Top 5...Hardest Hills in Charlottesville

by Coach Resnick

I am entering my second week of the PFP Summer 2020 King of the Mountain Competition and boy are my legs feeling tired. Having lived in Charlottesville since 2005, I’ve spent many a run trying to find a route with the least amount of hills. But right now, I don’t know about you but I am seeking out the biggest baddest hills to try and take Sam and Daniel down (while dueling it out with Austin seemingly every other day). So, here is my list of the top 5 hills in Charlottesville. Come run them and you might just see me!

1. O-Hill (from Alderman Rd to the top!) - This is an OG C’ville hill for me as I lived at the base of Observatory Hill as a first year at UVA, back in 2005. There are so many fun trails and ways to gain elevation on this space. My favorite is heading directly from the O-Hill dining hall and running on McCormick Road all the way up to the Observatory. The views of town and the lights of Scott Stadium on the way back down always brings a smile to my face, mainly because I know I just put in work!

2. Lexington Avenue (from about Lyons Ct Ln to Maple St) - If you or your parents have ever run the 10-miler, they’ll have this hill stamped into the back of their brains! Sometimes called cemetery hill because one way or another that’s where you’ll end up, this climb comes just after halfway on the Charlottesville 10-Miler course. I tell you what, this hill can make or break your race, and like all these hills its way better at the end then at the start. One time I got to run this hill with former Albemarle Patriot All-Star Rachel Ward and I quickly realized why only one of us had 10-miler before.

3. Barracks Road (from Emmet St to Rugby Rd)  -  When I first started helping Adrian back at AHS, I lived in a house right on the crest of Barracks Road, right in between Hilltop and Rugby. Now it’s going to be hard for many of you to imagine this, but I was once a much better runner than I am today. Part of the reason I was so much better back in 2015 was this hill! To put in context how steep it is, there is some slight truth to the story that in less than a quarter mile while driving down this hill to school one morning, I may have received a speeding ticket even though I never even pressed my foot on the gas. (Although, I should have pressed the break!)

4. East Jefferson Street (from Meade Ave to 10th St NE) - Back when I was in good shape, Adrian’s older brother Alec used to convince me to wake up at 4:45 a few mornings a week and go for a run with his crew. One day, I think it was my last, I realized how crazy these guys were. We were doing a tempo run with some hills at the end and they introduced me to this monster, located downtown right across the street from the Meade Park Pool. But the repeats we did weren’t the 8 seconds or 15 seconds I do now. No, these bad boys were either 1 or 2 full minutes. They hurt so bad and it didn’t help that this hill never really did end!

5. River Road (from Belleview Ave to Locust Ave) - This hill sucks because it’s never at the beginning and it's never at the end of a run, so it is always hard work. If you push too hard on what is supposed to be an easy run, you are stuck! For a while, part of this hill bridged a gap on the Rivanna Trail so if you were going for a long trail run, you had to hit the street and lift them legs up high to get to the top and keep going. One great reason to get to the top of the hill is if you turn around and go back down you have an awesome view of Pantops!

Honorable Mention - Lambeth Hill (from the Emmet St overpass to Rugby Rd), Huntley Ave (from Sunset Rd to Stribling Ave), Grady Avenue (from 10th St NW to Rugby Rd), and I’m sure a ton others. 

Do you have a list of favorite hills in your neighborhood? Or maybe around Albemarle High School? Have you ever driven out to somewhere in the county to run its hills? If you want, share that list as your Top 5 Hardest Hills in Albemarle for next week’s post!