Northeast Delta Dental 50 Memorable People of the MWRR

Northeast Delta Dental is celebrating 50 years of providing the best service possible to its customers. In conjunction with its sponsorship of the Mount Washington Road Race, they are also pleased to present The Northeast Delta Dental 50 memorable moments and 50 memorable people from the Mount Washington Road Race.

We will be counting down the people and moments over the next eight weeks leading up to the 50th running of the Mt Washington road race.

The final ten in each category will be announced at the Eagle Mountain house on June 18th along with the first class to be inducted into the Mt Washington road race hall of fame.

Northeast Delta Dental 50
Memorable People

Kathy Hodgdon – Had three consecutive wins from 1980 to 1982. All three times were under 1:30 averaging 1:24:07. Kathy holds the single age record for ages 22 and 23 with her 1:22:57 and 1:22:41 in 1981/82.

Chris Maisto – Has three wins and a second place in four attempts, all of which were under 1:20. She won in 1985, 86, and 91. Chris set a course record in 1985 and 1991, and has a personal best of 1:12:15. Chris has the single age record for age 25 (1:14:45). With her victory in 1985, Maisto became the first woman to break into the top 50, with her thirty-first place overall finish. She took home $500 for the win and a sub-1:15 time.

Ellenora Mendonca – Three consecutive wins from 1976-1978. She set the course record twice with her 1:30:05 in 1977 and her 1:28:39 in 1978. She led her CSU team to a women’s team record running 4:54:21, knocking a record 31:55 off the old record.

Dave Dunham – Set the Massachusetts state record in 1999 (1:00:37) and the New Hampshire state record in 1993 (1:00:44). He set the course record in 1988 (1:00:51) and won in the closest finish (1.5 seconds) in 1989. He was the first person to run under 1:01. He won the race three times and is tied for the most top ten finishes (fifteen), all in the top five. He has run sub 1:10 a record seventeen times. Dave has the single age record for age 24, 35, and 36. Dave raced twenty times from 1988 – 2009, missing only 1997 and 2004. He has the five year age group record (35) with his 1:00:37 run in 1999. In 1993, he led the CMS team that broke the 12-year-old team record (BAA 5:31:07), running a 5:30:34. He was also part of the CMS men’s 40+ team which broke the team record in 2005, taking sixteen minutes off of the Coastal AC’s previous CR. The 5:59:04 by CMS was the first time a 40+ team broke six hours.

Derek Froude – Two-time winner, first runner to break one hour. He set the course record in 1990 with his 59:17. Derek raced three times from 1990-1992 and his only defeat was a second place finish in 1992.

Jonathan Wyatt – Set a course record of 56:41 in his first attempt in 2004. He won again in 2007. His course record is still standing as is his 5 year age group record (30-34).

Francis Darrah – Won the race twice, setting course records in the first official race (1936-1:15:50) and 1938 (1:15:27). His 1936 win by 12:10 remains the largest margin of victory in the history of the race.

Melissa Moon – Won in 2005 in the second fastest time in race history 1:10:11. She is the only person to beat Anna Pichrtova on Mt Washington (by 17 seconds). Her time is the (35-39) age group record.

Craig Fram – Won the race in 1997. He set the course record for 40+ in 2001 and again in 2003. He has finished seven times in the top ten. He has won more money than any other runner, taking home just over $10,000. He has run seven times under 1:10, with a best of 1:03:27. His 2001 40+ age group record broke Fred Norris’s longstanding time from 1962 of 1:04:57. His 1:06:58 in 2009 set the 50+ age group record that had stood for 15 years. It also made him the oldest runner to break 1:10. He has the single age records for age 44, 49 and age 50. He holds both the 45-49, and 50-54 five year age group records with his 1:05:45 in 2008 and his 1:06:58 in 2009. He is the only male runner with two five year age group records. When he ran in 2008 he was not only the top NH finisher, but finished an amazing tenth place overall.

Peg Donovan – Won the race in 1987 and finished five times in the top ten all five times sub 1:30 averaging 1:19:24. She raced five times from 1986 – 1995 and returned in 2005. She took an amazing nine minutes off of her personal record to run the second fastest time for a female with a 1:15:05 in 1987. She also became only the second women to place in the top 50 with a thirty-seventh place finish and led the Granite State Racing Team to a team record. The team record would stand for another 19 years.

John Cederholm – Won the race in 1973 in his first attempt, and went on to finish five times in the top ten between 1973 and 1978. At age 60 he set a top ten age group time of 1:31:07. He has run four times under 1:10, with a personal best of 1:08:26. He has run the race twenty-eight times from 1973 - 2009.


