Finger Lakes Runners Club News Brief

Legendary Snowshoe Racer Tom Sobal To Visit FLRC Snowshoe Race
Jan 10 2002

Tom Sobal, arguably the world's best snowshoe racer over distances from 1 to 100 miles, on the left.

World-class snowshoer, trail/mountain runner and burro racer, Tom Sobal of Leadville, Colo., will be coming to Ithaca to compete in the 5th annual Finger Lakes Snowshoe 7.6-miler, Jan. 26, in the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector, and he will present a free -- and open to the public -- slide show entitled "Fitness, Running and Racing with Snowshoes," Friday evening, Jan. 25, beginning at 7:30 p.m., at McGraw Hall, Room 165, on the Cornell University campus.

The slide show is co-hosted by the Finger Lakes Runners Club and Cornell Outdoor Education.

Sobal, the most accomplished snowshoer in the United States, is a spokesperson for Redfeather Snowshoes of Denver, Colo. Redfeather is providing the Finger Lakes Snowshoe 7.6-Mile Race and One-Mile Fun Run/Hike with 50 loaner shoes.

Who is Tom Sobal? Here are some of his credentials: Overall winner of 125 snowshoe races ranging from one mile to 100 miles; five-time world champion; holder of the world's best marathon time on snowshoes: 3:06:17; has snowshoed in 15 states; frequent author, speaker, instructor and race director; winner of over 85 mountain/trail races from 3 to 35 miles; three-time member of the U.S. National World Cup Mountain Running Team; member of the USSSA and American Trail Running Association national advisory boards; technical delegate for Special Olympic World Winter Games; featured in Sports Illustrated and the Wall Street Journal; three-time triple crown champion in burro racing.

For more information on our snowshoe race and Sobal's appearance, click on the FLRC Web site , or e-mail Diane Sherrer at dysherrer@mymailstation.com, or Joe Reynolds at flnf10155@yahoo.com.

Our snowshoe race entry form is downloadable from the FLRC Web site; updates on Sobal's appearance will be listed there next week.

We hope to see everyone Jan. 25-26!

Some related links:

• FLRC Snowshoe Race entry forms
• Jan Newsletter article about Tom Sobal and the race
• Diane Sherrer's article that appeared in the Ithaca Journal about Tom Sobal (extended remix version)
• Redfeather Snowshoes website

Thanks to Diane Sherrer for assmebling the information for this story.