The 2018 USATF NE mountain circuit is about to
begin! The first mountain circuit kicked off on May 11, 1996 at the (now defunct) Mt
Kearsarge race in Warner NH. The National Championships returns
again, this time to the European style Mountain racing at Loon Mountain.
The Ascutney Mountain race will return to the series this year after a one year
absence. The “goat” requirement adjusts accordingly and will be the best
6 out of 8 races. Mountain goat status is coveted as it comes with
not only bragging rights but a lottery by-pass into the following years Mt
Washington road race. 149 runners completed 5 of 7 in 2017 earning the
goat moniker including 26 runners who completed all 7 races.
The USATF NE Mountain series enters its 23rd year and as such is the oldest
mountain race circuit in the country.
USATF-NE Mountain Circuit 2018 Schedule
April 29 - Sleepy Hollow Mt. Race
May 6 - Pack Monadnock
May 26 - Wachusett Mountain
June 3 - Cranmore Hill Climb
June 10 – Mount Ascutney
July 8 - Loon Mountain Race (USATF National championship)
Sept 2 - Mt. Greylock Road Race
Sept 29 & 30 - Bretton Woods uphill only & Fell
Race
According to senior series director and Grand Admiral of
the Republic Paul Kirsch “We have the
good fortune here in New England of having a mountain series steeped in so much
history with course variety unequaled anywhere else in the country. I am really excited to see the series back to 8 races
this year. You can see that interest is as high as ever in the series as
Sleepy Hollow filled to capacity early and the Loon Mountain race looks to have
about 700 participants this year. Mountain running is the third fastest growing
outdoor activity in the country and here in New England it's easy to see why”.
The big questions for 2018:
Will Richard Stockdale (GCS) continue his amazing streak
of 104 consecutive series finishes from 2000 – 2017?
Will the following reach the “100 series finishes” mark?
Dave Dunham (CMS) with 97 finishes, Ray Boutotte (GCS)
with 95, and Paul Grant (CSU) with 93.
Will Brandon Newbould (WRT) win the series again?
If he does he will join Jim Johnson (CMS) and Paul Low (CMS) as 3-time series
Champions.
Will Christin Doneski (WRT) and Leslie O’Dell (CMS) really
skip the series this year? No one else has won in the last five years.
The Races
Sleepy Hollow: First held in May of 2012,
the 6.4 mile course features three climbs and descents and a mixture of
single-track, fields, dirt roads, and wide grassy paths. The total
climb/drop is 1,200’ and there is always mud somewhere on the course which is a
cross-country ski area in the winter. In 2014 the race served as the
USATF NE Trail championship. The first runner to the top of the first
climb is crowned “King of the Mountain”. The race has a 250 runner cap
and has reached the limit the last 2 years. The
2018 race course will be the same as 2016 & 2017 versions (Darth
Vader).
Course records (Various)
Pack Monadnock: The race moved to May in
2017 to accommodate the change to Mt Cranmore and has stayed with the first Sunday
in May as race day for 2018. Pack has been part of the circuit
since 1996. The race was held continuously from 1990 through 2003.
The event was not held in 2004 or 2014. The ten-mile course climbs 2,000
feet and drops 300 feet over mostly paved roads from Wilton NH to the summit of
Pack Monadnock in Temple NH. The last mile, which is entirely within
Miller State park, has climbs steeper than Mt Washington (11.5% average
grade). The final 200m has a grade of about 30%. Amenities include
mile markers, water stops, and baggage to the finish.
Course records: Eric Morse 58:35 & Kelli Lusk
1:13:35
Wachusett Mountain Typically held on the
last Saturday in May. The race is hosted by the Central Mass Striders.
The first race was held (twice!) in 1978 and was fairly successful. It
was contested from 1978 to 1986 when the host Montachusett Regional YMCA
decided to cut back on its road race calendar. CMS brought the race back
in 1992 and it has been held continuously since. The traditional course
climbed over 1400 feet with 400 feet of drop in 4.3 miles of paved road.
In 2009 the course was changed to an up/down version as construction on the
summit road made the original route unusable. The course had slight
changes in 2010-2012 with a number of different trails and finish line
locations tested. In 2013 the course changed again, this time returning
to the summit and descending via paved and dirt roads, this version (with
slight modifications) was again used in 2014 & 2015. In 2015 scoring
for the USATF series was based on the “up only” segment of the race. The
up was used again in 2016 & 2017 an continues as the USATF portion in
2018. Amenities include prizes in five age groups excellent management by
the Central Mass. Striders.