Barbara Remmers – Has the New York state record set in her 1999 victory with a 1:13:52, and the Virginia state record in 2004 with a 1:46:34. She won the race in 1999 after training on a treadmill at 11.5%. She finished the race five times from 1998 – 2004.

Martha Rockwell – She set the Vermont state record of 1:19:14 in 1979 winning the race in a course record time. She has run three sub 1:30’s. She set the 40+ age group record in 1986 and 1987 (1:28:39/1:25:57), which was not broken until 1994. Her 50+ age group record stood until 2001.

Magdalena Thorsell – Won in a course record 1:10:09 in 1998. Her course record has stood for 12 years. She finished in a record high 15th place overall.

Keith Woodward – Won the race in 1983, with a 1:06:38. His 1:15:08 run in 2003 is the sixth fastest for the 50+ age group. He finished fifteen times in the top ten overall from 1973 through 1991 which ties him for the most top ten finishes. He has run the race 34 times between 1973 and 2009 which is the most by anyone. His personal best was a 1:03:06 in 1985 when he finished second. In 1977 he led the North Country AC team to the first sub-6 hour finish with his third place 1:08:15 (the team ran 5:5928).

Bob Teschek – Race director from 1982 to present. He also ran the race eight times between 1966 and 1982 with a personal best of 1:15:52 in 1977. In 1982 he finished a respectable 32nd place while overseeing the race.

Mike Casner – Finished fourteen times in the top ten from 1984 – 2009. He is tied for the most top ten finishes without a victory. His personal best is 1:05:48 which he ran in 1998, with his best place being fourth in 84, 91, and 94. He has fourteen times under 1:10 averaging 1:07:49 and ran the race twenty-two times. In 1993, he was part of the CMS team that broke the 12-year-old team record (BAA 5:31:07), running a 5:30:34.

Eric Morse – Set the Vermont state record in 1999 running a 1:01:09. He has finished in the top ten fourteen times from 1993 to 2009. He has more top five finishes than anyone without wining (ten). He has finished in second place three times and run under 1:10 fifteen times. He has finished sixteen times from 1993 – 2009, missing only 2003. In 2006 he ran the eight fastest time ever for a 40+ runner with his fifth place overall 1:04:38. In 1993, he was part of the CMS team that broke the 12-year-old team record (BAA 5:31:07), running a 5:30:34. He also led the CMS men’s 40+ team which broke the team record in 2005, taking sixteen minutes off of the Coastal AC’s 2004 time of 6:15:27. The 5:59:04 by CMS was the first time a 40+ team broke six hours.

Sumner Brown – Has seven times that make it into the top ten in various age groups. He set an age group record in 1994 when he placed 18th overall in 1:12:27 which topped the 50+ age group. His record stood for fifteen years. In 2004 he broke into the 60+ age group with the second fastest time in that category. He has run the race 23 times between the years 1984 - 2009. He currently holds the single age records for age 47, 51, 59, 63, 64, and 65. Sumner holds the five year age group record (65-69) with his 1:34:36 run in 2009.

Charlotte Lettis - Was the first official women’s finisher in 1972. She finished 84th overall, 12 minutes ahead of the only other women’s finisher, Jennifer Taylor of the Cambridge Sports Union. In December 1971 she married Tom Derderian (5th 1:11:53) and they became the first married couple to finish the Mt Washington road race.

Fred Ross – Has the longest consecutive finish streak with 32 finishes from 1978-2009. He has the second most total finishes with 33 confirmed finishes from 1976-2009. Fred and Donna Smyth were MARRIED on the summit of Mt Washington in 2009.

Jock (John) Semple – Many time race director, he resurrected the race in 1961. He finished in the top ten in his two finishes. His tenth place finish in 1937, running a 1:24:45 was his personal best. His top place was eighth in 1937.


Donna Smyers – Is tied for the most top ten finishes with eight. She also leads the list of sub-1:30 times with thirteen. Donna has fifteen finishes from 1993 – 2009.

Rebecca Stockdale-Woolley – Has four times in the top ten for the 50+ age group. She set the 50+ age group record when she finished in twelfth place with a 1:30:27 in 2001. Here record stood until 2004. She has run three times under 1:30 and is the oldest sub 1:30 runner with a 1:29:37 in 2000 at age 49. Rebecca has the single age records for age 48, 53, 55, and age 56. Her 1:31:21 from 2006 is the 5 year age group (55-59) record.

