Photos: Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K

The 12th annual Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. The Cape Cod Ultrarunning Society played host to 70 runners who took on either the 50K or 25K distance. The following are just a sample of the photos from the race. A full gallery with more than 130 photos can be found on the MassUltra facebook pageContinue reading Photos: Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K

MassUltra Roundup: The Spine Race and the Clearwater Classic

Acton’s Andrea Baum traveled to sunny Florida to run her first ultramarathon. Meanwhile, Waban’s Dima Feinhaus had a polar opposite experience in the United Kingdom – with an emphasis on polar. Baum’s race at the Clearwater Distance Classic and Feinhaus’ epic experience at The Montane Spine Race are this week’s featured races. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: The Spine Race and the Clearwater Classic

Massachusetts Ultra Season Begins Saturday on Cape Cod

The 2018 Massachusetts ultrarunning season originally was set to begin bright and early on Jan. 3 with the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K, but the 20th edition of that event was called off due to single-digit temperatures and a wind chill well below zero.

Due to that change of plans, the Bay State’s 2018 ultramarathon race calendar will officially kick off with the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. The 12th annual event is put on by the Cape Cod Ultrarunning Society, and it includes a 25K race for runners who would rather not make a second figure-eight loop of the sandy course. Continue reading Massachusetts Ultra Season Begins Saturday on Cape Cod

MassUltra Roundup: San Tan Scramble, Bandera, and Across the Years

The 2017 ultramarathon season closed out and 2018 was ushered in at the 34th annual Across the Years Ultrarunning Festival in Arizona where Mattapoisett resident Clifford Lange lodged perhaps the final ultra finish of the year for a Massachusetts resident, and then Cambridge’s Julien Klaudt-Moreau and Boylston’s Neil Feldman opened the 2018 season with strong showings in Arizona and Texas.

Klaudt-Moreau’s top-three finish at the San Tan Scramble, Feldman’s negative-split 100K, and Lange’s 48-hour run kick off the first MassUltra Roundup of the new year. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: San Tan Scramble, Bandera, and Across the Years

North Andover’s Fiore Delivers Unforgettable Finish at Spartan Ultra World Championship

Confusion abounded at the finish line of the inaugural Spartan Ultra World Championship on Sunday, Dec. 17, in Reykjavik, Iceland, but it had nothing to do with the outcome of the race.

Joshua Fiore, a resident of North Andover, Mass., was the winner – that much was certain. What puzzled the race’s announcer and other spectators gathered at the finish line was why Fiore was so intently digging into his pack pocket rather than exuberantly celebrating his world championship.

“Uh-oh, we’ve got a surprise coming,” the announcer said. Continue reading North Andover’s Fiore Delivers Unforgettable Finish at Spartan Ultra World Championship

Frigid Temperatures Force Cancellation of G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K

The G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K has seen its share of cold, challenging weather conditions during the past 19 years, including a mid-race snowstorm in 2017 that sent some runners home early and forced others to scrape a few inches of fresh powder off of their windshields after finishing.

The forecast for the 20th annual Fat Ass 50K on Saturday at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass., looks like a recipe for frostbite, however, with The Weather Channel projecting a high of 4 degrees, a low of minus 9, and 17-mile-per-hour wind. Given the potentially dangerous conditions, the ultramarathon has been called off to ensure the safety of both runners and volunteers. Continue reading Frigid Temperatures Force Cancellation of G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K