If you want a challenging, frozen excursion through the PA tundra consider the Squirrelly Tail. Wow. This course was an absolute ice field. About 5K into this race I am seriously regretting wearing Nike trail runners. I needed some monster Hokas or skiboots for what I was about to pass through. Literal miles of punching through ice holes, slipping, sliding, it was brutal but a lot of fun in a trail runner sort of way.

The registration process was beyond simple and I think this race cost something like $30. The Expo featured a guy selling gels and GU waffles. Getting a race bib was also very simple and there is no chip timing or anything of the sort. In fact the results are hand timed and posted on a wooden board near the finish line. If you like this kind of experience this is exactly the race you are looking for.

As far as aid stations go, I vaguely remember seeing a guy in a truck with his son giving out water. There were also a few better run aid stations at 2 points and 1 with food you would expect to see at an ultra. They were few and far between so be sure to bring your own water.

Afterwards there was home made food of all kinds, and people were sitting around a campfire and warming up. They even had shirts from previous years to give out if anyone wanted one. Believe it or not I still wear this event shirt.

There is nothing fancy about this race. If you're looking to get a hard winter workout in and stomp around a frozen lake in February, this is it. There are some pretty tough climbs in the middle of the course but otherwise the elevation is pretty manageable. I recommend this race for anyone who likes a tough trail race, this one isn't for the faint of heart.

Marathon Ryan
@marathonryan