The FroMoMoFo in Martinsville, Indiana, hosted its inaugural race just 11 days into the new year. The name is a shorthand for “Frozen Morgan Monroe Forest” and features a 20-mile distance alongside a 10-mile fun run and is considered the “little sibling” to the MoMoFo 100k/20-mile fun run held in June in the same location. Both races are organized by WooHoo Trail Fun and directed by Indiana trail-running legend Benny Hickok. While both races are relatively new, they have an old-school charm—in the best way—thanks to a strong volunteer base and functional race swag. Indiana boasts a vibrant trail-running community, and the MoMoFo/FroMoMoFo are quickly becoming favorites.
The 2025 FroMoMoFo lived up to its name. We had frozen, we had Morgan, we had Monroe and we had forest. To top it off, we had snow, so maybe they should tack “sno” onto the race name, too. Snow arrived in two significant storms during the week leading up to the race, leaving 10 inches of fluffy powder blanketing the 10-mile course on the Three Lakes Trail. Runners in the 20-mile race completed two loops, while the 10-mile fun runners started a couple of hours later for a single lap.
The race began with a short road climb before turning sharply into the snow-covered forest. I found myself much closer to the front than I’d planned, cutting a path through the deep snow. I let the second and third-place runners pass me on the first two climbs, only to realize that running in fourth didn’t provide better footing. As we approached the aid station midway through the loop, the runners ahead of me both took falls into the snow. After ensuring they were okay, I seized the opportunity to move back into second place heading into the aid station at mile 5.
I carried most of my nutrition to minimize aid station stops, and knew the first-place runner had built a substantial lead. Although I doubted my ability to catch them (those doubts would prove correct), I pushed the pace on the second half of the first loop just in case.
The course was completely transformed for the second lap with the herd of the runners compacting the snow into a firm (surprisingly, non-slippery) trough. I knew I’d need to negative split the lap by 5–10 minutes to have a shot at the win, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t possible.
At around mile 15, I stopped to enjoy some Coke and broth. The remaining miles were uneventful and slower than the effort felt and in the end, I managed to negative split the second lap by nearly 2 minutes and finished in second place, 6 minutes behind the winner. At the finish, I was greeted with one of Benny’s signature hugs.
If you’re looking for a race to kick off the calendar year, the FroMoMoFo is the perfect way to warm up your running legs for spring ultra distances.