Joan Benoit-Samuelson – Set the Maine state record of 1:16:03 in 1997, and the 40+ age group record. She held the master’s record held for 11 years, and still has the age 44 single age record running a fine 1:16:47.


Bill Riley – In 2007 he broke the 70+ age group record by an amazing 18 minutes, which is the most this AGR has ever been broken by with his stellar 1:34:54. He lowered the record in 2008 to 1:31:41. He holds the single age records for age 71 and 72.

Carrie Parsi – Has run four times that place in the top ten in various age groups. She set the age group record in 1996 at age 60 running a 1:41:16. Her time at age sixty ranked in the top ten for 50+ age group at the time. That record is still standing and is also the 5 year age group record (60-64). In 2009 she ran the second fastest time ever run in the 70+ age group. Carrie has the single age records for age 57, 58, 59, 60, 66, 68, and 69. She has finished the race fourteen times from 1991 – 2009.

Julie Peterson – Finished third overall at age forty (1:23:00). She set the Massachusetts state record in 1991 with a 1:14:19, which still stands. She has finished seven times in the top ten, which ties her for third most, including three seconds and four thirds. All of her eight finishes were with times under 1:30. She has the single age record for age 39.

Barbara Robinson – Has six times in the top ten for the 60+ and 70+ age group. She has the second fastest 60+ time and has five of the top seven times in the 70+ age group. She set the 70+ age group record with a 2:00:42 at age 70. She has the single age records for age 65, 70, 71, 72, 74, and 75. She also has the five year age group record (65-69) with her 1:46:03 run in 1999 and the 75-79 age group record (2:11:11) set in 2009. She is the only person to currently own three five year age group records.

Louise Rossetti – Has two of the top three times in the 80+ age groups. She set the age group record with a 2:48:52 at age 81 in 2003, the record stood until 2009. Louise has the single age records for age 76, 77, 81, and age 82. She is the oldest recorded women’s finisher (82) and was the first woman over the age of 80 to finish the race (2002).

Kerry Arsenault – Finished in the top ten six times over a span of seven years from 1994 - 2001. All of her times were between 1:25:32 and 1:28:44. She finished seven times under 1:30.

Leslie Thompson – Finished in the top ten four times, including a second place finish in 1986. She finished in fifth place at age 16. She has run three times under 1:30 and set a course record for the under 20 age group that lasted for 19 years (1980-1999). She has the single age record for age 16 with her 1:29:57 run in 1980, as well as the single age record for age 19 and 20.

Catherine Lifschultz – Ran seven times finishing in the top ten including a fourth in 1992 running 1:21:03. She ran eleven times under 1:30, which ranks second all-time. She ran the race fourteen times from 1990 - 2004.

Matt Cull – Has finished nine times in the top ten from 1983-95. He finished second twice (1983/84). He has a personal best of 1:03:41 and has run under 1:10 eight times averaging 1:06:35.

Leon Beverly – Has four times that make it into the top ten in various age groups. He set an age group record in 1990 with his 1:34:26 to top the 60+ age group. His other times are in the 70+ age group, including the age group record of 1:53:26 set in 1998 which stood for eight years. He finished thirteen times from 1983 – 2002.

Louisa Dunlap – Set age group records in 1991, 1992, and 1993 in winning the 50+ age group. She is one of only three runners to have set an AGR three times. She also placed in the top ten in the 60+ age group in 2004. She finished the race fifteen consecutive times from 1991 – 2005.


George Etzweiler - became the oldest finisher at age 89 (2:57:12) in 2009. He has the 5 year age group record (85-89) with his 2:33:20 (2005). He has the single age records for ages 85, 86, 87, and 89.

Hildy Fosse – Set the 50+ age group record in 1987. Then set an age group (60+) record in 1989 and 1990. In 1999 at age 70 she again set an age group record running 2:14:02. In 2009 she set the 80+ age group record with a 2:39:47. She holds nine of the top twenty-five age 70+ age group times. She ran the race twenty-five times from 1985 - 2009. She has the single age records for age 67, 78, 79, 80.

Sean Livingston – Ran two of the fastest times (first and third) by a runner under the age of 20. Set the age group record in 1987 placing thirteenth overall in 1:09:14. This is by far the longest still standing record. He set the state record for Rhode Island in 2005 running a 1:07:13. He ran the race fifteen times from 1986 - 2009. He has the single age record for age 18.

Carlton Mendell – Ran an age group record in 1992 at age 70, running a 1:54:42. He had top ten times in the 80+ age group in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He had a consecutive streak of finishing for 24 years from 1982 through 2005. He set a 60+ age group record in 1982 that was not beaten until 2000. His 70+ record, set in 1992, was not broken until 1998. He has the single age records for age 77, 78, 81, 82and age 83.

