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Mount Washington Road Race

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The Mt. Washington Road Race has an 11% grade, averaged over 7.6 miles.

The Mount Washington Road Race is a 7.6-mile (12.2 km) road running event that follows the auto road going from the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire nearly to the mountain's summit (located at 6,288 feet (1,917 m) above sea level). The race was first held in 1936, and has been run annually since 1966. Women first participated officially in 1972.

The race course rises 4,650 vertical feet (1,420 m) feet from start to finish. It is a steep mountain course with an average grade of 12%, all uphill after the first few hundred yards. Held in June each year, Mount Washington is a popular race for runners in New England, and also attracts many runners from other parts of the United States and the world.

For non-elite runners, entry is by lottery. The lottery winners are able to be among the approximately 1,100 runners who partake in this annual event. The lottery is held in mid-March, with a sign-up period from March 1–15. Andy Schachat currently serves as race announcer.

Competitors running on the upper portion of the auto road, well above tree line

The course record of 56:41 was set in 2004 by renowned mountain runner Jonathan Wyatt. The female course record was set by Shewarge Amarein of Ethiopia with a time of 1:08:21 in 2010. Multiple winners of the race on the men's side include Francis Darrah, Mike Gallagher, Bob Hodge, Gary Crossan, Dave Dunham, Derek Froude, Matt Carpenter, Daniel Kihara, Simon Gutierrez and Eric Blake. On the female side, Eleonora Mendonca, Cathy Hodgdon, Chris Maisto, Jacqueline Gareau, J'ne Day-Lucore, and Anna Pichrtová are multiple winners. John J. Kelley and Jacqueline Gareau are the only runners ever to win both the Boston Marathon and the Mount Washington Road Race. Kelley won the former in 1957 and the latter in 1961. Gareau won Boston in 1980 and won Mt. Washington in 1989, 1994 and 1996.

In addition to having a steep road race course, Mount Washington is home to extremely unpredictable weather. Winds have been known to top 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) at the summit. Although the race has never been run in such extreme conditions, factors like snow, ice, fog, wind, rain and cold, added to the steep climb, can make the race exceptionally challenging for those who run it. It is not uncommon for temperatures at the foot of the mountain to be warm at the beginning of the race, but for runners to encounter wintry white-out conditions at the summit, even in June. In an attempt to create some levity out of the difficult conditions, race organizers have often used the slogan "only one hill" as the event's official motto.

