Mt. Cranmore Hill Climb

This was my first trip to the famous White Mountains of New Hampshire. I had no idea what to expect, except that the trails and terrain are no joke. I had done some research on the Mt. Cranmore race from prior years and found that it was a pretty gutsy place to run. After receiving race information from Paul Kirsch, I wasn't so sure I was ready to handle the course. It consisted of two 6k loops...half of the loop was a great thigh burning climb, and the other a screaming downhill. I figured that before I would freak out and worry, I should just wait and see it for myself.

I arrived in NH on Friday and traveled to the Cranmore course with teammate Amber Moran. We were greeting by Paul who gave us an excellent tour of the extremely well marked and prepared course. Shortly after we started climbing, I realized that this course was pretty amazing. I was no longer afraid of racing it...infact, I rather invited the challenge. With those thoughts, I felt confident and excited for Sunday.

Race day came and I was pumped! I hadn't been that excited to race in a long time.  I completed my pre-race rituals and headed to the line. Bang! We were off.  I found myself running with the lead pack and decided to tuck in behind.  I did not want to get caught up in running someone else's race, so I did my own thing. 

Getting to the top of the mountain on the first loop didn't come as hard as I was expecting.  I knew the second time around it wouldn't be so easy. I let my body roll on the downhill as fast as my legs would go. Normally I would have held back a bit, but I trusted my X-Talon 212's which kept me up-right and stable the whole race (unlike many other unfortunate souls).

The second uphill came and I focused on closing in on the women ahead of me. I found myself slowing creeping up on them, but not close enough to catch them on the down. I did get closer by the end of the race, so I could tell my strength endurance was finally paying off. 

I ended up in fifth place, right behind all of the USA team members.  As I stared at their jerseys, I couldn't help thinking of how much I wanted to wear one and represent the USA.  Just some more motivation for the next race!

My overall experience in New Hampshire was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back again next year.  Paul Kirsch and the local volunteers did a great job at making this an extraordinary event.  Also, a huge thank you to the greatest host family in the state, Frank and Barbara Holmes.