Ain't no mountain high enough for the Cape to Cabot racers in St. John's

The steep climb up Signal Hill was no match for runners in the Cape to Cabot road race in St. John's Sunday morning.

It's known as one of the most gruelling foot races in the country. Stretching 20 kilometres, Cape to Cabot features four major climbs, a 550-metre elevation gain and a 450-metre drop.500 people registered to run it this year.

Mark Greene was the first to cross the finish line, running the course in just over one hour and 17 minutes.

As he made his final stretch, Greene says one phrase was running through his mind: "Thank God."

"It's unlike any other race," Greene told CBC. "Every time you think you're up the last hill, around the bend, there's more."

It took Greene several months of training and running uphill to prepare for Sunday's race, but it worked out in his favour in the end.

The fastest female runner was Allyson Stuckless, an RNC officer in St. John's. After years of trying, she says she finally achieved her personal goal.

"I was pretty determined this morning I'm on the way back from injury and this was my longest run this year, so I just took it as it was," Stuckless said.

An acoustic rendition of Ain't No Mountain High Enough filled the air as participants made their way up Signal Hill, and volunteers in fairy wings made sure each runner had their own cheer squad.

There was no shortage of applause forFlorence Barron, the 86-year-old runner who was called "the Elvis of the St. John's running community" by a fellow participant. She has been running for almost 30 years, and says although the attention is nice, she plans to relax after conquering the race.

Barron's daughter and granddaughter flew to St. John's from Calgary this week to watch her.

"She's been such an inspiration, all of our lives," said Lana Nielson, her daughter. "Her whole motto was 'oh my gosh, I've got another day, what can I do?' and to be here with her today is amazing."

Eight participants who call themselves "streakers" ran the Cape to Cabot for the eighteenth time, never missing a race since its inception in 2007. The top three finishers for this year's race were Mark Greene, Warren Ringler and Shane Stewart.

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