Course records (Various)
Mt Cranmore: Cranmore may be the oldest
continuously held trail-mountain race in New England with this year marking the
32nd running of the race. It has been held on various dates,
in recent years it has been held in early June The course has been varied
throughout the years, from a straight run to the summit, to a three-loop quad
buster. The current version of the course features two loops up and down
the mountain climbing and descending 2,000’ over 10K. The race is now
managed by the acidotic Racing. Cranmore has hosted the National
championships six times (2005/2007/2009/2011/2013/2017) and been a selection
race for the US team. In 2009 & 2013 the race was also the NACAC
championship. The race was named one of “Outside” magazines ultimate
races in 2015.
Course records (Various)
Ascutney Mountain: The race was first
held in the early 70’s as a tune-up for local XC skiers and has always been
popular with roller-skiers. After many years of inactivity, it was
brought back in 2001 as part of the circuit. There is also a popular bike
race to the summit in late July. Until 2009 the course was the paved toll
road to the summit parking lot near the top of Ascutney in Windsor VT.
The average grade (12%) and the many twists in the road are reminiscent of the
Mount Washington road race. The course climbs 2,300 feet in 3.7
miles. Amenities include mile markers, a water stop, and post-race
refreshments. All runners are expected to arrange transport down or run
down after the race. The race originally was held a week before Mt
Washington but in moved to mid-July, recently it has moved back to early
June. In 2009 the course was modified to include trail sections but
returned to the traditional course in 2010. In 2017 the race organizer
retired and a new organizer was not found early enough for it to be included in
the series. It returns in 2018 in the 2nd weekend in June.
Course
records: Eric Blake 27:57 & Kasie Enman 33:33
Loon Mountain: Loon Mountain is
typically held on the first Sunday of July although it has been run as early as
the final weekend in June. Loon has been part of the series since its
creation by USATF NE Mountain chair Paul Kirsch in 2006. The race was
designated the USATF NE mountain running championship and served as a qualifier
for the US Mountain running team in 2006. The course was designed to
mirror the 2006 World Trophy course in Turkey, thus giving runners in New
England a taste of an international mountain race. In 2007 the ½ mile of
flat running on paved road at the base of the mountain was eliminated and
became 5.6 miles with 2,800’ of climb and descent. In 2012 the race was
again the US champs and a qualifier for the women. The elite women ran
first and the men started 30 minutes later, both races covered a shorter 5-mile
version of the course which finished at the top of West Loon Mountain.
The signature feature of the race is the 1 kilometer stretch climbing Upper
Walking Boss, a grass slope with an average grade over 30%. In 2014 the
race again hosted the US champs and was the sole qualifier for men and
women. An additional 2 miles of “cross country” style trail was added
(and has remained as part of the course). Loon was again the sole
qualifier and U.S. championship in 2016 and will also serve as the
championship/selection race in 2018. Race features include baggage
transport to the summit, and wild strawberries lining sections of the
course.
Course records: Various
Mt Greylock road Race: 2015 marked the
first foray to Western Mass for the series since Northfield ended a few years
prior. The Greylock uphill 8 mile road race will be held for the 43rd
consecutive year on Labor Day weekend 2018.
Course records: Unknown
Bretton Woods Fell Race: First held in the
fall of 2012, it was moved to June in 2014 as a replacement for Pack
Monadnock. In 2015 it moved back to its current place on the first
weekend in October. This is the only Fell race in the series the only
race held in the fall. It is also the only Fell race held in the
country. Fell is a term mainly used in the Lake District of England to
describe mountains or high moorland. The sport of fell running can be traced to
traditionally held races in those regions. The major difference between
fell running and mountain (or trail running) is that true fell running requires
you to be able to navigate the course (often without paths) with route choice
between checkpoints being left to the individual. At Bretton Woods a
“consensus” course has been marked for the short course (the first three
check-points on the long course), giving runners the choice to follow the
somewhat longer route without having to navigate. IN 2017 a short (1.8
mile) up-hill only race was added on the day before the Fell race.
Although it is not part of the USATF series the Saturday race could be used to
count towards “Goat Status”. Fifty runners completed the uphill and 10
returned the next day to complete a rare double mountain weekend. The
Uphill race will be contested again this year and will again count toward “Goat
Status” if needed.
Course records: Various
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