe racers, and the (races) provide ample opportunities for camaraderie,” he said. And, Dunn added, there are practical benefits, too: training and racing in snowshoes keeps runners fit at a time of year when it’s difficult to hit the trails.
What’s running a snowshoe race like? According to Fahnestock, it’s intense.
Snowshoe courses are typically short — the race courses in Exeter and Madbury are both about four miles, which Fahnestock said is longer than most.
“Because the distances are short, you want to be a lot more competitive … (and) you really have to put in that full-out effort. It’s not like a marathon. You just go all out.”
Michael St. Hillaire and his son, Connor, race through the Henderson-Swazey Woods.
Though the route of the course remains the same, the physical layout changes depending on the weather. That’s the beauty of snowshoe racing, Fahnestock said. Conditions one year might yield hard-packed snow, while other years, racers might wade through powder. High winds may create massive snow drifts one year and not the next.
The Exeter course features tight, twisty single tracks, a lot of “false flats” (it feels like you’re running on flat ground, but it’s really a gentle uphill grade, Fahnestock said), and a section called the “camel humps.”
“It’s as vertical as you can go for a couple hundred feet,” Fahnestock said. “The course is kind of long, with a lot of terrain that just doesn’t let up.”
The race is open to snowshoers of all levels, Fahnestock said, from ultra-competitive racers to those who simply want to take a snowy walk through the woods. The competition may be particularly fierce this year, though — the Snowshoe Hullabaloo is a qualifying race for the U.S. Snowshoe Association’s national competition.
No matter who wins, after the race, everyone gathers around a fire for some hot soup and a post-race ceremony.
“We try to keep it warm and festive,” Fahnestock said.
The Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo takes place on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. in the Henderson-Swazey Woods, 6 Commerce Way, in Exeter. Snowshoes are available for rent at the race. Registration is $30. To register, go to acidoticracing.com.