Roanoke's
Mount Everest
roanoke.com
- December 2005
By Jenny Kincaid Boone
It is Roanoke's own Mount Everest.
Mill Mountain not only is a natural wonder, but it has
become an initiation of sorts for local runners. The
mountain that showcases Roanoke’s famed Mill
Mountain Star is revered because it presents one of the
steepest challenges around.
Daily, you’ll see both runners and bikers take off
for the mountain during lunch breaks, opting for slow
climbs or strenuous hill workouts. Runners celebrate New
Year’s Day with a group climb to Mill Mountain.
They also head up the mountain for special occasions,
such as marathon training runs, or simply a Saturday
morning group run.
Mill Mountain been tagged by runners as "the mountain."
The sheer difficulty of the climb makes completing it a
satisfying feat.
Before Mike Morris, a local triathlete, turned 30, he
wanted to complete a 10-mile loop up Mill Mountain and
back down without stopping.
"Mill Mountain is our local Everest, looms over the
valley and is a natural challenge for runners and
cyclists," he said.
The full length of a run up Mill Mountain differs,
depending on which route you take to get to the mountain.
Some make it a 7-mile run, while others combine other
streets and trails for 10 or more miles.
There are various routes that you can take to get up "the
mountain."
Kevin
Spencer of Roanoke runs up Walnut Avenue and turns right
onto Sylvan/Prospect Road, otherwise known as the Old
Road. It winds up the side of the mountain, past former
Mayor Ralph Smith’s house. The steep road is quite
challenging as it loops up for at least two miles. But
you can’t match the great views of the city that
you see as you’re climbing.
"I hate it right after I pass the mayor’s house,"
Spencer said. "It is just about time to quit, but it is
only a few minutes to the top. But the feeling I have on
the way down is great."
Once at the top, there are several options for going back
down the mountain. You can run down the way that you came
on the Old Road. Or you can take the main two-lane road,
called the New Road, down Fishburn Parkway.
Local runners trudge up Mill Mountain for the annual New
Year's Day run to the Mill Mountain Star.
You also can hitch a run on the Star Trail, a rocky trail
that weaves down the mountain (check out an earlier
column). If you follow the Star Trail all of the way to
the bottom, it ends in a small parking area on Riverland
Road. To finish up on Walnut Avenue, follow the Star
Trail until it crosses Fishburn Parkway. Then, turn left
onto the parkway for the run down the mountain.
There are several other marked trails that you can take
from the top of Mill Mountain. Most finish up on other
roads throughout the area.
Some people take the New Road up Mill Mountain and run
back down the Old Road. The New Road also has its
challenges. The road is approximately 3 miles to the Mill
Mountain Star Overlook starting from the Walnut Avenue
bridge, a longer climb than the Old Road. The New Road
has straight and steep spots, with several hairpin turns.
At each turn, you wonder if you're near the top. Keep a
slow, steady pace.
After you turn right into the Mill Mountain Parkway Spur,
which leads to Mill Mountain Zoo and the Star Overlook,
brace yourself for more tough climbing. You think
you’re almost done, but you still have a nearly
half-mile run to the top. It’s a killer, and the
most challenging part of running up the New Road.
A group from the YMCA does several different workouts
that involve the mountain. For a speed workout, try a
12-minute push. The runners take Jefferson Street to the
Walnut Avenue bridge, at the foot of the mountain.
They run up the mountain as hard as they can for 12
minutes, then turn around and regroup on the way down.
Spencer
ran the mountain at the end of a one-hour training run
before the Lynchburg 10-miler, which has a tough, rolling
and steep terrain.
Or just attempt a simple climb as its own challenge. Park
on Wiley Drive or one of the other side streets at the
foot of the mountain, stretch and head on up.
About Jenny:
Jenny Kincaid Boone has been running since she was in
eighth grade. She competed in cross country and track at
Fort Defiance High School (Fort Defiance, Va.) and at
Roanoke College, where she was all-ODAC in cross country
for four years. When her knees and legs aren't aching
from the wear of years of competition, she hits the 19 to
low 20-minute range for a 5K.