For the second year in a row, cross-country ski racers participating in the City of Lakes Loppet will have to use a shortened course in Theodore Wirth Park due to lack of snowfall this season.

On Feb. 1 and 2, racers will complete 5 laps on a 5.3k-long loop at Wirth on mostly machine-made snow for the festival's marathon ski races, said Ben Bauch, trails and trailhead director at the Loppet Foundation. If winter had cooperated, the racers would have skied on a slightly longer course down parkways, past the Chain of Lakes and into Theodore Wirth Park's trailhead.

Fat bike races will also take place on the loop. The snowshoe race, which typically goes from Cedar Lake through the woods to the park's trailhead, will take place on trails with machine-made snow at Wirth.

"It's going to be a little more consolidated in Theodore Wirth Park, which has its own benefits too because everyone gets to be around each other a little more through the day," Bauch said. "As we see winter getting less snow, we're forced to make adjustments."

Between 1,500 to 2,000 people are expected to participate in this year's races, which also include skijoring (skiing with a dog), said Kelly Donahue, events director at the Loppet Foundation. Though there's been less snow, cold weather allowed park staff to start snowmaking in late November and now there are 7 kilometers of trails ready for skiing.

"It might not look too much like winter outside but if you go visit Theodore Wirth Park, winter is shining over there," Donahue said. "We anticipate it to be a good year [for the festival] — a lot better than last year."

The Luminary Loppet, the popular candlelit ski and snowshoe event, is still planned for Lake of the Isles on Feb. 8, Bauch said.

"This year we are hopeful we are able to maintain ice condition on Lake of the Isles," Bauch said. "We're excited to get people outside in the winter and get people celebrating this time of year regardless of what Mother Nature has to offer us."

Organizers are used to making adjustments based on the weather, Bauch said. Last year, the event was scaled back to the loop because of lack of snow. The year before that, organizers had to move the Luminary event from Lake of the Isles to the shore after 18 inches of snow insulated the water, preventing reliable ice from forming.