New Champions Crowned at Cape Cod 50K

One thing was certain when runners gathered at the starting line for the Cape Cod Trail Race 50K on Sunday, April 8: the outcome would be different from any of the four prior editions of the race.

Rob Levy and Kara Spera – back-to-back winners in 2016 and 2017 – weren’t in the field this year. Neither were 2015 winners Jake Dissinger and Anne-Marie Monette nor 2014 winners Eric Ahern and Kelly Manchester. That cleared the path for new champions to be crowned. Continue reading New Champions Crowned at Cape Cod 50K

MassUltra Roundup: Runamuck, Bull Run Run, Mad City, Umstead, Mountains-to-Sea, and Oriflamme

After a quiet March, April has opened with a flurry of Massachusetts ultrarunners hitting the road or taking to the air to travel to out-of-state races. Runners tackled trails all across the country, from Vermont, Virginia, and North Carolina out east, to California out west and Wisconsin in the heartland. We chased them all down – and likely missed a few along the way – in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Runamuck, Bull Run Run, Mad City, Umstead, Mountains-to-Sea, and Oriflamme

Snow-Packed Trails Test Runners Again at To Hale and Back

WESTWOOD, Mass. – The To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra was born of the best intentions. Specifically, those intentions were to avoid the snow.

Originally known as the Spring Thaw and held in mid-March, the Trail Animals Running Club’s season-opening event enjoyed a few years of seasonably good weather. In 2015, however, a late-winter snowstorm pummeled Massachusetts for weeks on end. When all was said and done, more than seven feet of snow had fallen, and runners at the Spring Thaw found themselves at times a foot or two above the actual trail because the snowpack was so thick. Following that year, the Trail Animals pushed the race back a few weeks, changed venues from Andover to Hale Reservation, and rebranded as To Hale and Back with hopes of benefitting from a legitimate thaw. Continue reading Snow-Packed Trails Test Runners Again at To Hale and Back

MassUltra Roundup: Mt. Tammany 10, Terrapin Mountain, Hat Run, and Greenbrier

While many of Massachusetts’ ultrarunners were racing or volunteering or racing at the To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, March 24, in Westwood, Mass., a few ventured beyond the Bay State and took on races in New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland. Most notably, a pair of women – Kehr Davis of Great Barrington and Amy Rusiecki of South Deerfield – brought home victories from tough mountain races. We have it all covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Mt. Tammany 10, Terrapin Mountain, Hat Run, and Greenbrier