LAKE PLACID (AP) -- The 30th annual Lake Placid Loppet is being pushed back a month because of the current snow conditions.

The popular cross-country ski race will be held March 9-10.

The Loppet is part of the American Ski Marathon Series and is run on a slightly modified version of the course originally constructed for the 50-kilometer cross-country event during the 1980 Winter Olympics. The course consists of one 25-kilometer loop skied either once or twice.

Because the course was designed for Olympic competition, it's more challenging than most citizen race courses. The altitude ranges from 1,860 feet to 2,460 feet, with a long single climb of 230 feet. Total vertical climb is just under 3,700 feet for the Loppet racers and half that for those competing at the shorter distance.

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