Breakneck vs Boston
Breakneck Point Trail Runs '17

On Monday Geoffrey Kirui, of Kenya, finished the 120th Boston Marathon in 2 hours 9 minutes and 37 seconds followed closely by American Galen Rupp at 2:09:58.
Two days earlier, on Saturday, April 15, Adam Russell finished the 42-kilometer Breakneck Ridge Trail Marathon course in Hudson Highlands State Park in 5 hours 9 minutes and 21 seconds.
Three hours more for the same distance. Yes. Oh, yes.
Kirui held an average pace of 4:56 for 26.2 miles in Boston. Russell’s average pace was 11: 47:90 through the Hudson Highlands..
In Boston the overall elevation loss is 445 feet; it’s downhill. The greatest gain in elevation is 80 feet at the infamous Heartbreak Hill.
Breakneck has a cumulative elevation gain of 9,377 feet and a few of the steepest ascents and descents of any trail race in the country.
Two days earlier, on Saturday, April 15, Adam Russell finished the 42-kilometer Breakneck Ridge Trail Marathon course in Hudson Highlands State Park in 5 hours 9 minutes and 21 seconds.
Three hours more for the same distance. Yes. Oh, yes.
Kirui held an average pace of 4:56 for 26.2 miles in Boston. Russell’s average pace was 11: 47:90 through the Hudson Highlands..
In Boston the overall elevation loss is 445 feet; it’s downhill. The greatest gain in elevation is 80 feet at the infamous Heartbreak Hill.
Breakneck has a cumulative elevation gain of 9,377 feet and a few of the steepest ascents and descents of any trail race in the country.
The first, roughly, six miles are runnable, and then the trail heads up Breakneck Ridge at a 46 percent grade through a rock scramble. That is the steepest section of the course, other hills come in at 41, 43, and 44 percent grades through areas known as Casino Trail, Dozer Junction, and Beacon Hill.
Breakneck supposedly gets its name from an errant bull chased across Bull Hill (also where Bull Hill gets its name) by local farmers, whose end came in a fall on Breakneck Ridge.
While stopping to enjoy the historic ruins and expansive vistas overlooking the rugged Hudson Valley may have influence running times the beautiful, technical, steep, and exposed single track and the elevation are the real factors in this marathon.
Average male running time at Boston was 3:23, average women’s time was 3:50. At Breakneck the mean finish time was in the 8-hour range. The last finisher came through the Unity Settlement Camp 12:33:51 after he set out.
The record for Breakneck is 5:04:00 set by semi-local Ben Nephew in 2016. Nephew came in second on Saturday with a time of 5:10:35.
Sarah Keyes set a new record women’s time on Saturday finishing in 5:47:49.
Chris Mateer won the half for the men finishing in a time of 2:19:00 and Michelle Herman was the lead female finisher in 2:45:00.
In Boston, competitors ran a marathon, at Breakneck runners climbed a marathon.
Breakneck supposedly gets its name from an errant bull chased across Bull Hill (also where Bull Hill gets its name) by local farmers, whose end came in a fall on Breakneck Ridge.
While stopping to enjoy the historic ruins and expansive vistas overlooking the rugged Hudson Valley may have influence running times the beautiful, technical, steep, and exposed single track and the elevation are the real factors in this marathon.
Average male running time at Boston was 3:23, average women’s time was 3:50. At Breakneck the mean finish time was in the 8-hour range. The last finisher came through the Unity Settlement Camp 12:33:51 after he set out.
The record for Breakneck is 5:04:00 set by semi-local Ben Nephew in 2016. Nephew came in second on Saturday with a time of 5:10:35.
Sarah Keyes set a new record women’s time on Saturday finishing in 5:47:49.
Chris Mateer won the half for the men finishing in a time of 2:19:00 and Michelle Herman was the lead female finisher in 2:45:00.
In Boston, competitors ran a marathon, at Breakneck runners climbed a marathon.
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