Q: How do you know if there is enough snow for a snowshoe race?

A: When more than two people show up for it.



The First Annual Des Moines Winter Games was cursed by good weather last weekend. Apparently people called to see if the snowshoe race was on or off due to lack of snow. Well, they had it, but picked out the wrong course to race on.

I'm lucky - I have Mandy's cheap kicks to race on, but if I splurged on a pair of titanium Red Feathers, I'd be pissed. 85% of the course was on either golf cart path or grass.

Alas, the promoters were kind enough to put on the event, and plan for another in 2009. Here is my top to-do list from a promoter, to a promoter.

10. See that the media promoter www.DMCityview.com shows up for pictures, not the www.DesMoinesRegister.com. Ha!
9. Promote that snowshoes would be loaned out on the race day. Boxes of snowshoes... wow, that is a gift!
8. Have a specific notice on www.FitnessSports.com. Steve Bobenhouse runs a great shop and a rich website - put it up for the tons of traffic he has.
7. Email blast to local running groups for promotion. SCRC, DSMTri, etc would help promote.
6. Mark the course a little tighter - I got lost easily.
5. When in doubt, choose a more difficult snow/ice course over an easy grass/pavement course.
4. Thanks for the water! I was happy to see water on the course. Wow, I was thirsty!
3. GET EXCITED! Sell the event to the public through websites, blogs, etc. The race was 2-3 pages deep on the event website.
2. Many thanks for putting on the event. Despite this feedback - the event was a success. The first one is always the hardest - whether two or two hundred people.
1. Run the actual race in the snow. From University, there was a great expanse of shaded areas with substantial snow cover that would have been great for racing. On the second lap, I actually cut the course long to stay in the snow.

Now, back to training and the drawing board.