I ran the Monticello Challenge 5K Race for the second time this year. I was happy to see the race continues to grow in size, with more than 205 walkers / runners. We had an excellent weather for the run, starting out in the morning it was in the forties and it stayed cool when we reached the summit.
This is a very challenging race with a significant change in elevation, rising ~900ft from the base of the trail to summit. The last mile of this race is ~500ft of elevation change.
This was the second year I ran this race so I knew what to expect. I started out pretty slow at ~8:40/mile pace. This was a comfortable pace to start but quickly slowed in the second mile to ~9:30/mile to make it to base of Montalto. The 7 switchbacks to make it to the top of Montalto provided a panoramic view of the valley with excellent perspective of Monticello. I worked through the 7 switchbacks passing many of the walkers and catching a few runners. Compared to last year, I was very happy that I was able to reach the summit without stopping to walk. As I approached the finish line, I stopped to grab Ella's hand so that she could finish the race with me. It was a lot of fun to run with her and cross the line with our arms raised.
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