This article highlights the 2024 U.S. National Snowshoe Championship which will be held at Lowes Creek in Eau Claire, WI, February 10-11.
It’s 2024 and winter has (finally) arrived. This typically means snow has, or will fall in much of the country. Winter also means snowshoeing. And if you are interested in taking part in the pinnacle of snowshoeing in the U.S., you have less than a month to prepare.
This year’s U.S. National Snowshoe Championship offers a distance for snowshoe enthusiasts of every age and ability, while the marquee event will be the 10K National Championship race on Saturday, February 10.
The women’s two-time defending U.S. Snowshoe National Champion is Jackie Hering. The Cottage Grove, Wisconsin native also happens to be the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) event director. A professional triathlete, race director, and coach, Hering will be directing her third championship event next month. We caught up with her to ask her a few questions and get her thoughts on the event.
Peter Maksimow: Hi Jackie, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. I’ll start by identifying the elephant in the room: is the lack of snow a concern for Nationals?
Jackie Hering: No, this isn’t a concern. We are having a late start to winter, but we always get snow and some is coming. In the unlikely scenario it is not here, we will go on with the event as a trail run.
PM: What about snowshoe running in general going forward?
JH: I think, and hope, that snowshoe running can adapt to the changing weather conditions. It seems like winter is starting later and the snow season may be just a bit shorter. We’ll have to adapt!
PM: For someone who has never done a snowshoe race, what would be your advice to them?
JH: For the person new to snowshoeing, I hope they will embrace getting out on the trails in the winter. Snowshoeing is great because it doesn’t require perfect conditions or any special skill. Snowshoeing is truly for everyone, at any age. I would suggest getting out with a friend and planning for a nice hike out in the snow on your favorite trail. For just hiking, any snowshoe will do and you can wear whatever boot or footwear is comfortable. For starting out with snowshoe running you will want to make sure you have running specific snowshoes (much lighter than hiking snowshoes) and some trail shoes with a warm or Gortex upper. From there, you can just run as you would normally.
To learn more about the sport, read our article on Snowshoeing 101 here.
On the trails in Leadville at the 2020 Colorado State Snowshoe Championships. Photo: Peter Maksimow
PM: Tell us about the different distances and championships at the 2024 championships.
JH: Snowshoe Nationals has something for everyone! Day 1 we have the 10k followed by the 5k middle school, high school and collegiate race, the 1k kids race and later the 5k open and Super Grand Masters championship. Sunday we have the half marathon and a fun 4×2.5k relay. National champions will be crowned in the 10k event.
PM: This will be your third year organizing the championships, what have been the challenges? What have been the highlights?
JH: The main challenge has certainly been taking over right after the pandemic and navigating the increased cost in travel and everyday life. We are trying to rebuild the Nationals event and try to focus on getting places where there is a strong snowshoe culture. I am learning a lot about what the community wants and I hope each year will continue to improve. And most of all, I hope cost of travel will level out so people can have more freedom to travel for fun events like this! Nationals this year is going to be an awesome event. We have huge local support from Visit Eau Claire tourism and the local trail team, CORBA.
If you would like to become a member of USSSA, you can sign up here.
There will be several members of USSSA traveling to the 2024 Snowshoe World Championships in Spain the first weekend of March. If you are interested in joining this trip with others email Mark at [email protected].
Quick FAQs
Event location: Lowes Creek County Park, Eau Claire, WI
Do I need to qualify? No. ALL races are open to everyone (besides age restrictions for the ms/hs/collegiate/kids races). There are ALL levels and abilities of people at snowshoe events and you do not need to worry if you aren’t ‘fast.’
What if I don’t have snowshoes? There will be several different options to try out and use onsite!
Host hotel: The Metropolis – This place has a waterpark! Great for the family. Reserve one night and get half off the second night.
Finding inspiration: Enjoy an article from the 2023 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships.
Throwback photo: Richard Bolt at the 2014 U.S. Snowshoe National Championships in Woodford, VT.
