Photo credit Joe Viger Photography

• MEIKAEL BEAUDOIN ROUSSEAU WINS IN DEBUT
• CANADIAN REMI LEROUX, AND LEGEND JOSEPH GRAY FINISH SECOND AND THIRD
• AMBER FERREIRA WINS FOR SECOND TIME
• HAFEMAN AND ROWE FINISH SECOND AND THIRD
• BEAUTIFUL DAY AT MT. WASHINGTON

[June 27, 2026 – Pinkham Notch, N.H.]  

The 65th running of the Delta Dental Mt. Washington Road Race was held in beautiful conditions with calm winds, a rarity on the mountain.

From the gun, Joseph Gray, 42, of Colorado Springs, Colo.—a legend of the race and an eight-time champion—ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Meikael Beaudoin Rousseau, 26, of Boulder, Colo. A former standout at Stanford University, Beaudoin Rousseau has quickly established himself as one of North America's top trail and mountain runners with several major victories already to his name.

The pair set a blistering pace, opening a sizable gap on a chase pack of four runners by the one-mile mark. By mile two, Beaudoin Rousseau had broken away from Gray, steadily extending his lead over the remainder of the climb. He stormed to the summit in 59:51, becoming the first runner to break the one-hour barrier since Gray accomplished the feat in 2017.

The victory was all the more remarkable considering Beaudoin Rousseau underwent double knee surgery in December, didn't resume jogging until April, and has averaged no more than 20 miles per week in training. Simply making it to the starting line was an accomplishment; winning in such dominant fashion was extraordinary. After crossing the finish line, his reaction summed it up best: "That was so hard, but I'm so grateful that I can do it."

Gray was overtaken shortly after the halfway point by Remi Leroux, 29, of Waterloo, Quebec. Leroux held on to finish second in 1:01:54, while Gray claimed third in 1:02:24. The ageless Eric Blake, 47, of West Hartford, Conn., finished fourth in 1:03:00, and defending champion Alexandre Ricard, 37, of Squamish, British Columbia, rounded out the top five in 1:04:00.

On the women's side, Amber Ferreira, 44, of Concord, N.H., cruised to her second Mt. Washington Road Race victory in four years, posting an impressive time of 1:13:52. Her performance was good for 15th overall and more than a minute faster than her previous winning time. Ferreira led from start to finish, dominating a race that was never in doubt.

Hali Hafeman, 34, of Golden, Colo., finished second in 1:17:02, more than three minutes behind Ferreira. Hannah Rowe, 34, of Boston, Mass., claimed third in 1:18:02 after a strong finish. Close behind was Kasie Enman, 46, of Huntington, Vt., who placed fourth in 1:18:17. Haley Heinrich, 34, of Newbury, N.H., completed the top five in 1:20:39.

Ferreira also captured the Crossan Cup as the first female finisher from New Hampshire. On the men's side, Sean McCauley, 34, of Canterbury, N.H., earned Crossan Cup honors by finishing eighth overall in 1:09:43.

The first non-binary finisher was Winter Parts, 28, of Towson, Md., who crossed the line in 1:12:38.

Sponsored by Delta Dental, the race ascends the Mt. Washington Auto Road from Pinkham Notch, N.H., to the 6,288-foot summit of Mt. Washington. Runners can expect to be challenged by the unrelenting grade (averaging 12 percent), Mt. Washington’s famously high winds, precipitation, and unpredictable temperatures which makes this race truly one of a kind. Prizes include $1000 apiece for the first male and female finishers, smaller cash prizes for the next five men and women and the top three male and female masters (over 40), prizes for the first male and female finishers from New Hampshire, and a $500 bonus for setting a new course record.