On the Newton Hills in 1936, Johnny Kelley passed race leader Tarzan Brown and patted him on the shoulder as he ran by. Kelley’s act fueled Brown for the rest of the race and spurred him on to victory. Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason referred to Brown’s reaction as breaking Kelley’s heart. The location of the incident was from then on referred to as Heartbreak Hill.
The most well-known challenge on the Boston Marathon course is unquestionably Heartbreak Hill. Its reputation is well-deserved given its location 20 miles into the race. However, the three hills preceding the iconic hill make Heartbreak just one of the challenges facing Boston Marathon runners as they approach the last ten miles of the race. In this article we’ll breakdown the Newton Hills and offer advice on how to conquer them.
Looking at the race elevation chart or reading descriptions of the course, it’s easy to lump all the hills into a single entity – “the Newton Hills”. However, you shouldn’t view the hills as a single five-mile-long uphill section. It’s too overwhelming to think about after already running 16 miles on the Boston course. At this point, you’re likely beginning to tire both physically and mentally and what you don’t need to do is visualize the next five miles as all uphill. If you look at each hill as an individual segment, the task ahead seems much more manageable.
The Newton Hills section lasts for 4.8 miles, but only about one-third of that distance is spent running uphill. You are rewarded at the end of each hill with a flat or downhill break before reaching the base of the next hill. Two of the hills give you a break of a mile or more before you start the next hill and the third gives you a 0.7 mile flat section before you have to tackle Heartbreak.
Breaking down the Four Hills
The hill that crosses over Rte. 128/I-95 in Lower Newton Falls is 0.6 miles long and is followed by a slightly rolling, but net downhill mile that ends at the right turn at the Newton Fire Station.
The first hill in Newton is the steepest (4.4% grade) and shortest (0.3 miles) of the Newton Hills. This hill is followed by a 1.3 mile, mostly downhill stretch. Mile 18, located after the top of the first Newton Hill and just before the second Newton Hill, is predominantly downhill with a net drop of 50 feet. This mile will be your fastest split through the Newton Hills.
The second Newton Hill is in between the preceding two hills in both length (0.4 miles) and gradient (3.6%). However, your legs don’t get much rest since there is only a relatively flat 0.7 mile break between the top of this hill and the start of Heartbreak.
Finally, Heartbreak Hill is 0.5 miles long and gains 91 feet in elevation (3.5%). Once you reach the top, there is a slight downhill of a few feet followed by a slight uphill (a bit of a false summit) before reaching the steep Boston College downhill.
In addition, by breaking the hills down individually, you can imagine the short amount of time you will need to expend energy going up each hill. For example, if you are running 8:00/mile, it will take you only about 2.5 minutes to run the first Newton Hill – two-and-a-half minutes and it is over. And four minutes to conquer Heartbreak. If you think about the short amount of time it will take you to finish each hill, it seems a lot easier than looking up from the bottom wondering when, or if, you’ll ever get to the top.
Time Needed to Finish Each Hill
The Newton Hills are an intimidating part of the Boston Marathon course and have ruined many races. You can lessen the chances of them ruining your race by understanding where, how long, and how steep each of the hills are. Prepare yourself to take them on one at a time and they won’t be as daunting as they look on paper.
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