This half marathon is run in February in Montana around a frozen glacial lake. I've only run it once in February of 2014 and it was about 18 degrees out. For this race I brought my camelback as I was concerned there may not be as many aid stations as I like and as a result, I was forced to take sips the entire run because if I didn't, the water in the tube would freeze (haha, no kidding!).

The run is beautiful, the course runs around Seeley Lake and it's charming. There are some hills, frosted trees and plenty of other chilly runners to keep you motivated.

The run encounters its first moderate climb around mile 3, there are several moderate climbs along this course. In total, there are 3 aid stations so plan accordingly! Traffic is also open but monitored throughout this course so be mindful as you run.

Overall, this race severely kicked my butt. Admittedly, I wasn't conditioned as much as I should be but I did this as my first entry to preparing for the Missoula Half Marathon several months later, it was my training kick off. I intentionally wanted this race to be rough as I believed that if I ran a really difficult race it would make all other races so much smoother and easier; fortunately I was right.

This race was very cold, there wasn't a lot of support but the community of runners was incredible. Snow Joke truly challenged me and as I've stated, that was exactly what I expected out of it. If you are daring and searching for a challenge, I highly recommend this race.

As far as swag goes, I was disappointed, I got a cup and a ribbon for getting my butt brutally kicked by the course and the elements. GREAT NEWS though, they do give medals these days so you'll have your shiny race day reward to hang on your rack. I will literally re-run this race for the medal and the challenge!

If you want to truly be awesome, run this race, literally, everything in life will seem easier afterward!

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