| Starting at 9am on Saturday, June 17th, the 62nd annual race up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, which features “only one hill,” will welcome over 1000 runners looking to experience the majesty, mystery, and challenge of this legendary race. After a weather shortened Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race in 2022 where the weather and two race records were the stars of the event, the field is set and hopes are high to again race to the top.
The 2023 Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race is stacked with elite talent vying for the title. Heading the list on the men’s side, and the overwhelming favorite, is Joe Gray, 39 of Colorado Springs, Colo. Gray is coming off a first US men’s finish at the Vertical US Mountain Running Championship in Sunapee, NH in April and will be competing in the World Mountain Running Championships in Austria in June, a week before Mt. Washington. Gray already has two World Mountain Running Championships and has won at the “rock pile” six times. A win this year would tie Gray with Bob Hodge and Kim Dobson at seven wins. Already considered the “Greatest of All Times,” or the “G.O.A.T.” for short, a win this year would only enhance Gray’s legendary status on Mt. Washington and in the broader mountain running community.
There will be plenty of men looking to take down the “G.O.A.T.” all of whom have impressive credentials and the ability to do it. Last year’s second place finisher in the shortened version of the race, Everett Hackett, 33 of Hartford, Conn., just finished the Boston Marathon in April in 58th place overall in a time of 2:24:20. In short, Hackett is in prime shape to give the maximum effort required over the 7.6 mile course. Eric Blake, 44 of West Hartford, Conn., is a three-time winner and 15-time top three finisher at Mt. Washington. Coming off a third place finish in 2022, Blake is looking to return to the top of the podium.
In addition to the top three men from 2023, there are several newcomers to Mt. Washington who boast impressive resumes. Willem Landis, 22 of Minneapolis, Minn., is a Division 1 cross country and track team member at the University of Minnesota. He has run a blistering fast 14:14 5000 meters. How it translates to the unrelenting grades of Mt. Washington will soon be seen. Brandon Birdsong, 35 of Alamosa, Colo., who has run a 29:54 10K and 1:04:21 half marathon will be making his debut. Birdsong is a past Olympic Marathon Qualifier and no stranger to mountain running. Finally, Tyler Andrew, 32 of Flagstaff, Ariz., who has been shattering mountain ascent records across the globe and is a 2:16:59 marathoner will be looking to conquer the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Andrew recently did an ascent of Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. What usually takes avid hikers about two weeks to do, Andrew did in less than 12 hours. He has been training for years in high altitudes doing runs that span many miles in conditions that rival Mt. Washington.
With the absence of seven time winner Kim Dobson due to injury, the door is wide open for another women’s race winner. Two time winner Shannon Payne, 37 of Franktown, Colo., has run really well at Mt. Washington. Her two wins were in 2014 and 2017. This will be Payne’s first time back since her last win. Last year’s second and third place finishers and perpetual top finishers for years are Amber Ferreria, 41 of Concord, N.H., and Kim Nedeau, 43 of Leverett, Ma. Nedeau just won first place in the master’s division at the Vertical US Mountain Running Championships in April, and Ferreria finished second. Surely, that friendly competition will carry over to Mt. Washington as each have yet to win at Mt. Washington despite coming so close so often. 43 year old Kasie Enman of Huntington, Vt., is coming off a fourth overall finish at the Vertical US Mountain Running Championships and made the US team that will compete at the World Mountain Running Championship. Enman is no stranger to the Auto Road and seems to be in top shape.
There are a couple runners making debuts at Mt. Washington this year that could compete well. Emily Stitt, 31 of Jericho, Vt., will be making her debut. She is coming off a 10th place finish at the Vertical US Mountain Running Championships and comes from a Nordic skiing background which always seems to be beneficial at Mt. Washington. Division III cross country individual national champion in 2018 and three time All American, Paige Lawler, 25 of St. Louis, Mo., will be making her first ascent up the Auto Road. It is always difficult to know how this kind of speed will translate to the grind of 7.6 miles at 12% average grades throughout.
Sponsored by Delta Dental, the race ascends the Mt. Washington Auto Road from Pinkham Notch, N.H., to the 6,288-foot summit of Mt. Washington. In addition to the unrelenting grade, runners face the added challenge of Mt. Washington’s famously high winds, precipitation, and unpredictable temperatures which makes this race one of a kind. Prizes include $1000 apiece for the first male and female finishers, smaller cash prizes for the next five men and women and the top three male and female masters (over 40), prizes for the first male and female finishers from New Hampshire, and a $5000 bonus for setting a new course record. The race will take place on Saturday, June 17th, starting at 9 a.m. |
