A steady downpour pelted Alex and me as we made our way through the streets of Chamonix, rounded the final turn and – with the thumping sound of spectators banging on signboards echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings – ran the final steps of the CCC 101K hand-in-hand, crossed the finish line and immediately collapsed into each other’s arms in a long embrace.
It was late-morning on Sept. 2. Four years and one day earlier we’d shared a starting line in Whistler, B.C., to take on a mountain 50-miler just days after meeting for the first time. It was during that trip that we first talked about running the CCC. Now, after four years of waiting and more than 25 hours of running and hiking through the Alps, we were done. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Personal and Community Engagement Made 2017 Special→
Eric Ciocca dominated the overall field, but a pack of fast women stole the show during the final Massachusetts ultramarathon of 2017 at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Springfield.
The competition simply to enter the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run grows steeper by the year with more than 4,900 runners vying for 261 spots in the field via the lottery process for 2018. Even with a 15-percent increase in lottery applicants from a year ago, two Massachusetts residents had their names drawn in the lottery for the second year in a row.
Forty-eight Massachusetts runners entered the lottery, but Winchester residents David Souza and Kim Vanyo were the only ones to have their names selected for the 45th running of the Western States 100, which will take place June 23-24. Runners will have 30 hours to complete the 100.2-mile journey from Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif., in the latest edition of ultrarunning’s original 100-miler. Continue reading Winchester’s Souza, Vanyo Selected for Western States→
The final ultramaraton of 2017 in Massachusetts – Seth’s Fat Ass 50K – took place Saturday, Dec. 16, at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. Runners had seven hours to complete 10 laps around a paved 5K loop. Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K→
Dima Feinhaus was a few minutes removed from finishing his annual run of the Fells Winter Ultra 40-miler at the Middlesex Fells Reservation on Saturday, Dec. 2, and was chatting with friends when he received a tap on his shoulder.
Feinhaus turned to see another friend, Ryan Triffitt, with a grin on his face while holding out his cell phone.
Kelsey Allen of Wendell and Amy Rusiecki of South Deerfield represented Massachusetts with strong races at the tough Hellgate 100K in Virginia on Saturday in the most high-profile of the weekend’s out-of-state ultramarathons. Additionally, Bolton’s Sandra Richards turned in a fast 50K in Florida, and Nick Velonis of Danvers ran a 50K in California. Their races are featured in one of the final roundups of 2017. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Hellgate, Tallahassee, and Spooner’s Cove→
STONEHAM, Mass. – For most of the 111 runners who took on either the 32- or 40-mile races at the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 2, the most difficult part of the event was the four or five laps they ran around the rocky, rooty, leaf-blanketed Skyline Trail at the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
STONEHAM, Mass. –Barely two minutes had passed since Michael Pulli finished the Fells Winter Ultra 32-miler on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation, and Pulli stood near the finish line applauding as his closest competitor blazed across the finish line.
STONEHAM, Mass. – Roos Karssemeijer planned to stay home on Saturday, Nov. 2, rather than running the 32-mile race at the Trail Animals Running Club’s annual Fells Winter Ultra.
MassUltra 