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ENLARGE
The fourth annual Love Me Tender is the locals' pathway to the National Snowshoe Championship, which will take place in Summit County later this month. Organizers are expecting the biggest turnout in the race's history on Saturday.
The Love Me Tender was founded in 2009 as a 5k benefit for the family of Denise Oaks-Moffit, an English teacher at the high school who had passed away earlier that school year. The race expanded in 2010 to include a 10k and serve as a national championship qualifier.
This year, the event's significance is even greater, as the National Snowshoe Championship will descend on Farmer' Korner Feb. 24-26, and the Love me Tender is the best opportunity for locals to qualify. (It's not as difficult as you may think.)
“Hopefully a lot of people will come out and qualify for nationals,” said race organizer Darren Brungardt. “I would like to see a lot of local people run in the national race. I think it would be great. It's not that hard to qualify. A lot of people would be surprised.”
In the 10k, the top 10 overall finishers — male and female — and top five in each age group will earn a spot at this month's championship. Additionally, all competitors in the high school 5k will automatically qualify. Adults are welcome to participate in the 5k race, which serves as the Colorado high school state championship.
Past high school winners include Sam Lewis, a national snowshoe champion from Boulder who frequents the Summit County trail-running race scene, as well as several other national-level athletes.
“We have people coming from South Dakota, Wyoming, New York — we've got people from all over the country right now coming in to get a taste of what the national course will look like,” Brungardt said.
The 10k consists of two laps on the 5k course, which will take place almost entirely on high school property and the Summit County Recpath System. In the past, the course had headed up into the Forrest Service land, but officials were not able to permit a second event, in addition to the championship, on public property this winter, Brungardt said.
“Back in January, it was looking really scary out there. But it's not too bad right now. I ran into a couple spots last night when I was snowshoeing that were up to my knees. So there are spots where it's ankle deep and spots where it's knee deep. But we're going to have a really well packed course, so no one is going to have to fight through it too much,” Brungardt said.
The national championship, which rotates from year to year through five regions — Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, West Coast and Alaska — always attracts some of the country's most talented endurance athletes, many of whom use snowshoeing as a way to stay in shape over the winter season.
“I'm hearing through the grapevine that a lot of people are really excited about the race,” Brungardt said. “With the way our community is, with the competitive spirit and our active lifestyle, a lot of people are getting excited. I can't wait to see all the national-level athletes that we have coming up here for the race.”
For the Love Me Tender, racers can register online through Friday at www.runningguru.com or at the venue on the day of the race. The 10k, 5k and 2k fun walk are all scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The Love Me Tender was founded in 2009 as a 5k benefit for the family of Denise Oaks-Moffit, an English teacher at the high school who had passed away earlier that school year. The race expanded in 2010 to include a 10k and serve as a national championship qualifier.
This year, the event's significance is even greater, as the National Snowshoe Championship will descend on Farmer' Korner Feb. 24-26, and the Love me Tender is the best opportunity for locals to qualify. (It's not as difficult as you may think.)
“Hopefully a lot of people will come out and qualify for nationals,” said race organizer Darren Brungardt. “I would like to see a lot of local people run in the national race. I think it would be great. It's not that hard to qualify. A lot of people would be surprised.”
In the 10k, the top 10 overall finishers — male and female — and top five in each age group will earn a spot at this month's championship. Additionally, all competitors in the high school 5k will automatically qualify. Adults are welcome to participate in the 5k race, which serves as the Colorado high school state championship.
Past high school winners include Sam Lewis, a national snowshoe champion from Boulder who frequents the Summit County trail-running race scene, as well as several other national-level athletes.
“We have people coming from South Dakota, Wyoming, New York — we've got people from all over the country right now coming in to get a taste of what the national course will look like,” Brungardt said.
The 10k consists of two laps on the 5k course, which will take place almost entirely on high school property and the Summit County Recpath System. In the past, the course had headed up into the Forrest Service land, but officials were not able to permit a second event, in addition to the championship, on public property this winter, Brungardt said.
“Back in January, it was looking really scary out there. But it's not too bad right now. I ran into a couple spots last night when I was snowshoeing that were up to my knees. So there are spots where it's ankle deep and spots where it's knee deep. But we're going to have a really well packed course, so no one is going to have to fight through it too much,” Brungardt said.
The national championship, which rotates from year to year through five regions — Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, West Coast and Alaska — always attracts some of the country's most talented endurance athletes, many of whom use snowshoeing as a way to stay in shape over the winter season.
“I'm hearing through the grapevine that a lot of people are really excited about the race,” Brungardt said. “With the way our community is, with the competitive spirit and our active lifestyle, a lot of people are getting excited. I can't wait to see all the national-level athletes that we have coming up here for the race.”
For the Love Me Tender, racers can register online through Friday at www.runningguru.com or at the venue on the day of the race. The 10k, 5k and 2k fun walk are all scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
