Double dose of Mars Hill

Driving from Ft. Kent to Mars Hill this morning you could tell it was going to be one of those great days to run Mars Hill. Russell and Leif missed the first go this past May so I took them down today to help them get their fill before they head off to their next National Team camp. Photo: A view of the finish

Rain was in the forecast and it started up just outside of town and gradually got heavier as we neared Presque Isle where we picked up Russ at Farmhouse #2. Someone had been playing Betty Crocker recently as fresh ruhbarb pie, some kind of tasty looking bars, and some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sat on the counter. Now that’s motivation right there to run fast so we could get back before everything was gone. As we neared Mars Hill the rain increased and from the road we could only see about 2/3 of the hill as the top had already been swallowed up by the clouds. What a perfect day for an uphill run…or two!

I headed up first with the guys starting 15min behind. Despite the rain and wind, it was a good day for putting up a good time. Russ had a new personal best on his mind and Leif was running this for the first time. Russ came blazing up and got his personal best by 1 second at 12:50. Leif ran solid for his first time up clocking in at 14 even. Feeling the good vibes from the first trip up, the guys decided to give it another go. Two more solid times with Russ clocking a 13:24 and Leif a 14:20.

With the wind and rain blowing hard, it didn’t take much convincing to start heading back down the hill, this time with “Betty Crocker’s” goodies on our minds after a very productive morning!

Russ on his way up to a personal best

The final pitch is steep and rocky, and today it was very slippery

Leif getting his first and second taste of Mars Hill