Is Heartbreak Hill the most demanding climb in all of elite running?

gerrt wrote:

By signing his post he is simply showing who he is and thus adding a lot of credibility to his list.

I think Pizzaguy's point was that if you're already posting under your real name then also writing it at the end of your post is somewhat pointless.

Peace Out wrote:

When I ran the Boston Marathon, I couldn't even tell I was on a hill when I was on Heartbreak. And I'm NOT a great hill runner.

You ran it wrong.

Peace Out wrote:

When I ran the Boston Marathon, I couldn't even tell I was on a hill when I was on Heartbreak. And I'm NOT a great hill runner.

Same here. I went out at a very controlled pace, saving my legs for the second half. After I was through the Newton hills I turned to a runner beside me, who was really struggling, and asked "When do we hit Heartbreak Hill?" The look on his face was priceless as he pointed out that we just finished it. My thought was that it wasn't that big of deal. If you go out too fast, the hills will finish you.

David Monti here! David Monti is an experienced he racer who races hills in the third person. One time I met ryan gregson who won that 400m uphill race in Australia, but I am David Monti so I didn't put it on my fabulous David Monti list. Another time I met David Monti at David Monti's place and he introduced me to his wife David Monti and his children David & David Monti. He drives a 2005 David Monti and lives in David, Monti

Yours Truly,

David Monti

Perspective is needed in this thread.

Any course can stick a big hill in it somewhere and have people raving how big it is.

If you have never seen it before you would look at heartbreak and say "what's the big deal?"

But in Boston, it's not the height of the hill it's where it is on the course and what you've done before you got there that makes or breaks what it does to you.

When you add the history of what has happened on that hill you will always have Boston vets talking about it in higher terms than the hill somebody ran in the jerkwater run for the kids 8k.

Personally I've handled Heartbreak pretty well, but the down hill after it past the cemetery has really hurt me, and one time that f-ing bridge over the turnpike got me good.

David Monti. wrote:

I confined my list to road races in America

fixed

well. wrote:

David Monti. wrote:

I confined my list to road races in America

fixed

+1

its the 4th newtwon hill so by that point the legs are pretty soft. i run up longer and steeper hills everyday but for some reason heartbreak was a turning point in my race. all the other hills were easy but i had to put my head down and grit through it. then as a previous poster said, the backside downhill is just as brutal.

on paper its no big deal. in a race situation it is quite demanding

Yogibear wrote:

Not even close. Whitney Portal at Badwater.

More than anything, this climb is bad because the steepest parts come at 131 to 135 miles in a 135 mile race. I would suggest that the most difficult climb I know of is the Mineral Basin direct ascent at Speedgoat 50k, although I'm sure that Hardrock has significantly harder climbs.

As for Heartbreak, I thought it was a mile later than it actually was the first time I ran Boston. I had already run the hill and I asked someone when Heartbreak was coming, which they apparently thought was hilarious, considering that I had already run it.

Yogibear wrote:

Not even close. Whitney Portal at Badwater.

You have a very expansive view of "elite running."

fmasd wrote:

But in Boston, it's not the height of the hill it's where it is on the course and what you've done before you got there that makes or breaks what it does to you.

Correct. Run the early downhill stretches in Hopkinton and Ashland too aggressively, and your quads will be absolutely shot when you need them in the Newton hills. Otherwise, Heartbreak is not a big deal at all.

David Monti. wrote:

#6: Cardiac Hill

Where: Peachtree Road Race 10-K, Atlanta, Ga., July 4, 2009

When It Hits: At 2.8 miles after you cross Peachtree Creek

How Long, How Hard: 0.70 miles, rising 113 feet, following two miles of downhills

Glad to see my hometown race getting a shout out. It should be noted that you are usually running in 70 to 80 degree weather and you have to push it hard on this hill to have any hope of a fast time for the Peachtree 10K. At the top of the hill is Piedmont Hospital. Many have taken a detour into the ER on the way up!

For marathons I'd actually put Queensboro ahead of Heartbreak. Queensboro stopped the great Halie G. dead in his tracks in 2010. It darn near stopped me as well. Heartbreak was a breeze in comparison.

Hmm. I must be pretty awesome. I actually beat Halie Gebrselassie in the marathon.

Raptured wrote:

[quote]Yogibear wrote:

As for Heartbreak, I thought it was a mile later than it actually was the first time I ran Boston. I had already run the hill and I asked someone when Heartbreak was coming, which they apparently thought was hilarious, considering that I had already run it.

Like....wow dude....you are like.....so awesome dude....thanks for sharing your awesomeness with the mortals.

fakda wrote:

Like....wow dude....you are like.....so awesome dude....thanks for sharing your awesomeness with the mortals.

Don't be a dick. I agree 100% with the guy you felt a childish need to ridicule. The same experience happened to me @ my first Boston. And I also know plenty of other runners who were completely unfazed by Heartbreak Hill the first time they ran it. Not an uncommon experience for mortals.

233232 wrote:

It's a horrid climb, for sure: not afraid to punish even the best.

OMG, no.

Before they changed the course to a half-marathon in 2011, the old Elby's Big Boy Classic 20-K in Wheeling, WV, had three memorable hills, including 29th Street, which climbed steadily for over a mile, beginning around the 3-mile mark, and Chicken Neck hill, which began just past the 11-mile mark. The course started and finished at 670 feet above sea level, but reached a peak of 1243 feet. The race finished with an insanely steep downhill which organizers till use for a Friday night road mile (course record 3:46.54 by Jason Bodnar).

Back in the day, the race was a regular stop for the sport's best elites. Bill Rodgers won it 3 times, Jon Sinclair twice, Olga Appell three times, and Rolando Vera twice. I got to cover it several times from the lead vehicle, and my wife Jane ran it once and said she got more sore than when she ran a marathon.

--DFM

worse than you think wrote:

What about the Easley hill at heart of America?

I ran up that hill (slowly)shortly before the half way point. I even passed a guy that was walking. He eventually finished ahead of me by nearly 20 minutes. Maybe I'll walk part of that one next year.

Elites stay away from this small race, but it does have a nice history to go with it.

Hal Higdon said Easley was the toughest hill he has encountered in his marathon career. It looks brutal on Google street view. Considering the race is run in usually sweltering temperatures on Labor Day in Missouri adds to the misery. :)

Peace Out wrote:

When I ran the Boston Marathon, I couldn't even tell I was on a hill when I was on Heartbreak. And I'm NOT a great hill runner.

I second this sentiment.

--A Goose

fakda wrote:

Like....wow dude....you are like.....so awesome dude....thanks for sharing your awesomeness with the mortals.

It's called even pacing to a slow time (2:58).