Congratulations to the finishers of the 2023 Westmore Mountain Challenge! The weather was perfect – partly sunny and in the 60’s, with fall colors just beginning to turn. We had a record turnout of 175 registrants – (the permit limit for this event!), 152 day-of participants, and 95 timed, full-length finishers. As always, we were inspired by the resilience, kindness, and community spirit of our participants who both pushed themselves physically and mentally and also supported one another on their respective journeys through the beautiful mountains of the NEK.
Thank you to our sponsors, Community National Bank, Passumpsic Bank, Century 21 and the VT Dept of Forests, Parks & Recreation, and the Westmore Association, for making this event possible! The Green Mountain Club: NEK Chapter continues to be a vital partner in hosting this event. Not only do their volunteers help at our aid stations throughout the day of the event, but their dedicated and passionate members and trail adopters patrol the route ahead of the event, making sure that the way is cleared for the participants. The Glover Ambulance Squad eased our minds by remaining on-call for any emergencies, which we were fortunate not to experience. As with much of our work, we could not do it without the support and partnership of these organizations!
At the lunch station, participants enjoyed grilled cheeses and quesadillas, the Craftsbury Genny‘s famous trail cookies, fresh apples from Eden Ice Cider, and some delicious Alpha Tolman and Cabot Clothbound donated by Jasper Hill.
New this year, we held an afternoon celebration welcoming the public to celebrate the autumnal equinox while cheering our participants over the finish line! Live music by The Constables, some Dirt Church Brewing, and delicious food by Smokin’ Blue Devil BBQ, kept folks around after the finish, enjoying each other’s company and celebrating the achievement of a long day in the mountains.
The initial timed results of marathon-length finishers are linked below. A big thanks to Ironwood Adventure Works for conducting the timing! Results without times are of finishers who completed other route lengths — congratulations to you all!
A big congratulations to the top 10 finishers, including two NorthWoods alum who came in 1st and 2nd, congrats Caleb and Adam!
Check out the gallery by the amazing Jason A. Frank Photography!
Top 10 Overall
| Bib | First name | Last name | Time |
| 67 | Caleb | Kessler | 4:22:32.7 |
| 75 | Adam | Kruszyna | 4:37:18.8 |
| 81 | Jake | Lester | 5:30:27.3 |
| 148 | Kevin | Studley | 5:33:56.9 |
| 141 | Jacob | Shore | 5:35:40.7 |
| 126 | Anna | Ramsey | 5:49:12.9 |
| 162 | Lindley | van der Linde | 5:51:14.1 |
| 145 | Rachel | Slimovitch | 5:58:29.5 |
| 59 | Katie | Holmes | 6:01:13.7 |
| 87 | Ephraim | Maciejowski | 6:03:47.3 |
Top 10 Women
| Bib | First | Last | Time |
| 126 | Anna | Ramsey | 05:49:12.9 |
| 162 | Lindley | van der Linde | 05:51:14.1 |
| 145 | Rachel | Slimovitch | 05:58:29.5 |
| 59 | Katie | Holmes | 06:01:13.7 |
| 33 | Katherine | Earley | 06:53:27.9 |
| 113 | Brittney | Osborne | 07:28:16.4 |
| 70 | Virginia | Kittell | 07:33:18.3 |
| 121 | Elena | Pohl | 07:34:09.7 |
| 15 | Shannon | Choquette | 08:00:46.7 |
| 169 | Mary | Watkevich | 08:11:13.4 |
Top 10 Men
| Bib | First | Last | Time |
| 67 | Caleb | Kessler | 04:22:32.7 |
| 75 | Adam | Kruszyna | 04:37:18.8 |
| 81 | Jake | Lester | 05:30:27.3 |
| 148 | Kevin | Studley | 05:33:56.9 |
| 141 | Jacob | Shore | 05:35:40.7 |
| 87 | Ephraim | Maciejowski | 06:03:47.3 |
| 128 | Rich | Repp | 06:13:22.1 |
| 89 | Charlie | Maitland | 06:17:11.8 |
| 117 | Adam | Pacheck | 06:22:46.9 |
| 125 | Ezra | Racine | 06:45:21.2 |
Under 18 Results
| Bib | First | Last | Time | Age |
| 87 | Ephraim | Maciejowski | 06:03:47.3 | 13 |
| 149 | Lucas | Switser | 07:30:16.4 | 14 |
| 110 | Ty | Mulligan | 08:06:17.7 | 14 |
| 26 | Russell | DesJardins | 08:39:56.7 | 12 |
| 104 | Ignacio | Montague | 08:39:59.4 | 13 |
| 25 | Audrey | DesJardins | 10:31:29.5 | 10 |
| 105 | Antonia | Montague | 10:33:08.3 | 10 |
| 93 | Jonah | Matte | 11:05:32.3 | 13 |
| 166 | Leo | Wagner | 11:08:18.9 | 17 |
| 13 | Leo | Chiasson-Aronoff | 11:36:28.1 | 17 |
| 65 | Nolan | Kelly | 11:36:28.2 | 17 |
| 23 | Nora | Demaine | 11:42:48.2 | 14 |
| 168 | Abbygail | Warriner | 11:42:48.3 | 14 |
| 165 | Tilly | Veysey | 11:42:48.5 | 14 |
Full Westmore Mountain Challenge 2023 Results – click the sheets at the bottom of the page for results organized by gender.
Results Organized by Age – look at the bottom of the page and click the different sheets to view age groups.
Something missing? This is our first year categorizing folks, so if you think you were left out, just let us know. Some participants didn’t fill out demographic gender or age data, and so were not included in that type of category.
Have your own photos and triumphs to share? Tag us on Instagram @northwoodsvt or on Facebook @northwoodscenter !