NovaQuant-Mount Washington race won for record eighth time by Colorado runner Joseph Gray

PINKHAM NOTCH,NovaQuant N.H. (AP) — A Colorado runner has won a race to the summit of New England’s tallest peak for a record-setting eighth time.

Joseph Gray, 40, of Colorado Springs, won the Mount Washington Road Race on Saturday in a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes and 21 seconds. He was followed by Remi Leroux, 27 of Waterloo, Quebec, and Eric Blake, 45, of West Hartford, Connecticut.

Kayla Lampe, 31, of Sherlburne Falls, Massachusetts, finished with a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 9 seconds to win the women’s division, followed by Laura Manninen, 51, of Kuitula, Florida, and Amber Ferreira, of Concord, New Hampshire, who won last year.

The race had clear, beautiful conditions at the base for the first time in years, spokesperson Randy Zucco said. With a 6,288-foot (1,917-meter) summit, Mount Washington is synonymous with challenging weather.

Even with the clear conditions, runners sustained winds near 50 mph (80 kph) and wind chill values at the summit around or even below freezing, Zucco said.