Disclaimer: The “Memorable people” is a hodgepodge of age group record holders, race winners, sub 1:10 (men) and sub 1:30 (runners), unusual record holders, and memorable persons at the Mount Washington road race. I did not attempt to actually RANK any of these performances in any particular order. I attempted to give some history of some memorable characters that have made a mark in the history of the race.

The “50 Great Moments” is a mishmash of “first times”, records, unusual events, and memorable finishes at the Mount Washington road race. I applied very little logic in deciding how to rank events in any particular order. Mostly I just went with how memorable I felt something was. This in no way is meant to disparage any performance/people at the race. I’m sure that anyone with knowledge of the race could knock out their own list which may or may not include the events/people I’ve listed. All I can say to that is “have fun”. Have your own list? Leave me a comment!

Northeast Delta Dental 50 Memorable Moments of the MWRR

Northeast Delta Dental is celebrating 50 years of providing the best service possible to its customers. In conjunction with its sponsorship of the Mount Washington Road Race, they are also pleased to present The Northeast Delta Dental 50 memorable moments and 50 memorable people from the Mount Washington Road Race.

We will be counting down the people and moments over the next eight weeks leading up to the 50th running of the Mt Washington road race.

The final ten in each category will be announced at the Eagle Mountain house on June 18th along with the first class to be inducted into the Mt Washington road race hall of fame.

Northeast Delta Dental presents Memorable Moments


50. 1936 Francis Darrah won by over 12 minutes in 1:15:50. His 12:10 margin of victory remains the biggest ever.

49. 2008 - Simon Gutierrez became the first man over 40 to break 1:02 with his AGR 1:01:34.

48. 1985 - Bill Teschek video taped the race for the first time and sold the VHS or Beta (!) copies for $

47. 2007 - Bill Riley broke the 70+ age group record by an amazing 18 minutes with his stellar 1:34:54.

46. 2005 - The CMS men’s 40+ team also broke the team record, taking sixteen minutes off of the Coastal AC’s 2004 time of 6:15:27. The 5:59:04 by CMS was the first time a 40+ team broke six hours. The CMS 40+ time was fast enough that it would have place second in the open standings, behind only the CMS open team.
45-41


45. 2003 - Louise Rosetti became the first W80+ finisher 2:48:52.

44. 1998 – Simon Gutierrez and Magdelina Thorsell became the fastest married couple running a combined time of 2:13:32. Gutierrez finished in 1:03:23 for third place and Thorsell took the women’s title in 1:10:09. Their time was more than 19 minutes faster than the previous best couple. Steve and Marjorie Podgajny had run 2:32:35 in 1981.

43. 1996 – Jacqueline Gareau picked up her third win in three attempts. Gareau won by just over 1:30 (1:17:14) and topped her own record as the oldest winner (43).

42. 1993 – The Central Mass. Striders broke the 12-year-old team record (BAA - 5:31:07), running a 5:30:34.

41. 1989 - Jacqueline Gareau finished first in a new course record (1:13:14). The 13 second victory was the closest to date.

40. 1989 – Dave Dunham (1:02:59) took the lead on the steep final section to take the win by 1.5 seconds over seven-time winner Bob Hodge. This the closest finish in race history.

39. 1987 - Sean Livingston set an under-20 record that still stands 23 years later (1:09:14).

38. 1986 - For the first time it appears that the Auto Road was at least partially closed to traffic, as the road was closed at the bottom from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

37. 2008 - For the first time in race history more than three teams broke six hours. The Boston Athletic Association broke the Central Mass. Strider’s streak of 16 consecutive men’s open victories, beating CMS by over 8 minutes. CMS and Whirlaway both broke six hours as did the record setting (5:55:17) CMS masters team.  BAA's Matthew Ely below

36. 1979 - Martha Rockwell cracked the top 50 overall in 1:19:14. Her time broke the course record by nearly 10 minutes, which remains the greatest improvement in setting a CR.
35. 1977 - Bob Hodge (1:04:44) won in a course record as he snuck under the old record of 1:04:57 by Fred Norris in 1962.


34. 1975 - Hester Ford Sargent beat 1972 winner Charlotte Lettis by nearly 15 minutes and broke the course record by nearly nine minutes. She finished 110th in a record field of 276 finishers. Her margin of victory remains the largest in the history of the race.

33. 1971 - Mike Gallagher became the first four-time winner as he bested an excellent field with his 1:07:27. He won by 51 seconds over Amby Burfoot.

