Pichrtova and Wyatt Conquer the 47th Annual Mt. Washington Road Race
Anna Pichrtova wins for the sixth time in seven years.

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By John Stifler
Posted Saturday, 16 June, 2007

Mt. Washington Auto Road, 7.6 miles uphill

Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire

Anna Pichrtova is the queen of the mountain, and her rivals are happy to see her still on her throne. As for Jonathan Wyatt, no one expected the three-time World Mountain Running Champion to do anything other than win another uphill race. Both runners won the 47th annual Mt. Washington Road Race today in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Pichrtova won for the sixth time in seven years. Every year since 2001, the 34-year-old Czech marathoner and mountain running star has shown the rest of the field how to tackle the 7.6-mile grind up the relentlessly steep Mt. Washington Auto Road, conquering the road's 12 percent grade on little more than two spindly legs and ample determination. Even in 2005, the year she failed to win, she led until the final half mile and recorded her best-ever time for the course. This year, however, she won again just nine months after a nightmarish van accident threatened to end her career.

Last September, on her way to an international mountain race in Nigeria, Pichrtova broke both collarbones and one arm when the van in which she was riding rolled off the road. After a winter and spring of bone repair and physiotherapy, plus widespread support from the running community, Pichrtova finally returned to running and racing last month.

She arrived in New Hampshire two weeks ago, and this morning she picked up the pace where she left off a year ago, defending her title here in a time of one hour 12 minutes 53 seconds, more than two minutes ahead of her nearest pursuer, Nicole Hunt of Deer Lodge, Montana.

"It's always a good feeling to win here," said Pichrtova after reaching the 6288-foot summit, "and this year I have so many people who have supported me, encouraged me to get back on track."

Jonathan Wyatt, 37, had run Mt. Washington just once before, smashing the course record in 2004 by racing up the Auto Road in a jaw-dropping 56:41. This year, having taken some time off because of a stress injury, Wyatt was less dominant but still had no trouble pulling away from the rest of the men's field in the first mile and cruising to the summit in 1:01:25.

Next behind him was former U.S. Mountain Running Champion Paul Low, 33, of Belchertown, Massachusetts, who finished second in 1:02:32. Three-time Mt. Washington winner Simon Gutierrez, 41, of Alamosa, Colorado, was third in 1:04:03 and won the men's masters prize.

Making his first appearance at Mt. Washington, Canadian triathlete Michael Simpson, 24, of West Vancouver, B.C., took fourth in 1:05:13, followed by Shiloh Mielke, 27, of Asheville, North Carolina in 1:06:07.

"It was a bit hot today," said Wyatt. "I thought I'd go out solid and see if I had anything there, but after a mile I knew I wasn't close to a record today, so I tried to stay conservative. But I knew Paul was always shadowing me."

Hunt, the current women's U.S. National Mountain Champion, tried to shadow Pichrtova for the first mile. "Then Anna maintained her pace, and I slowed down a little," said Hunt, who finished in 1:15:09.

Hard-charging Alison Bryant, 28, of Elkin, North Carolina (1:15:50), and Kasie Enman, 27, of Huntington, Vt. (1:16:48), overtook Yimenashu Taye (1:19:18) and Atalelech Ketema (1:20:29), a pair of Ethiopian road-racers unaccustomed to all-uphill races.

First female master, and seventh woman overall, was Lisa Goldsmith, 42, of Nederland, Colorado, in 1:20:45.

In all, some 900 runners made the 4650-foot ascent from the base of the mountain to its peak. Among them was 71-year-old Bill Riley of Centerville, Massachusetts, who finished in one hour 35 minutes, thereby breaking the course record for men over 70 by a quarter of an hour.

Sponsored by Northeast Delta Dental, the race awarded $1000 first prizes to Pichrtova and Wyatt.

All photos courtesy of Sportstop Photography.

Top finishers:

WOMEN:

1. Anna Pichrtova, 34, Czech Republic, 1:12:53
2. Nicole Hunt, 37, Deer Lodge, MT, 1:15:09
3. Alison Bryant, 28, Elkin, NC, 1:15:50
4. Kasie Enman, 27, Huntington, VT, 1:16:48
5. Yimenashu Taye, 28, Bronx NY (and Ethiopia), 1:19:18
6. Atalelech Ketema, 25, Bronx NY, 1:20:29
7. Lisa Goldsmith, 42, Nederland, CO 1:20:45
8. Kelli Lusk, 37, Belchertown MA 1:23:04
9. Suzy West, 44, Putney, VT, 1:24:07
10. Barbara McManus, 39, Oakham MA 1:24:09

MEN:

1. Jonathan Wyatt, 37, New Zealand, 1:01:25
2. Paul Low, 33, Belchertown MA 1:02:32
3. Simon Gutierrez, 41, Alamosa CO 1:04:03
4. Michael Simpson, 24, West Vancouver BC, 1:05:13
5. Shiloh Mielke, 27, Asheville NC, 1:06:07
6. Juan Guillermo Jaramillo, 36, Colombia, 1:06:28
7. Greg Ward, 35, West Boylston MA, 1:08:17
8. Eric Morse, 42, Berlin VT 1:08:56
9. Jason Bryant, 34, Elkin NC 1:09:13
10. Kevin Tilton, 25, North Conway NH 1:09:34

Photo Album courtesy of Sportstop Photography