Fram and Dunham - 2014 Mt Washington Hall of Fame

5^th Annual Mount Washington Road Race Hall of Fame Inauguration

Saturday, June 21 -- 1 p.m.

·         Race’s Hall of Fame honors Craig Fram and Dave Dunham

May 1, 2014 -- Pinkham Notch, N.H.

Formed in 2010 to recognize outstanding performers in this footrace to the summit of the highest peak in the northeastern United States, the Hall of Fame this year will pay tribute to the achievements of Craig Fram and Dave Dunham in a ceremony at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road on Saturday, June 21.  The ceremony will take place after the 2014 Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race which starts at 9 a.m.  The race attracts 1300 runners who will make their way up the 153-year-old Auto Road.

The 2014 Mount Washington Hall of Fame inductees:

Craig Fram, of Derry New Hampshire, ran his first Mt Washington in 1995 finishing in a tie for second with teammate Dave Dunham.  Two years later he won the race.  He has won more money than any other person in the history of the race.  He set the course record for masters (age 40+) in 2001 and again in 2003.  The record he broke in 2001 had been the longest-held record in the history of the race (1962-2001).  In 2009 he broke the senior (50+) age group record running a 1:06:58, taking more than 5 ½ minutes off of the previous record.  He is the oldest runner to break 1:10 with his 1:09:52 in 2013 at age 54.  He owns three of the top eight 40-49 times and the top three times for the 50-59 age group.  He has the single-age records for ages 44, 49, 50, 52, and 54.  He has finished in the top five six times which ranks tied for 7^th all-time.  He has finished in the top ten 7 times which ranks 9^th all-time.  He has run nine times under 1:10 which ranks 8^th all-time.  He has run under 1:05 five times which ranks 7^th all-time. 

Dave Dunham, of Bradford, Massachusetts, first ran at Mt Washington in 1988, winning the race and becoming the first person to run under 1:01 with a then course record of 1:00:50.  He won again the following year in what is still the closest finish in the history of the race, beating Hall of Famer Bob Hodge by one second.  He won for a third time in 1994 passing the early leaders in the second half as they succumbed to the scorching heat.   He currently holds the single-age (35) and 35-39 age group record with his 1:00:37 run in 1999.  He also holds the single-age (24) and 20-24 age group record with his 1:01:50 from 1988.  He holds the age 48 single-age record, 1:08:19 from 2012.  He is one of only two men who own multiple state records, with his Massachusetts record of 1:00:37 and New Hampshire record of 1:00:44.  He is ranked second in sub-1:02 finishes with four and is tied with Hall of Famer Keith Woodward with the most top 10 finishes (15).  He has the most top 5 finishes in the history of the race with 15.  He ranks third all-time in prize money winnings with $7,650.   His 24 finishes at Mt Washington ranks 35th on the “most finishes” list.  In 2006 he published “Only One Hill – A history of the Mt Washington road race” and is frequently referred to as the “Mt Washington Road Race Historian”.

Craig and Dave are the only runners ever to have won both the storied Merrimack River trail race and the Mt Washington road race.

The Northeast Delta Dental Mount Washington Road Race annually pits 1300 runners against one of the most challenging obstacles in road-racing anywhere in the world: the 7.6-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road, which rises at an average grade of 11.5 percent to the 6288-foot Mt. Washington summit.  The race attracts Olympic athletes, Boston marathon champions, and the best mountain running specialists in the world to compete in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The Mt. Washington Road Race Hall of Fame recognizes athletes whose exceptional accomplishments in the race have added greatly to the history and stature of the event.  Inductees are chosen by a vote of the Hall of Fame committee from a longer list of nominees compiled by December 31 of the preceding year. 

The Saturday afternoon Hall of Fame induction will precede the race’s  award ceremony.  The induction ceremony will start at 1 p.m. in the large tent at the base of the Auto Road, on Route 16 just north of Pinkham Notch.

The public is invited.

Regularly updated information about the Mt. Washington Road Race Hall of Fame is available any time on Facebook (facebook.com/mwrrhof), Twitter  (twitter.com/mwrrrecords) and the Hall of Fame blog (mtwashingtonrecords.blogspot.com ).  For other information about the race, visit www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com.