About to start....midnight, Friday evening or Saturday morning, whatever you prefer. Laurel Valley, Frank Giglio, Craig Wilson and Bob Najar
Standing in the dark, waiting for the gun to go off....
OK, this is the bottom of the Tuckerman Ravine trail, about midway through the run. The first 6 hours were spent on a high ridge with a start filled sky.
Jeff List, the eventual winner heading up Tuckerman's.
Waterfall low down on the Huntington Ravine Trail. We went right up through it...
Jeff cranking out the hard climbing right behind me. Jeff and I were together for most of the day until he smelled blood. Here he had just dunked his head in the stream - the sun was really beating down on the rocks and things were heating up fast.
A couple of hikers going up the headwall of Huntington's. This is much steeper than it looks here.
Jeff stopped for a moment to get something out of his pack..this climb took us 3 hours and we finished 1st and 3rd.
That ridge is where we spent the night, it is all above 4000'.
Looking back down Huntington's, the two hikers we scrambled by are down there.
One of the more "rock climbing" like sections we had to go up.
Another shot from up high on Huntington's. This climb was by far the most difficult, yet most beautiful section of the race.
Yeah, now you can see the two hikers below....we had to go up and over that ledge they're standing on.
Jeff closing in on the Mount Washington summit.
Crossing the Cog Railroad tracks on the way up.
This is the actual summit that people go up to have their pictures taken in front of the sign. There was a huge bike race up the auto road today and people were up there to watch that.
Summit sign....it was required that everyone in the MMD race hit all of the actual summits. Here's my proof I was there ;-)
This is the start of the Jefferson Loop, up and over Mount Jefferson. Jeff is behind me now, but it wouldn't take him long to overtake me.
Looking over at the Mount Washington Summit (in the clouds) as I climb the Jefferson loop.
Photo from the summit of Mount Jefferson.
Now it's time for the Lowe's Path up to the Mount Adams summit. I'm getting tired....Jeff is gaining on me.
This is the Mount Adams summit, we will take the Star Lake trail to Madison Hut.
Yup, I turn around to start down and there's Jeff cranking away...the man's on a mission! I kept telling him all day to push as if he's the leader in the race....because you just never know!
...and the" You just never know" did happen, Jeff went on and won the race when the leader missed a turn.
I stopped in the Madison Hut and filled my bottles with Lemonade...it was getting hot outside and I was thirsty! The hut lemonade is the best when you're tired and thirsty. This woman was running the show up there in the Hut.
We then took the Osgood trail from the Madison Hut up and over Mount Madison, this is a photo from the summit looking where I have to go.
Looking back the other way from where we came...overcast again, which was fantastic in the hot sun.
The last left and trail down to the finish at the Dolly Copp campground. The leader missed this turn and continued straight on the Osgood trail. Daniel Webster was no bargain, large boulders is all it was. About 5 miles to the finish!
Yeah, we go over and down what looks like a cliff down into the abyss.
I had just finished (sitting against the truck with the green shirt). These are (clockwise) Frank Giglio (DNF, Steve Pero (3rd place), Garry Harrington, last year's winner (DNF), Ryan Welts (DNF), new course record holder of the Pemi Loop he ran last weekend in 7:04:25, Jeff List (1st place) and Stanislav (took a wrong turn) Trufanov, 2nd.
RD Jonathan Whitehead grilling us some chicken, everyone else drinking beer and waiting for the chicken!.
Like I said....
Jonathan's son, Lance has just had enough excitement for today.
I was the first runner to finish 5 of these beasts. Here I am receiving my award of the loin cloth and beer stein. This "should" be my last MMD as Deb and I are hoping to be living in New Mexico this time next year...we will miss this unique event.
No, this is not Steve modeling his loin cloth. But here are the directions on how to put it on. I think this fashion should catch on as running attire. Just think how much cooler it would be than a pair of shorts!
