Foggy finish line as runners race to summit of New England’s tallest mountain
A Colorado runner raced through cold drizzle to the summit of New England’s tallest peak, finding a finish line nearly obscured by fog, to win the Mount Washington Road Race on Saturday.
Joseph Gray, 39 of Colorado Springs, won for a record-tying seventh time in a time of 1 hour, 24 seconds, followed by Sam Chelanga, 38, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Tyler Andrews, 33, of Concord, Massachusetts.
Amber Ferreira, 41, of Concord, New Hampshire, finished with a time of 1:15:16 to win the women’s division, followed by Marybeth Chelanga, 33, of Colorado Springs, and Meghan Davis, 22, from Plainfield, Massachusetts. The Chelangas are husband and wife.
The 7.6-mile (12.2-kilometer) race route was drizzly, and thick fog enveloped the mountain above the tree line. Visibility was about 10 feet (3 meters) and the wind chill was about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, race spokesperson Randy Zucco said.
With a 6,288-foot (1,917-meter) summit, Mount Washington is synonymous with challenging weather, and snow was recorded just a week earlier on the mountaintop. Last year, the road race was cut short with the temperatures dipping well below freezing with sustained winds of 75 to 85 mph (120 to 147 kph).
