I ran the Montalto Challenge this morning and it was challenge to say the least. This 5K starts at the bottom on a trail and ends 900ft on top of Montalto above Monticello. There were ~160 runners / walkers for this run and a much different feel from Boston. Although a small race, it was well sponsored and executed by the guys at Ragged Mountain Running Shop. The runners swag bag included a cool shirt that they required to make it to the top to get.
My goals was to finish this race with positive splits but average ~10min/mile pace. The initial 2miles were perfect at just over 9min pace. The last 1.1Mile was very difficult as it had to be more than 40% elevation change and I did the climb in about 15Mins. As the runners approached the top they were pulled on by a group playing bag pipes. I reached the top to find Emily cheering me on to the finish. I crossed the finish line at ~32:18 and was happy with the effort. I will do this again next year to see how I can improve.
I was surprised how hard the course was, but the views of the way up helped take your mind off the physical pain of the run. The landscape that can be seen from Montalto was breath taking. To the north you looked down on Monticello, to the west you can see the University of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, and to the east you can see a number of farms and vineyards in the surrounding area.
The male and female winners were crowned King and Queen of the Mountain. There prize was a special poca-dot running shirt that they can wear to other races to show their ability to climb hills. Both gender winners set new race records this year. Very impressive!
Here are the official results for the 2010 Montalto Challenge
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