Results: 63rd annual Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race

June 24, 2024June 24, 2024 White Mountains TV 0 Comments

JOSEPH GRAY WINS FOR RECORD-SETTING EIGHTH TIME
KAYLA LAMPE WINS IN HER DEBUT
TYPICAL HIGH WINDS BUT OTHERWISE PERFECT DAY

[June 16, 2024 – Pinkham Notch, N.H.]
The 63rd running of the Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race on Saturday, June 15th was greeted with beautiful weather for the first time in years. With clear beautiful conditions at the base, Joseph Gray, 40 of Colorado Springs, Colo., took off from the start. Gray held a small lead at mile one, a larger lead at 3.8 miles and never relinquished control. Mt. Washington, as it always seems to do, did try to make things interesting with sustained winds near 50 miles per hour and windchill values at the summit around or even below freezing. However, in spite of the harsh winds, Gray cruised into the finish line, all alone, with a time of 1:02:21 for his record-setting eighth win at Mt. Washington. After breaking the 35 year old all-time wins record, Gray was asked how he felt, Gray responded with an exhausted “blessed.” For the fans, the feeling was mutual; blessed to witness such greatness.

Running for his first time at Mt. Washington, Remi Leroux, 27 of Waterloo, Quebec, and a member of the Canadian National World Mountain Running team settled into second place right around the one mile mark and held second place all the way to the top. The ever present and perpetual top 3 finisher, Eric Blake, 45 of West Hartford, Conn., finished third in a time of 1:05:26. Patrick Gandini, 19 of Gilford, N.H., and Samuel Fazioli, 32 of Derry N.H., rounded out the top 5. Gandini, was the winner of the Crossan Cup which is given to the top male and female finishers from the state of New Hampshire. Gandini crossed the line in 1:06:44 with Fazioli just behind in 1:07:09.

In the women’s race, Kayla Lampe, 31 of Shelburne Falls, Mass., making her debut, crossed the line in dominant fashion with a time of 1:15:09. Lampe, a two-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and marathon specialist, crossed the line almost two minutes ahead of second place finisher, Laura Manninen, 51 of Kuitula, Finland, who crossed in 1:17:02 also in her Mt. Washington debut. Amber Ferreira, 42 of Concord N.H., finished in third with a time of 1:18:25 and took the Crossan Cup for a third straight year. Rounding out the top five was Hannah Rowe, 32 of Boston, Mass., finishing in 1:18:38 and Jenna Gigliotti, 31 of Amherst, Mass.

At the one mile mark Manninen was out front and easily in the top 20 overall. As a former Olympic runner for Finland and a current stair climb specialist, Manninen was not worried about going up. Manninen held the lead for about half the race, but with an unrelenting, grueling grind for 7.6 miles, all uphill and into 50 mph winds, Lampe stayed steady, made the pass and simply ran away with it. After the race, Lampe admitted that she was “shooting for her half marathon pace after reading about tips online.” Lampe did agree that the wind was tough, but she thought simply running her pace might be good enough to win. Both were certainly true today.

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. Runners can expect to be challenged by the unrelenting grade (averaging 12%), Mt. Washington’s famously high winds, precipitation, and unpredictable temperatures which makes this race truly 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.