02/06/2026
PLEASE READ THIS VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM TEAM FROZEN SNOT:
Snotters, apparently we can get too much of a good thing.
We've been hoping for years now that we get a year with both cold AND snow. This year we've been more than blessed with both.
Unfortunately, along with those blessings, we've been cursed with up to 25 MPH winds. These winds will lead to wind chills of up to -20 degrees. That is bone chilling, water bottle water freezing weather!
Someone once said that there is a very fine line between braveness and stupidity. We know this all to well because we seem to straddle that line during even the "average" weather years. This is far from an average year and it appears we are entering the realm of weather stupidity.
I understand that the allure of the Frozen Snot is the difficulty of the course and the unpredictability of the weather. We weren't voted the "hardest half marathon" in the Northeast for nothing (thank you to the kind folks at the Trails Collective).
We want the course difficult; we want the weather cold; and we want the ground to be white; but most importantly, we want YOU to be safe.
Your safety (AND the safety of our volunteers) is our priority. It needs to be paramount.
Safety is the reason we are as frank as we are about the difficulty level of this event. It's why there is over 2000 ft of rope on the course (that gets put up and taken down each year). It is why we overflag. It is why we run a chip start. It is why you are REQUIRED to have foot traction with you. It is why we purchaed enough emergency blankets that every runner who wants one, can have one. It is why we have 35-40 trail marshals on the course throughout the day making sure you are going the right way and helping in emergency situations. It's why those same marshals carry radios that have direct access to emergency services. It is why we coordinate with Lock Haven and Wayne Township emergency services. And its also why we, as a trail team, need to make difficult decisions sometimes.
To that end, we are currently in an official "exteme cold watch". Due to this, we will most likely be making some changes to the event.
Any changes we make will not be made lightly. This is our 14th year and we have only ever had to adjust the course slightly for health and safety hazards and we delayed start once due to poor travel weather. Pretty amazing to be honest. We've been very lucky.
Any changes we make will be made to mitigate the risk of hypothermia and frostbite and to increase overall safety for both you and our volunteers (please remember, they will be standing still and dont have the benefit of getting their asses kicked by climb after climb).
Some of the changes will likely be on-course logistics and you may or may not not even know they are changes. However, there may be additional changes that you will notice. Potential changes may include the addition of cut off locations, earlier cutoff times, and/or an adjusted start time. We will let you know as soon as possible so you can make an informed decision on your day.
We have been consulting with a metorogist (I swear I am not lying, Maddie knows a guy) and he is pretty confident that the "cold watch" will turn into a "cold warning" tomorrow or Sat. If this occurs we may need to make more significant changes.
Let me be clear, we have ZERO intention of canceling the event at this time.
Collectively, we have put hundreds of unpaid hours into this event and spent months preparing for it, so the last thing we want to do is cancel. We also know you (better have) trained hard for this and its the last thing you want as well.
We will make necessary changes in order to keep safety as our focus. We can't promise you that these changes won't negatively impact your individual experience with the event. We truly hate that possibility, but we also understand (and hope you do to) that staying safe and returning to run another year is better than losing toes, becoming hypotherimic, or injuring yourself because your limbs aren't working right.
What we can promise you is that no matter what the changes may be, we remain committed to putting on the most challenging, most fun, and most ass kicking winter trail event East of the Missisip.
I apologize if this message causes you any stress or upset, but we wanted to be as transparent as possible with where we are right now.
We love these mountains, we love this event, and we love each and every one of you!
If you made it this far, thank you! I need to try to get some sleep now. I think I may have another busy day ahead of me tomorrow. 🙃
Someone will post an update ASAP.
Thank each and every one of you for taking such an interest in this little winter trail thing we do.
-El
