Mount Washington Road Race

The Mount Washington Road Race served as this year’s US Mountain Running Championships and the only qualifying race for the US Mountain Running Team. I’ve always been a good mountain runner, but never really in the ‘top’ pack. I knew I had a chance to finish top-6 and make the team, but very few people, including me, would have bet any money on that. I assumed I would finish somewhere in the top-10.
The race started and the front pack took off on a blistering pace. I hung on the back and for the first two miles I knew I was going too fast and wanted to quit. My head hurt, I was breathing hard (too hard), it was hot, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I remember thinking “This is the pace. This is the feeling of what it takes to be national class. This agony, this is what separates these guys from me. They’re willing to endure this pain and push on; I’m not.” Usually I wouldn’t be going this hard or would slow down right away. But my strategy today was to stay with the front pack no matter what. I was either going to make the team or I was going to die trying. I got a second wind after two miles and actually felt okay after the halfway mark. I had been in 8th place for a while and around 4 miles, I passed an elite marathoner for 7th. At that point, I thought I had a chance. Zac Freudenburg was in 6th and I had the confidence of knowing I passed him around the 8 mile mark of the Pike’s Peak Ascent last year. I worked on Zac and finally caught and passed him just after mile 5. At this point I was in the top-6 and on the team, but I couldn’t settle because I assumed there was somebody behind me working on me the way I had been working on Zac. I desperately wanted to pass Max King for 5th and comfort. I caught and slightly passed Max around mile 6. I couldn’t drop him though and he and I traded the lead for the next mile. I didn’t care who came in 5th or 6th between us, I just didn’t want to finish 7th. Max pulled away from me for good around mile 7 and I finished in 6th place. Joe Gray was at the finish line (I assume looking to see who else made the team) and I was so excited about finishing 6th and making team that I grabbed him and bear hugged him (not because it was Joe, I just grabbed the first person I saw). At the same time Joe said “Damn Tommy, we’re going to medal this year!” For every good race a runner has, we have 10 bad ones. This was one of those races I don’t want to forget. It’s an unbelievable feeling to finish top-6 at a US Championship race and it’s even more incredible to make a national team. I was in shock all weekend and I’m still kind of in awe.
(here’s a good write-up: http://ironboy.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/mount-washington-road-race-mwrr/)