From Pinkham Notch to the top of the Mount Washington Auto Road, Concord’s Amber Ferreira outkicked every other woman on the course.
The conditions were exceptional for the 44-year-old on June 27. The mountain had calm winds and clear skies, a rarity, as she cruised to her second Mount Washington Road Race victory in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 52 seconds.
That pace placed Ferreira first among all women and 15th overall, beating out her previous win by around 90 seconds.
“It was like A-plus weather, very low wind, it was 50 degrees and like a bluebird day at the top, so it was awesome,” Ferreira said.
Ferreira said she hardly did any specific uphill run preparation. Rather, she’s been on her bicycle nonstop. She credited the combination of Ironman and cycling training for her success on the ascent.
Mentally, it took Ferreira some time to master the race. Runners scaling the side of New Hampshire’s tallest peak push their heart rates to the limit but also need to focus on pace and cadence. It’s no easy task putting one foot in front of another to conquer the 6,288-foot summit with an unrelenting grade averaging 12%.
Ferreira also won the Crossan Cup as the top female finisher from New Hampshire along with 34-year-old Sean McCauley of Canterbury, who earned Crossan Cup honors among the men by finishing eighth overall in 1:09:43.
Joining Ferreira on the women’s podium were Hali Hafeman of Golden, Colo., who finished second in 1:17:02, and Hannah Rowe of Boston, Mass., who placed third in 1:18:02.
On the men’s side, Meikael Beaudoin Rousseau, 26, of Boulder, Colo., won in 59:51. He was followed by Remi Leroux of Waterloo, Quebec (1:01:54), and Joseph Gray of Colorado Springs, Colo. (1:02:24).
Ferreira’s first win in the race up Mount Washington in 2023 returned a Granite State woman to the top of the podium after two decades. Something about getting over that treeline on the ascent in your home state is special, she said.
This time around, her children were old enough to appreciate it, which made it feel even more special. Those 20 seconds that her daughter ran alongside her and the exchange of I-love-yous kept her pushing to the top.
“Being a mom brings me a ton of joy, and it’s taking some of the pressure off,” Ferreira said about continuing to push herself.
She wants her kids to see her doing challenging things. So logically, after winning the road race, she’s planning on racing in the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb on Aug. 15.