There are times in the experience of outdoor endurance sport when you find magical conditions for running. Normally (of course, I admit that trail runners are proudly not normal) you would not think to run in the woods with lots of snow, you would wear snowshoes. Such was not the case on Saturday, April 5 when I went out to preview the course for the Iola Trail Run (scheduled for April 12). There was a thin one inch coating of powder snow on top of a firmly groomed ski trail. Just enough cushion and dialed in traction made for a truly joyful running experience. A photo set is now available for viewing. Combine that with bright sunshine beaming through the tall pines, the bright reflection off the snow surface, and the smell of warm pine and cedar and you had everything you needed to be happy for a whole morning. The course will include mostly ski trail, which at Iola is a wide flat and smooth groomed surface. There were a few sections on south facing hills where all the snow had melted and you had a really nice grassy surface. With temperatures forecasted in the 50s all week you can expect more grass exposure. The remaining snow covered sections will be similar to running through alpine snow fields. I have included some lovely sections of single track, too. Theses sections were nicely packed into a firm runable surface by snowshoers this winter. Footwear choice should lean toward shoes with the best traction. I used moderate traction shoes and was fine on 95% of the course, but could have had better purchase on the steep uphills with deeper lugs. Online registration has been extended to Friday at 9:00 p.m. The Kust brothers at the Oak Grove Dairy will be packaging up the cheese this Friday for the age group awards.