Fourth Annual BURCS Race Series Offers Summer Ultras Out West

Ultramarathons are offered every month of the year in Massachusetts, and most of those events take place in the eastern part of the state. In the summertime, however, opportunities abound for runners to tackle ultras out west in the Berkshires thanks to the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) and its annual BURCS Badass Ultra Series.

Launched as a grassroots effort just a few short years ago, BURCS serves up a summer series that has grown to include five events with a variety of different distances, time limits and terrains.

“As each year goes by I continue to be surprised by the outpouring of support and the willingness of our runners to commit to multiple races throughout the summer,” said Benn Griffin, one of BURCS’ founders and a race director for multiple events. “I am anxiously looking forward to the fourth edition of the BURCS Badass Ultra Series this year and know it will be our biggest yet.” Continue reading Fourth Annual BURCS Race Series Offers Summer Ultras Out West

2017 TARC Trail Series Looks Familiar – Minus TARC 100

The 2017 edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Trail Series looks mighty similar to the 2016 offering, with one major exception.

Absent from the 2017 lineup is the TARC 100, which has been the most high-profile event of the Trail Series for the past four years. The decision to put the event on indefinite hiatus was announced in August. That said, there are still plenty of options for runners to choose from. The 2017 Trail Series will challenge new and longtime runners with 10 events – nine of them offering ultramarathon distances – so there’s plenty to look forward to, said Josh Katzman, a race director and longtime member of TARC’s leadership. Continue reading 2017 TARC Trail Series Looks Familiar – Minus TARC 100

Luck, Longevity and Jeff List’s Love of the ‘Brutal Benchmark’ that is Hardrock

Jeff List didn’t spend Hardrock lottery day with his eyes glued to Twitter.

Instead, on Saturday, Dec. 3, while the social media feed informed the world exactly who among the nearly 2,000 entrants into the Hardrock 100 lottery had been selected for 145 spots at the starting line, List was doing what Hardrock veterans do best – running long miles on rugged trails. Continue reading Luck, Longevity and Jeff List’s Love of the ‘Brutal Benchmark’ that is Hardrock