Mount Washington Road Race

The 2020 race has been cancelled.

This historic all-uphill run draws thousands of runners from across New England, throughout the U.S., and from countries as close as Canada and as far away as Kenya, to make the grueling climb to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. As the race begins its second half-century, this challenging annual event is now officially an in-house operation of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, the private organization that owns the ultra-steep 7.6-mile Auto Road where the race is held. The organization maintains overall ownership and supervision of the event. Credit for the first timed run up Mt. Washington goes to George Foster, who performed the feat in 1904 when he was a medical student, to impress his friends. He completed the climb in 1:42. In 1936 some of Dr. Foster’s friends organized a Mt. Washington road race in his honor. Twelve runners finished. The race was held again in 1937 and 1938, with larger fields each time.