It wasn’t hard to spot Kassandra Marin for a post-race interview at the Fells Winter Ultra, my final race providing live coverage for 2018. All I had to do was look for the smile. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Plenty to Smile About
Monthly Archives: December 2018
MassUltra Roundup: Houston Running Festival and Desert Solstice
A busy year of racing is quietly coming to a close for the Massachusetts ultrarunning community. The 2018 slate of races in the Bay State is finished, and only a handful of ultras nationwide remain between now and the new year. That doesn’t mean all has been quiet for Massachusetts ultrarunners, however. Quincy’s Greg Soutiea recently raced at the invitation-only Desert Solstice 24-hour race in Arizona, and Boston’s Jorge Gonzalez turned in a strong performance last weekend in Texas at the Houston Running Festival. Both of those races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Houston Running Festival and Desert Solstice
Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
The ultrarunning year in Massachusetts closed out on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, with Seth’s Fat Ass 50K at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. The race consisted of 10 5K loops along the roads of Forest Park. Runners had seven hours to complete the distance. Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
Teamwork Propels Caron, Sinclair to Record-Setting Efforts at Fells Winter Ultra
STONEHAM, Mass. – David Sinclair was hot on the heels of Patrick Caron for nearly every step of 32 miles at the Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
For the better part of four eight-mile loops of the rugged Skyline Trail at the more than 2,500-acre public wildland seven miles north of Boston, Sinclair followed a few strides behind Caron. It was smart strategy. The 26-year-old resident of Peru, Vt., was running at the Fells for the first time. Meanwhile, Caron, a 21-year-old from Needham, Mass., knows the loop as well as anyone, having won the event’s 40-mile race in 2015 and 2016. Continue reading Teamwork Propels Caron, Sinclair to Record-Setting Efforts at Fells Winter Ultra
Marin, Weathers Rewrite Record Books with Fells Winter Ultra Wins
STONEHAM, Mass. – Kassandra Marin spends most of her time crushing races at shorter distances. This year alone her credits include a victory at the Merrimack River 10-Mile Trail Race, a fifth-place finish among world-class competition at the prestigious Mount Washington Road Race, and the top spot on the podium for the USATF New England Mountain Running Series.
Her talent translates to longer distances, too, including ultramarathons. That much was clear when Marin won her ultra debut at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler at Wachusett Mountain in 2017. She showed her prowess again when she finished fourth at the USATF New England Mountain Ultra Championships in August at the Ragged 50K.
On Saturday, Dec. 1, Marin raced her second Massachusetts ultramarathon at the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra. She was one of eight women and 31 total runners who toed the starting line for the 40-mile race consisting of five eight-mile loops of the Skyline Trail, the second-most technically difficult trail at the more than 2,500-acre public wildland seven miles north of Boston. Continue reading Marin, Weathers Rewrite Record Books with Fells Winter Ultra Wins
Five From New England Selected in Western States Lottery
It took seven years of trying, but Oliver Truog finally had his name drawn in the lottery for the Western States Endurance Run. Continue reading Five From New England Selected in Western States Lottery
MassUltra Roundup: Chattanooga and Devil Dog
The 2018 Massachusetts ultrarunning calendar wound down on Saturday with the annual Fells Winter Ultra in Stoneham, but a handful of runners from the Bay State ventured south to tackle out-of-state trails at the Chattanooga 100 and Devil Dog Ultras. We’ve got them covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Chattanooga and Devil Dog
Photos: Fells Winter Ultra 2018
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile ultramarathons on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. In addition to the photos on this page, dozens more can be viewed in a photo gallery on the MassUltra Facebook page. Continue reading Photos: Fells Winter Ultra 2018
Fegyveresi is Lone New England Resident Selected in Hardrock Lottery
Twenty-four Massachusetts residents threw their names in the hat for the 2019 Hardrock 100 lottery, but the Bay State was shut out of the drawing on Saturday, Dec. 1. In fact, only one New England resident was among the 140 runners selected for the race. Continue reading Fegyveresi is Lone New England Resident Selected in Hardrock Lottery
Results: Fells Winter Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club’s annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail races took place Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. New men’s and women’s course records were set at both distances. Continue reading Results: Fells Winter Ultra