With a course that takes participants through the snowy mountain terrain of western Vermont, the Peak Snow Devil Snowshoe Marathon, Half Marathon and 6-Mile Race stands out for the difficulty of the conditions and the terrain, as well as the sheer uniqueness of the event.
Billed by race organizers as one of New England’s toughest marathon and half marathon courses, the Pittsfield Snowshoe race was run for the first time ever in 2007 and welcomed 84 participants who bundled up and strapped snowshoes to their feet for a course made up of snowmobile trails and backcountry roads.
The opening portion of the race presents a daunting challenge, a 200-yard dash through three feet of pure, unbroken snow, followed by 13 miles of trails that climb more than 2,000 feet in elevation on the way toward the peak of South Mountain, the race’s high point.
For the full marathon, the course remains open for 10 hours – which is clearly a necessity when you realize that only 16 of the inaugural race’s 84 participants continued on after the half-way point to finish the full marathon.
