montalto challenge take 2

So last Saturday was the Montalto Challenge, the all-uphill 5k that Josh and I did last year. We did it again, and we both improved!

This year I got word that a particular fourteen-year-old boy had the goal of beating me up the mountain. It's pretty nerve racking knowing you have to actually race an individual up a mountain, rather than simply run up with a friendly group and hope you do better than last year. Anyway, he was ahead of me for the first mile and a half, I passed him and was ahead for just a little while, and he was in front of me (but close and always in sight) the rest of the way up. Unfortunately the mountain part is just so awful that I couldn't care anymore, and the kid beat me. Sigh.

But I beat my time from last year by a minute, so I'm happy about that.

Here's the starting line. (Per usual, Josh took these photos.)


Here I am getting ready to start, wearing perhaps the most awesome running shirt ever. This is the shirt Josh made me for my birthday. (Also note the looong legs on the kid behind me in red...)


Did you want to see a closeup?


Here's how it looks down on the trail part.


And here's how it looks going up Montalto. Almost everyone has to stop and walk a little. (Also note that Josh must have stopped to turn around and take this. He's a hard core runner slash race photographer.)


See how high we're getting?


Josh got a couple of shots of me nearing the finish line, but I was dying, having just run up a mountain, and am not willing to share the unflattering pictures. Sorry.

Aah, the obligatory flared-nostrils-because-I'm-trying-to-catch-my-breath photo.


You can see Monticello just to the right of my arm.


Josh did great. He beat last year's time by 4:20, AND he came in second in his age group! Here he is with the other winners (he's over on the right end.)