Heartbreak Hill gets all the press.

That ascent between miles 20 and 21 is to the Boston Marathon what the Green Monster is to Fenway Park. It's what gives the race its character.

But for Vista resident David Easa, the true test for the runners comes closer to the midpoint. On a flat course, runners can get lulled into a rhythm. But in Boston, you get a series of small hills long before Heartbreak gives weary legs a final challenge.

"It's what keeps me coming back," Easa said Wednesday. "It's an interesting course. It's just a roller-coaster."

Easa, 32, has run the Boston roller-coaster twice, this year and last. Each time, he has posted the fastest time among all runners from San Diego County.

Conditions for the 2007 race on Monday were far from ideal. It was raining at the start, and runners faced a 25-mph headwind; the temperature was 52 degrees, but a blustery 52.

Still, Easa finished the 26 miles, 385 yards in 2 hours, 45 minutes, 48 seconds. That was only two seconds off Easa's Boston debut of 2006 and was good for 221st place overall. Easa was 269th a year ago.

"If I were Dave, I would write it down as a PR (personal record)," said David Kloz, head of Easa's running crew, Team BSK. "His PR is 2:37. If you look at the leaders, they were all about four or five minutes from their regular times. If you're going to do the math exponentially, you could easily subtract seven, eight minutes from his time."

Easa said the weather altered his strategy a bit. Instead of running strictly by feel, he instead tried to stay in a pack whenever possible. When he found himself clear on the course, he would speed up a bit to join the next pack.

His split at the half was 1:19:08, giving him a time of 1:26:40 for the second half.

The rain wasn't as much of an issue as the wind, according to Easa.

"Surprisingly, I didn't have any traction issues," he said. "Maybe because it rained so much before the race, the oil was washed off the streets."

The rain had another effect - it kept many Bostonians home.

"The crowds were a lot more quiet," Easa said. "I guess that's understandable. There were a lot more people my first time. My head was on a swivel. It was easier to focus this time."

Focus rarely is an issue for Easa. Even by runners' standards, he is a workhorse. He runs and runs, and runs some more.

In fact, Easa will compete in the La Jolla Half Marathon on Sunday, only six days after the Boston Marathon. Is he ready? No sweat. He did the same double last year and finished fourth; Kloz was first.

"He's an overachiever," Kloz said. "He always shoots high."

Kloz marvels at Easa's ability to compete at a high level while charting his own course in training. Whereas many runners keep strict journals and log a certain number of miles leading up to a race, Easa does it by feel. On Wednesday, he wasn't certain how much he would run this week between the two races.

"The amazing thing about Dave is his training is sporadic," Kloz said. "I know he trains a lot, but it's not on a system. I've never seen anyone run so fast with no specific training plan."

Perhaps it works because Easa might be entering any type of race. The marathons and other long road races are just an entree on his a la carte menu. He tries 5K races. He has finished the Hawaii Ironman and many other triathlons. He will do adventure racing, just to keep things interesting.

"I'm non-selective," he said. "I like everything."

The Boston Marathon, it seems, is a particularly tasty treat.

- Contact staff writer Shaun O'Neill at (760) 740-3546 or soneill@nctimes.com.