Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Snowshoe Equivalent for Desert Sand Dune Race

I will be competing in the Bataan Memorial Death March in 3/2017. 26.2 mile course around White Sand Missile Base with lots sand.
Does anyone know of a product that can be attached to your shoe to prevent sinking in loose sand much like snowshoe that we have used on snow.

Hi, l don't have a solution to your problem but the idea of a Bataan Memorial marathon at White Sands Proving Grounds, as it was called when l was stationed there in 1955-1956, caught my attention. I can't figure why, if someone wanted to memorialize the Bataan Death March they would pick WSPG as the site, or if someone wanted to stage a marathon at WSPG they would pick Bataan as the appropriate tie-in. But whatever, it's a good cause in an interesting place.

In any case, if the marathon is really at WSPG and not White Sands National Monument, which is several miles away, the surface will be more like Joshua Tree than the beach so you may have less trouble than you expect.

Good luck,
Burt

Thanks for the reply. There is more info in the web site, http://bataanmarch.com/
The 26.2 miles goes around the White Sand Missile Base. The route was selected to be more difficult, and does go over many miles of soft sand.
It is held in New Mexico because: In 1942 the Americans who surrendered to the Japanese forces were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marines. Among those were members of the 515th and 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard. Many died in the force death march of some 60 miles.

I do not have any personal connection to this historical event. As a avid reader of World War II stories, this event has left an indelible psyche. During the 2014 JMT hike, early on sick, tire, and hungry the story of these military men, and the hardship that they endured on the march lend a great deal of inspiration for me to continue and survive the JMT hike.

ThinAir, thanks for the further information. Now I understand the reason for holding the event at WSPG. And yes, if the event organizers want to find soft sand to make the race harder they sure can. I drove a 4x4 truck while I was there and when I went uprange I sometimes had to use the 4wd to keep from getting stuck.
I was an Eastern kid and that was my first time out west. I loved it. A few years after I got out I moved to Colorado and I've been a westerner, and mountain and desert hiker, ever since.
Have a good race,
Burt