Paul Kirsch

“Hills are good for you”

City: Madison State: NH

Favorite Shoe: Brooks NXG Size: 10.5

Age: 44.3 years old

Marital Status: Married

Family members:
Catalina (wife)
Lucas (born 3/28/99)
Miguel (born 9/3/02)
Bear (my dog)

What I do for work:
Software Tester

Places I’ve called home and why I like where I am now:
Born in Philadelphia, PA
Have lived in New Hampshire since 1992.
Currently live in Madison, NH about 2 hours North of Boston and 45 minutes from Mt. Washington. I love where I live now because it's beautiful, peaceful and there are some amazing mountains (you would call them hills in Colorado). Lots of good trail running.

When I started running and what got me started:
1995. I was an avid hiker and decided I wanted to run the Mt. Washington Road Race so I started running.

What does running mean to me:
It keeps me healthy, sane, and from getting a huge gut. On runs alone in the woods I get lost and everything in the world makes sense.

Running accomplishments: View my Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon results
1st Marathon - 10/2001
1st (and only) Pikes Peak Ascent - 2001
Ran Mt. Washington every year since 1998.
2006 - First Pikes Peak Marathon (hopefully)

What I like about trail/mountain running:
It gives me inner peace. I like exploring. It's a lot more interesting than road running. I like getting my butt absolutely kicked by a killer hill.

Favorite running trail and why:
A Trail near my house in Madison, NH. I like it 'cuz it has 500 feet of ascent in a series of switchbacks over a quarter mile and then goes for a long uphill run in the woods.

Favorite trail/mountain race and why:
Mt. Cranmore in North Conway, NH. It's 3 mile race uphill. It's short, sweet and a lot of fun.
Mt. Washington is a close second.

Best running experience:
Pikes Peak Ascent 2001. It's my first time and I just really enjoyed it.

Worst running experience:
Mt Washington 2001. It was 90 degrees at the bottom, I overheated and had my worst time ever. It was a real eye opener.

Neatest thing found on a run:
A really cool cellar hole along a trail near my house.
Dog booties from a sled dog race.

Running pet peeves:
Cars that go too fast.

Other hobbies and interests:
Being a dad.
XC Skiing.
Hiking.
Managing my running club website.

Other stuff:
I have a goal of the 2006 Pikes Peak Marathon, probably an ultra 50K before that. The goal is a couple of years off because I want to wait until my younger son is old enough to go out and enjoy the trip.