32. 1961 Jock Semple took over as the race director on this 100th anniversary of the opening of the Carriage Road.

31. 1999 – The Liberty AC (5:33:00) and Winners Circle RC (8:18:40) became the first winners in the 50+ women’s and men’s 50+ teams respectively.

30. 2009 - Craig Fram ran an incredible 1:06:58 to smash the over 50 age group record, taking nearly six-minutes off of Sumner Brown’s longstanding time of 1:12:37.

29. 2006 - The La Sportiva women’s team set a new course record by eight minutes with a six minute margin of victory over Moving Comfort who were also under the old team record. The old record by GSRT had stayed on the books for an incredible 19 years.

28. 1996 – Daniel Kihara powered to a 58:20 victory and in the process bettered the course record by nearly a minute. Kihara’s record would stand for a record 8 years.

27. 1981 – The Boston Athletic Association took the team title in an impressive 5:31:07. The BAA’s time would remain the team record for another 12 years.

26. 1993 - This was the first year that the women’s 65-69 age group was scored. Molly Hennig won in 2:29:27.

25. 1999 - Kristen Lippman set a new under 20 age group record of 1:28:42 breaking the record that had lasted for 19 years.


24. 1992 - For the first time, master (40+) men’s and women’s teams were scored. The combined times of the top three runners were used to score the teams. Maine TC took the female 40+ team title in 5:22:21 and Green Mountain AC were the top men in 3:58:51.

23. 1991 –For the first time age graded times were listed based on tables from the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA). In a somewhat controversial move, prize money for 40+ runners was awarded based on the WAVA times.

22. 1987 - Jack Coakley, a wheelchair athlete and friend of Gary Crossan, pushed himself to the top in 2:48.

21. 1998 – Magdelina Thorsell finished a record high fifteenth place overall in running a new CR of 1:10:09. Thorsell’s course record still stands (12 years) which is twice the length of time any previous women’s CR stood

20. 1994 - Jacqueline Gareau won the race in 1:16:15. Gareau’s time was nine minutes under the old record for 40+ women, besting Martha Rockwell’s time. At Age 41 Gareau became the oldest race winner.

19. 1962 - Fred Norris (age 40) became the first runner to break 65 minutes (1:04:57), an incredible feat that would not be matched for another 15 years. His 40-49 age group record would stand for 39 years

18. 1999 - For the first time ever two men ran under 1:00 as Daniel Kihara ran 59:03 and Matt Carpenter ran 59:16 (fastest non-winning time).

17. 1984 - This marked the first time in printed literature that the race was called the ‘Run to the clouds’.

16. 2004 – Paul Low won the ‘race within the race’ for the National champion title. This was the first time the National Mountain running championships were held at Mt Washington

15. 1987 – The Granite State Racing Team took the women’s team title running 4:00:33, defeating CSU by 35 minutes. The GSRT smashed the Dartmouth Outing Club’s course record by nearly 23 minutes. The team record would stand for an amazing 19 years.


14. 2005 – In a rare duel from start to finish; Anna Pirchtova and Melissa Moon ran together until the last 200 meters. Moon pulled ahead just before the final steep pitch and took the victory by fifteen seconds. This was the second closest finish, behind only the thirteen second gap when Jacqueline Gareau won in 1989. Moon (1:10:11) missed the course record by two seconds.

13. 2009 - George Etzweiler became the oldest finisher at age 89 (2:57:12)

12. 1979 - Martha Rockwell cracked the top 50 overall in 1:19:14. Her time broke the course record by nearly 10 minutes, which remains the greatest improvement in setting a CR.

11. 1984 – Gary Crossan won the race in a course record 1:01:13. He became the first recorded finisher at Mt Washington to receive money for his victory. He was presented $100 for setting the course record.


Disclaimer: The “Memorable people” is a hodgepodge of age group record holders, race winners, sub 1:10 (men) and sub 1:30 (runners), unusual record holders, and memorable persons at the Mount Washington road race. I did not attempt to actually RANK any of these performances in any particular order. I attempted to give some history of some memorable characters that have made a mark in the history of the race.

The “50 Great Moments” is a mishmash of “first times”, records, unusual events, and memorable finishes at the Mount Washington road race. I applied very little logic in deciding how to rank events in any particular order. Mostly I just went with how memorable I felt something was. This in no way is meant to disparage any performance/people at the race. I’m sure that anyone with knowledge of the race could knock out their own list which may or may not include the events/people I’ve listed. All I can say to that is “have fun”. Have your own list? Leave me a comment!