"The Hill" & This Weekend's Starting Line

This Saturday is the 50th running of the Mt.Washington Road Race, the USA Mountain Running Championships, and the only national team trial race. This will probably be the most competitive domestic field in the history of US Mountain Running. The race is 7.6 miles in length, has an average grade of 11.5% with long sections of 18%, and the last 50 yards is a 22% appropriately called, "wall" to the finish line.

Prize money has dramatically increased and all 10 spots - the top six American male and top four American female finishers will become members of the U.S. Mountain Running Team. They will compete in the World Mountain Running Championships later this year in Kamnik, Slovenia. We have 12 Team Inov-8 mountain runners who will be in the mix up front and attacking this beast of a course.

Joe Gray
Kevin Tilton
Jim Johnson
Peter Maksimow
Alex Nichols
Dewey Peaock
Brend0n Mahoney
Ben Nephew
Gina Lucrezi
Amber Moran
Abby Mahoney
Kelli Lusk

In other racing action this weekend. Starting Friday, Joe Grant and Yassine Diboun will be racing at the grueling Bighorn 100 mile in the Bighorn National Forest, WY. An out and back course with 17.5k of climb under some potential extreme weather conditions, that on average takes ultra runners 34 hours to complete. Eric Charette will be up North at the inaugural Keyes Peak Trail Marathon hosted by Great Lakes Endurance in Florence WI. Sean Andrish, Jeremy Ramsey and Sophie Speidel will be at tough but beautiful Highland Sky 40 mile ultra in Davis, WV. Lastly Serena Wilcox will be at the Great Adirondack Trail Race in Keene Valley, NY. This 11.5 mile race is sold out, so it must a good race.