The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the fifth annual Free to Run 50-mile ultramarathon, marathon and half marathon trail races on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, at Pittsfield State Forest. New women’s course records were set in the marathon and half marathon races. Continue reading Results: Free to Run Trail Races
Two 100-mile ultramarathons challenged New England residents with opposing types of terrain – crushed gravel on a smooth rail-trail in Pennsylvania and rugged, steep mountains in Utah – and runners from the region handled both just fine on the Sept. 5-8 weekend. Lynnfield resident Lori Mitchener’s overall win at the Pine Creek Challenge 100 in Pennsylvania leads off this week’s roundup, and her performance is joined by the successful finish at Wasatch Front by five New England residents. Additionally, the Water Gap 50K in Pennsylvania, the McKenzie River Trail Run in Oregon, and the Yeti Snakebite 50K in Georgia are included in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Pine Creek, Wasatch Front, Water Gap, McKenzie River, and Yeti Snakebite
Thousands of ultrarunners descended on the European Alps for the 17th annual Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc – dubbed the World Summit of Trail-Running – from Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 as world-class mountain runners and world-class mountain lovers of varying speeds and natural abilities shared the trails on some of ultrarunning’s most hallowed trails.
The event offered five ultramarathon-distance races, three of which counted runners from New England among the finishers. Continue reading Daylor, D’Alessio Successfully Circle Mont Blanc at UTMB; McConaughy Completes CCC for 2nd Time
With most of the ultrarunning world’s eyes on the European Alps last weekend for the self-proclaimed World Summit of Trail-Running at the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, the race schedule across the country was notably lighter during Labor Day weekend. A few runners from New England made the journey to Europe for UTMB and its associate races – we’ll have those covered in a separate roundup – but a few runners headed to nearby Vermont for a 33-mile ultra at the Jay Peak Trail Running Festival while others traveled to Idaho for the gnarly Run the Rut 50K. Both of those are covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Jay Peak and the Rut
Since its inaugural running with less than two-dozen participants seven years ago, the Big Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tenn. – a quirky last person standing race – has grown into an event that attracts some of the best ultrarunners on the planet.
It has also sparked something of a revolution in the sport as new races adopting the same format have popped up across the country in recent years, attempting to recreate some of the magic of the original event that was the brainchild of the man behind the Barkley Marathons, Gary Cantrell, also known as Lazarus Lake.
Now, one of those races is coming to Massachusetts. Continue reading New Last Person Standing Ultra Slated for October
After a few busy weeks of in-state ultras in Massachusetts, Aug. 24-25 was a quiet racing weekend in the Bay State. That didn’t keep runners from New England off the trails, however. Several raced in neighboring Vermont at the Lost Cat 50K, while a few headed to the West Cost to race at the Castle Peak 100K in California and the Cascade Crest 100-miler in Washington. Britta Clark was among them as the 25-year-old from Goshen, Vt., delivered a course record-setting performance at Castle Peak. Additionally, we tracked down results from the Anchor Down Ultra on Aug. 16-17 in Rhode Island for this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Castle Peak, Lost Cat, Cascade Crest, and Anchor Down
After a few jam-packed weekends of ultramarathon racing in Massachusetts, the Aug. 17-18 weekend was quiet in the Bay State. Runners from the region traveled to other parts of the country to race, however, and turned in strong showings. None had a bigger weekend than Ryan Fecteau as the resident of Danvers, Mass., set a new course record with his victory at the Habanero Hundred in Texas. Additionally, new New England resident Brent Kocis turned in a fourth-place showing at the Waldo 100K in Oregon. In addition to those races, the Lean Horse 100 from South Dakota and the Twisted Branch 100K from New York are included in this week’s roundup, and we also tracked down results from the Fat Dog 120 in Canada from the weekend prior. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Habanero Hundred, Waldo, Fat Dog, Lean Horse, and Twisted Branch
