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Scott Williams is the newest titleholder of one of the territory's toughest runs 鈥� Haeckel Hill.

The 42-year-old was the first to summit the Whitehorse landmark, which features two Yukon Energy wind turbines.

The race began at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, starting on the Icy Waters Road and finishing at the top of Haeckel Hill.

Twenty people took on the challenge of walking or running the 7.2 kilometres of the grinding, uphill route.

"It was a pretty tough run, but just as I expected,鈥� Williams said post-race.

"It was pretty brutal, but it was fun too, of course. You kind of know what you're getting into when you sign up for it. It's a little painful but it's a lot of fun. It's rewarding.鈥�

It was the first time tackling the mighty hill for Williams, a native of Boulder, Colorado.

Williams has been running since a young age, and rediscovered his love of trail running when he moved to the Yukon capital five years ago.

"The trails just lend themselves to running, so I just love taking advantage of that,鈥� he said.

Nine-year-old Samuel Mather was the second to finish the race.

"I actually felt pretty good,鈥� he said. "I took a bottle of water at the water station halfway into the race and it really gave me a boost.鈥�

The 脡cole 脡milie-Tremblay student said he was happy to finish just four minutes back of the leader, and well ahead of his mother, Nathalie Dugas.

"My mom's a marathon runner and I've been running with her since I was three,鈥� he told the Star. "I'm really proud. I'll do this race again.鈥�

Mather's mom Nathalie Dugas finished second among women with a time of 48:38. It was the first time she and her son attempted to summit Haeckel Hill.

"It's a beautiful trail, but it's definitely a grind,鈥� she said. "It's not a race where you're going to have a P.B. (personal best).鈥�

Dugas is a trail running enthusiast who has travelled outside the Yukon to compete in a variety of marathons. She said she was not surprised her son beat her up the hill.

"He found a pace he could maintain,鈥� she explained. "This is something he really loves to do.鈥�

It was last year during a Thursday night trail run that Mather passed her for the first time.

"It was a fun run and he was looking back guiltily,鈥� Dugas explained. "I told him to keep going, and I knew right then that my time accompanying him running was over.鈥�

Mather is only getting faster. Earlier this month in the Vanier Ridge Run, he bested his age group by nearly four minutes in the three-km multi-school trail run.

Saturday's event attracted running and walking enthusiasts of all ages.

Yukon College biology instructor Scott Gilbert ran the route for the fourth time.

"It's a rite of spring,鈥� he explained of the reasoning for tackling the tough hill time and time again. "You just have to run at a steady pace and go from there.鈥�

Gilbert said the absence of many of the territory's top runners 鈥� including last year's winners from the Yukon Elite Squad ski team 鈥� made it tough to keep the pace up.

Cross-country skier Colin Abbott won last year's race in a time of 33:24.

The run/walk is known as one of the toughest in the territory, as competitors battle a steep, rutted gravel road that is crossed by massive puddles in some areas and sees excess snowmelt trickling down in others.

The majority of the run is uphill, with runners eventually gaining an elevation of more than 600 metres.

Results

Male runners: 1. Scott Williams (37:18); 2. Samuel Mather (41:32); 3. Scott Gilbert (45:12); 4. Ben Yu-Schott (46:34); 5. Ross Knox (46:57).

Female runners: 1. Sue Bogle (47:04); 2. Nathalie Dugas (48:38); 3. Janet Clarke (51:30); 4. Sarah Johnson (52:08); 5. Elise Maltinsky (1:09:37).

Walkers: 1. Bonnie Love (1:00:54); 2. Tanya Astika (1:00:55); Robin Fairburn (1:00:58); 4. Ruth Hall (1:05:29); Mike Ivens (1:09:04).

Full results are available at www.athleticsyukon.ca.