Breaking News
Local news

LH man first to cross finish line at Frozen Snot

By Laura Jameson 4 min read

McELHATTAN -- Below freezing temperatures weren't able to stop nearly 300 avid runners and hikers taking to the mountains this weekend for the 2020 Frozen Snot race.

The racers were able to choose between a 8.3 mile or 13.5 mile course with almost 6,000 feet of elevation gain in around 10 miles of the trail that snaked through and around Zindel Park in McElhattan.

Of the 291 racers that took to the start line at the US Army Reserve Armory along Pine Mountain Road, only one man and one woman could be the first to cross the finish line for each course.

In the 13.5 mile race, Lock Haven's own Reagan McCoy was the first man to cross the line with a finish time of 2 hours and 46 minutes.

McCoy first began running about four years ago in his senior year of high school.

"I ran track my senior year, primarily just to goof around with my friends," he said. "When I started running roughly four years ago, I couldn't go further than a half mile at a time."

Thanks to friends Reed Willar and Dylan Geraty, McCoy's running career didn't end after graduation.

He began trail running two years ago and soon joined the cross-country team at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.

"You'll never find a group of people so passionate or excited about running anywhere else," McCoy said about the Frozen Snot. "The comradery at these events is unmatched."

Nicole Yocum, of State College, was the first woman to cross the finish line for the longer course, clocking in at 3 hours and 26 minutes and only the seventh place finisher overall.

"This was my first Frozen Snot. I'd never really done a serious winter trail race, my only winter trail race ever really before this was the Humdinger last March, but that didn't really have rocks or big climbs," Yocum said.

Yocum decided to take on the frigid trail race and did more than just finish the race.

"I enjoyed the challenge of dressing for the cold," Yocum said, noting that she overdressed a bit. "When I took off (my fleece balaclava) my sweaty hair froze solid!"

Overall, Yocum said she enjoyed the race saying it was a beautiful day and was glad there was a touch of snow to add a bit of a challenge.

Yocum has been trail racing for years but only got more serious about it recently while living in Central Pennsylvania while she worked on her PhD.

"I enjoy the challenge of the technical, steep climbs and descents," she said.

In the 8.3 mile course the first man was Matt Lipsey, of Lehighton, and the first woman was Meira Minard, of State College.

Lipsey finished with a time of 1 hour and 50 minutes and said overall it was a beautiful day.

"Temperatures were cold but it felt comfortable once you got going," he said. "I think I've never seen the course as fast as it was this year. We couldn't have asked for better conditions."

Lipsey thanked Race Director Luke Ebeling and his team of volunteers for creating such a wonderful environment around the annual race.

"They set the bar for hospitality and bend over backwards to put this event on," he said. "It is not a soft event, and should only be attempted by those with a ton of patience and the ability to become comfortable being uncomfortable on dangerous terrain/conditions."

Minard finished her race with a time of 2 hours and 24 minutes but was unable to be reached for comment about her experience at the race.

--------

Joanne Heimer contributed to this article.

Starting at /week.