Tri State
Most everyone is familiar with the phrase, “ when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It basically means do as the people around you do.
If you were to stop by a track practice on the Preston High campus in Kingwood, West Virginia, you would need to strap on a pair of snowshoes designed for running.
The mountains of Preston County have been pounded with snow this winter. Over 120 inches of snow fell in Kingwood during the month of February alone. Despite a recent warming trend, the high school track is under a minimum of three feet of snow and the roads are unsafe for their athletes to venture off campus.
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Preston High’s track and cross country coach, Paul Martin, decided to make the most of the situation and began researching companies that designed snowshoes specifically for distance running.
During Martin’s research, the company that kept getting great reviews was Dion Snowshoes in North Bennington, Vermont. Martin contacted the owner / founder of Dion Snowshoes, Bob Dion, to see if he could help out his distance runners.
Bob and his wife Denise are national champion snowshoers and design, build, and use their own product.
Dion suggested to Martin that he purchase the Dion Model 121 which is the smallest and narrowest snowshoe allowed by the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA).
During Martin’s research, the company that kept getting great reviews was Dion Snowshoes in North Bennington, Vermont. Martin contacted the owner / founder of Dion Snowshoes, Bob Dion, to see if he could help out his distance runners.
Bob and his wife Denise are national champion snowshoers and design, build, and use their own product.
Dion suggested to Martin that he purchase the Dion Model 121 which is the smallest and narrowest snowshoe allowed by the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA).
This particular model is designed for training as well as racing. Dion also suggested that Martin’s athletes order the secure-fit bindings and the ice cleats. Dion worked out a deal to outfit the Preston High team with nine pair of snowshoes.
According to Martin, “We have only had the snowshoes for a few days, but the kids are getting a great workout and I know they are safe on our cross country course instead of the roads.
It took a little while to stomp down the snow to make it suitable to run on, but the kids are figuring out what it takes to run efficiently with the snowshoes. I would estimate that the athletes run between 90 seconds and 2 minutes slower per mile, but the workout is much more strenuous then traditional running.
We have used the snowshoes as part of workouts as well as simple maintenance runs.
I highly suggest snowshoe training to high school teams that are serious about the sport of running and have large amounts of snowfall.”
To find out more about Dion Snowshoes, check out their website at www.DionSnowshoes.com or call them directly at (802)753-1174.
"When in Preston County, Run with Snowshoes"
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