The following release featuring the U.S. Snowshoe Team is published with permission from Mark Elmore, US Snowshoe Association.
Team USA Men
Seven-time US men’s national snowshoe champion Eric Hartmark of Duluth, MN, will lead a talented and deep men’s squad to the 2024 WSSF World Snowshoe Championships to be held March 1-3 in the Picos de Europa Mountains of north central Spain. Supporting Hartmark in his effort to regain the podium after his outstanding bronze medal finish in 2022 in Argentina will be a cast of experienced World Championship competitors and US national snowshoe team members: Erik Barkhaus (WA), Andrew Allen (WA), Andrew LePage (NY), Devon Byers (MI), and Cole Crosby (NJ). Eliot Soderholm of Paul Smiths College in upstate NY will be the leading US contender in the Junior Men’s 5km World Championship race.
The Italian athletes have long dominated these championships since their inception in Austria in 2006, compiling a haul of 15 total WC medals. The Spaniards, with a total of 8 WC medals, will be formidable on their home course. The American men, with 7 total WC medals, will be focused on working together to secure an individual on the podium and a high placing for the US men’s team.
Team USA Women
The US women’s team will be even deeper than the strong men’s group sporting 2 former women’s World Champions. Michelle Hummel of Albuquerque, NM, returns to WC competition after claiming her first WC title in 2018 right here at the Picos de Europa Mountains. The 3-time US Women’s National Snowshoe Champion followed that up with another WC title in 2020 in Japan. Bar Harbor, Maine’s Jennifer Britz stepped up in 2022 to claim her first women’s World title in Caviahue, Argentina.
A group of decorated US women will push to the line over this demanding 8.5km course at over 6000’ altitude: Myra Klettke (OR), Sarah Canney (NH), Amber Tookey (ID), Stacey Hendry (CO) and Mikala Shremshock (WV) will all look to break into the top echelon of the women’s competition to push Team USA to a national team podium placement. Though from opposite sides of the country, Amelia Van Dongen (ME) and Maddison Tookey (ID) will team up to establish themselves in the Junior Women’s 5km WC event.
The US women have performed well at the WC level since hosting the event in 2017 in Saranac Lake, NY. With 11 total medals, the US women will look to hold off strong challenges from the Italian (9 WC medals) and Spanish (7 WC medals) athletes.
Athletes from around the globe are expected to gather in this beautiful region of Spain. Snowshoers from France, Italy, Spain, the USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, India, and Japan are all planning to be on the start line.
