Registration Opens February 12th for the 58th Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race

Pinkham Notch, NH—Runners who hope to compete in this year’s Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race need to register for the opportunity between February 12 and February 26. Entrants in the race, a grueling 7.6 miles up New Hampshire’s famously steep and scenic Mt. Washington Auto Road, are chosen by a lottery, accessible at https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/mount-washington-road-race. Lottery registration opens on February 12 at 8 a.m. and closes on February 26 at 11:59 p.m.

Following the close of registration for the lottery, a computer randomly selects the runners who will be entered in the race. The entry fee, charged to those who are selected, is $95. Notification of acceptance or rejection by the lottery will be sent via email to each applicant on March 1st. This year’s race will take place on Saturday, June 16, with a 9 a.m. start.

The challenge of running up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States has generated such demand over the years that the Auto Road must limit the number of entries. Typically nearly 2000 runners apply for the footrace, and about 1100 are accepted by the lottery. Another 200 are invited competitors based on their performances in previous races.

Runners who wish to run with their friends may register for the Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race as a group. Up to 25 runners may apply together, in which case all of them will be collectively either accepted or turned down by the lottery.

Now in its 58th year, this historic race is sponsored by Northeast Delta Dental, which provides dental benefits to more than 850,000 people in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including individuals and families, and organizations of all sizes. Northeast Delta Dental’s President & CEO, Tom Raffio, has run the race in a personal best of one hour 50 minutes and 51 seconds.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road each year donates 50 percent of all proceeds from the race to the dental programs of Coos County Family Health Services. Based in nearby Berlin, N.H., this community-based organization provides health care and social services to everyone, regardless of economic status. Last year the race donated $23,000 to the organization.

One of the premier footraces in New England and one of the most celebrated mountain races anywhere, the Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race each year attracts some of the world’s top mountain runners, along with a variety of hardcore road- and trail-runners, Nordic skiers, triathletes and other endurance athletes. The difficulty of running up the Auto Road’s 12 percent grade is heightened by Mt. Washington’s notoriously severe and unpredictable weather.

Last year’s winners were a pair of Colorado runners, 2016 World Mountain Running Champion Joseph Gray of Colorado Springs, in 58 minutes and 58 seconds, and Shannon Payne of Franktown in one hour, 11 minutes and 21 seconds. The men’s course record is 56:41, run in 2004 by Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand; the women’s, 1:08:21, run in 2010 by Shewarge Amare of Ethiopia.

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