Winners

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Year Men Time Women Time
2021 Joseph Gray -5- 1:01:40 Kim Dobson -6- 1:11:16
2020 Event Cancelled (COVID 19) N/A Event Cancelled (COVID 19) N/A
2019 Eric Blake -4- 1:02:52 (Tie) Brittni Hutton and Heidi Caldwell 1:16:17
2018 Cesare Maestri (ITA) 1:00:53 Kim Dobson -5- 1:11:43
2017 Joseph Gray -4- 058:58 Shannon Payne -2- 1:11:22
2016 Joseph Gray -3- 058:17 Kim Dobson -4- 1:09:34
2015 Joseph Gray -2- 058:15 Kim Dobson -3- 1:11:39
2014 Joseph Gray (USA) 059:09 Shannon Payne (USA) 1:10:12
2013 Eric Blake -3- 059:57 Laura Haefeli (USA) 1:18:05
2012 Sage Canaday (USA) 058:27 Kim Dobson -2- 1:09:25
2011 Rickey Gates -2- 1:01:32 Kim Dobson (USA) 1:12:11
2010 Chris Siemers (USA) 1:00:22 Shewarge Amare (ETH) 1:08:21
2009 Rickey Gates (USA) 059:58 Brandy Erholtz -2- 1:10:53
2008 Eric Blake -2- 1:00:39 Brandy Erholtz (USA) 1:11:08
2007 Jonathan Wyatt -2- 1:01:25 Anna Pichrtová -6- 1:12:53
2006 Eric Blake (USA) 1:01:09 Anna Pichrtová -5- 1:11:18
2005 Simon Gutierrez -3- 1:00:54 Melissa Moon (NZL) 1:10:11
2004 Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) 056:41 Anna Pichrtová -4- 1:12:19
2003 Simon Gutierrez -2- 1:02:54 Anna Pichrtová -3- 1:12:50
2002 Simon Gutierrez (USA) 028:02[1] Anna Pichrtová -2- 032:32[1]
2001 Daniel Kihara -4- 1:00:06 Anna Pichrtová (CZE) 1:13:48
2000 Daniel Kihara -3- 059:24 Alice Muriithi (KEN) 1:17:26
1999 Daniel Kihara -2- 059:03 Barbara Remmers (USA) 1:13:52
1998 Matt Carpenter -3- 1:00:24 Magdalena Thorsell (SWE) 1:10:09
1997 Craig Fram (USA) 1:04:48 Cathy O'Brien (USA) 1:12:24
1996 Daniel Kihara (KEN) 058:21 Jacqueline Gareau -3- 1:17:15
1995 Gideon Mutisya (KEN) 1:01:42 J'ne Day-Lucore -3- 1:17:29
1994 Dave Dunham -3- 1:03:22 Jacqueline Gareau -2- 1:16:16
1993 Matt Carpenter -2- 059:49 J'ne Day-Lucore -2- 1:12:59
1992 Matt Carpenter (USA) 1:00:43 J'ne Day-Lucore (USA) 1:11:46
1991 Derek Froude -2- 1:00:35 Christine Maisto -3- 1:12:15
1990 Derek Froude (NZL) 059:17 Lynn Brown (USA) 1:19:57
1989 Dave Dunham -2- 1:02:59 Jacqueline Gareau (CAN) 1:13:13
1988 Dave Dunham (USA) 1:00:50 Janine Aiello (USA) 1:20:48
1987 Bob Hodge -7- 1:01:14 Peg Donovan (USA) 1:15:05
1986 Gary Crossan -4- 1:02:10 Christine Maisto -2- 1:19:26
1985 Bob Hodge -6- 1:01:31 Christine Maisto (USA) 1:14:44
1984 Gary Crossan -3- 1:01:13 Betsy Haydock (USA) 1:20:46
1983 Keith Woodward (USA) 1:06:38 Anna Sonnerup (USA) 1:22:19
1982 Gary Crossan -2- 1:01:40 Cathy Hodgdon -3- 1:22:40
1981 Gary Crossan (USA) 1:02:51 Cathy Hodgdon -2- 1:22:57
1980 Bob Hodge -5- 1:04:29 Cathy Hodgdon (USA) 1:26:44
1979 Bob Hodge -4- 1:02:08 Martha Rockwell (USA) 1:19:14
1978 Bob Hodge -3- 1:04:13 Eleonora Mendonça -3- 1:28:39
1977 Bob Hodge -2- 1:04:44 Eleonora Mendonça -2- 1:30:05
1976 Bob Hodge (USA) 1:05:31 Eleonora Mendonça (BRA) 1:35:05
1975 Gary Johnson (USA) 1:06:01 Hester Sargent (USA) 1:31:13
1974 Jim Capezzuto (USA) 1:07:58 --- ---
1973 John Cederholm (USA) 1:08:26 Lise Demers (CAN) 1:51:51
1972 Roland Cormier (USA) 1:09:16 Charlotte Lettis (USA) 1:40:08
1971 Mike Gallagher -4- 1:07:27 --- ---
1970 Mike Gallagher -3- 1:09:06 --- ---
1969 Mike Gallagher -2- 1:06:44 --- ---
1968 Mike Gallagher (USA) 1:06:13 --- ---
1967 Angus Wooten (GBR) 1:12:43 --- ---
1966 Leo J. Carroll (GBR) 1:07:31 --- ---
1962 Fred Norris (GBR) 1:04:57 --- ---
1961 John J. Kelley (USA) 1:08:54 --- ---
1938 Francis Darrah -2- 1:15:27 --- ---
1937 Paul Donato (USA) 1:16:24 --- ---
1936 Francis Darrah (USA) 1:15:50 --- ---

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b 3.8 Miles - Base to 1/2 Way