10th Annual Frozen Snot Trail Race: “awesome, as always!”

WAYNE TOWNSHIP, PA – The 2022 Clinton County trail racing season kicked off Saturday, and if the 10th annual Frozen Snot trail challenge was any indication, it’s going to be an amazing year!

Despite facing the toughest of conditions, well-known, well-respected runner Matt Lipsey, 31, of Harrisburg tore up the trail, finishing the nearly 14-mile long course in a record two hours, 37 minutes. Lipsey had won the race in 2018 with a record time of 2:42. He was unable to compete last year because of medical reasons, however, he was back with a vengeance this year and was no doubt spurred on by the number two finisher, Zach Miller, a friend of Lipsey’s and a runner sponsored by outdoor recreation products company The North Face. The 33-year-old Miller, a Lancaster native who currently lives in Oregon, finished the course in two hours, 39 minutes, but he and Lipsey traded the lead several times during the race.

Lock Haven’s Reagan McCoy, 24, always a top contender, finished third with a time of 2:55, and Allen King, 35, of Mill Hall, also made the top ten, finishing eighth with a time of 3:31.

Lisa Fisher of Cogan Station was the first female to finish the long course. The 38-year-old was 14th overall, with a time of 3:50. Erica Lubera, 31, of Bangor, PA, was the second female finisher, coming in 21st overall in four hours, and Kristen Gonyaw, 29, of Bellefonte, was the third female finisher and 25th overall, with a time of 4:10.
Close to 300 hard core racers took to Bald Eagle Mountain Saturday morning. Temperatures were milder than normal, but the course offered a little bit of everything – mud, ice, snow, slush, clear trail, and wind. Most of the participants were registered for the longer course, but many took the opportunity to instead finish the shorter, 8.3-mile course. In all, 158 racers completed the long course and 121 people finished the short course.

Morgan Gavitt, an 18-year-old high school senior from Hughesville, was first to finish the shorter course, with a time of two hours, 13 minutes. The cross country runner whose team won the state championships this past season, is ranked 7th in the state. His coach and father, 47-year-old Josh Gavitt (who was named Pennsylvania’s Cross Country Coach of the Year) wasn’t far behind his son, coming in fifth with a time of 2:39.

Justin Beatty, 43, of Williamsport, who won the longer course last year at the Frozen Snot, finished just seconds behind the younger Gavitt, with a time of 2:13:20. Also among the top five finishers was John Shaffer, 50, of Jersey Shore, who was fourth with a time of 2:33.

Alicia McCormick, 36, of Muncy was the first female to complete the shorter course and 7th overall with a time of 2:49. Jillian Heller, 36, of Nanticoke, was second and 9th overall, at 2:50, followed by Larie Hall, 53, of Morrisdale, who finished 11th overall with a time of 2:53.

Frozen Snot participants came from Pennsylvania and eight other states. It’s the second year the event has taken place from the outdoor pavilion area at Restless Oaks Restaurant in McElhattan, and Race Director Luke Ebeling of the Central Region Trail F(r)iends running group said everything about the day was exciting.

“Our volunteers ‘make’ this race,” said Ebeling of not only the core team that works throughout the year, but of the 80-plus people who turn out on race day to do everything from registering participants, to serving food, to staffing check stations throughout the course. “Many of our volunteers come out for eight to 10 hours and all of them are so positive – race participants always comment on how helpful and supportive the volunteers are.”

“We extend a huge thanks to the City of Lock Haven (which hosts the race on City Watershed land), Restless Oaks Restaurant for allowing us use of their outdoor space for the start/finish, and organizations such as Wayne Township Fire Company and Clinton County Department of Emergency Services, which support the safety aspects needed to carry out a race in winter conditions,” added Ebeling.

As for race participants, Ebeling laughed and calls them “crazy” to take on what many describe as a gnarly course like the Frozen Snot. “There’s a crazy amount of elevation gain in a short span, so the course is tough,” says Ebeling. “The down-hill sections are especially tough, so we put out ropes to help people from falling as they come down. We also had to re-route a section of the course due to a bridge wash-out, which increased the distance by about a half-mile and added more elevation gain, making it even tougher this year, but people keep coming back.”

Ebeling said a search of records for the 10th Frozen Snot (which they’re calling the FSX), shows only one person has competed in all 10 years of races. David Seibel, age 60, of Palmyra, PA, finished Saturday’s long course in 75th place, in just under five hours.

For more information on the Frozen Snot, visit www.thefrozensnot.com.