Mount Washington Road Race
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, entrance 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.
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
| Year | Men | Time | Women | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 9Gray Joseph Gray -2- | 0:58:15 58:15 | ||
| 2014 | 9Gray Joseph Gray (USA) | 0:59:09 59:09 | ||
| 2013 | 9Blake Eric Blake -3- | 0:59:57 59:57 | 9Haefeli Laura Haefeli (USA) | 1:18:05 |
| 2012 | 9Canaday Sage Canaday (USA) | 0:58:27 58:27 | 9Dobson Kim Dobson -2- | 1:09:25 |
| 2011 | 9Gates Rickey Gates -2- | 1:01:32 | 9Dobson Kim Dobson (USA) | 1:12:11 |
| 2010 | 9Siemers Chris Siemers (USA) | 1:00:22 | 9Amare Shewarge Amare (ETH) | 1:08:21 |
| 2009 | 9Gates Rickey Gates (USA) | 0:59:58 59:58 | 8Erholtz Brandy Erholtz -2- | 1:10:53 |
| 2008 | 8Blake Eric Blake -2- | 1:00:39 | 8Erholtz Brandy Erholtz (USA) | 1:11:08 |
| 2007 | 8Wyatt Jonathan Wyatt -2- | 1:01:25 | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová -6- | 1:12:53 |
| 2006 | 8Blake Eric Blake (USA) | 1:01:09 | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová -5- | 1:11:18 |
| 2005 | 7Gutierrez Simon Gutierrez -3- | 1:00:54 | 9Moon Melissa Moon (NZL) | 1:10:11 |
| 2004 | 8Wyatt Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) | 0:56:41 56:41 | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová -4- | 1:12:19 |
| 2003 | 7Gutierrez Simon Gutierrez -2- | 1:02:54 | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová -3- | 1:12:50 |
| 2002 | 7Gutierrez Simon Gutierrez (USA) | 2:00:00 28:02[1] | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová -2- | 2:00:00 32:32[1] |
| 2001 | 6Kihara Daniel Kihara -4- | 1:00:06 | 4Pichrtova Anna Pichrtová (CZE) | 1:13:48 |
| 2000 | 6Kihara Daniel Kihara -3- | 0:59:24 59:24 | 9Muriithi Alice Muriithi (KEN) | 1:17:26 |
| 1999 | 6Kihara Daniel Kihara -2- | 0:59:03 59:03 | 9Remmers Barbara Remmers (USA) | 1:13:52 |
| 1998 | 7Carpenter Matt Carpenter -3- | 1:00:24 | 9Thorsell Magdalena Thorsell (SWE) | 1:10:09 |
| 1997 | 9Fram Craig Fram (USA) | 1:04:48 | 9Obrien Cathy O'Brien (USA) | 1:12:24 |
| 1996 | 6Kihara Daniel Kihara (KEN) | 0:58:21 58:21 | 7Gareau Jacqueline Gareau -3- | 1:17:15 |
| 1995 | 9Mutisya Gideon Mutisya (KEN) | 1:01:42 | 7Day J'ne Day-Lucore -3- | 1:17:29 |
| 1994 | 7Dunham Dave Dunham -3- | 1:03:22 | 7Gareau Jacqueline Gareau -2- | 1:16:16 |
| 1993 | 7Carpenter Matt Carpenter -2- | 0:59:49 59:49 | 7Day J'ne Day-Lucore -2- | 1:12:59 |
| 1992 | 7Carpenter Matt Carpenter (USA) | 1:00:43 | 7Day J'ne Day-Lucore (USA) | 1:11:46 |
| 1991 | 8Froude Derek Froude -2- | 1:00:35 | 7Maisto Christine Maisto -3- | 1:12:15 |
| 1990 | 8Froude Derek Froude (NZL) | 0:59:17 59:17 | 9Brown Lynn Brown (USA) | 1:19:57 |
| 1989 | 7Dunham Dave Dunham -2- | 1:02:59 | 7Gareau Jacqueline Gareau (CAN) | 1:13:13 |
| 1988 | 7Dunham Dave Dunham (USA) | 1:00:50 | 9Aiello Janine Aiello (USA) | 1:20:48 |
| 1987 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -7- | 1:01:14 | 9Donovan Peg Donovan (USA) | 1:15:05 |
| 1986 | 6Crossan Gary Crossan -4- | 1:02:10 | 7Maisto Christine Maisto -2- | 1:19:26 |
| 1985 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -6- | 1:01:31 | 7Maisto Christine Maisto (USA) | 1:14:44 |
| 1984 | 6Crossan Gary Crossan -3- | 1:01:13 | 9Haydock Betsy Haydock (USA) | 1:20:46 |
| 1983 | 9Woodward Keith Woodward (USA) | 1:06:38 | 9Sonnerup Anna Sonnerup (USA) | 1:22:19 |
| 1982 | 6Crossan Gary Crossan -2- | 1:01:40 | 7Hodgdon Cathy Hodgdon -3- | 1:22:40 |
| 1981 | 6Crossan Gary Crossan (USA) | 1:02:51 | 7Hodgdon Cathy Hodgdon -2- | 1:22:57 |
| 1980 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -5- | 1:04:29 | 7Hodgdon Cathy Hodgdon (USA) | 1:26:44 |
| 1979 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -4- | 1:02:08 | 9Rockwell Martha Rockwell (USA) | 1:19:14 |
| 1978 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -3- | 1:04:13 | 7Mendonca Eleonora Mendonça -3- | 1:28:39 |
| 1977 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge -2- | 1:04:44 | 7Mendonca Eleonora Mendonça -2- | 1:30:05 |
| 1976 | 3Hodge Bob Hodge (USA) | 1:05:31 | 7Mendonca Eleonora Mendonça (BRA) | 1:35:05 |
| 1975 | 9Johnson Gary Johnson (USA) | 1:06:01 | 9Sargent Hester Sargent (USA) | 1:31:13 |
| 1974 | 9Capezzuto Jim Capezzuto (USA) | 1:07:58 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1973 | 9Cederholm John Cederholm (USA) | 1:08:26 | 9Demers Lise Demers (CAN) | 1:51:51 |
| 1972 | 9Cormier Roland Cormier (USA) | 1:09:16 | 9Lettis Charlotte Lettis (USA) | 1:40:08 |
| 1971 | 6Gallagher Mike Gallagher -4- | 1:07:27 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1970 | 6Gallagher Mike Gallagher -3- | 1:09:06 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1969 | 6Gallagher Mike Gallagher -2- | 1:06:44 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1968 | 6Gallagher Mike Gallagher (USA) | 1:06:13 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1967 | 9Wooten Angus Wooten (GBR) | 1:12:43 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1966 | 9Carroll Leo J. Carroll (GBR) | 1:07:31 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1962 | 9Norris Fred Norris (GBR) | 1:04:57 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1961 | 9Kelley John J. Kelley (USA) | 1:08:54 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1938 | 8Darrah Francis Darrah -2- | 1:15:27 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1937 | 9Donato Paul Donato (USA) | 1:16:24 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
| 1936 | 8Darrah Francis Darrah (USA) | 1:15:50 | 9ZZ --- | 3:00:00 --- |
External links
- Official site
- Mount Washington Road Race Records by Dave Dunham
- Mount Washington Road Race, statistic page by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS)