Most New England ultrarunners who sought out a starting line last weekend headed to Westwood, Mass., for the inaugural TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra. Meanwhile, a handful headed to Texas to take on one of the sport’s classic 100-milers: the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville. Boston’s Kate Cook and Boylston’s Neil Feldman both earned finisher’s belt buckles for their efforts, and they get this week’s roundup all to themselves after what was an otherwise light weekend of out-of-state racing.

Rocky Raccoon 100

For decades the Rocky Raccoon 100 – held in early February each year – has been a sought-after destination for ultrarunners seeking a winter 100-miler in less wintry conditions. Known for minimal elevation change, fast times, and a few hours of rain most years, Rocky Raccoon has been drawing runners to Texas for more than a quarter-century.

Two Massachusetts ultrarunners were among those who took part in the 27th edition of the race on Feb. 2-3 in Huntsville, Texas.

Competing on a course consisting of four 25-mile laps through Huntsville State Park, Boston resident Kate Cook and Boylston resident Neil Feldman made sure the Bay State was included among the list of finishers.

Cook, 42, was the 11th female finisher and 83rd overall finisher in 25:18:30. In doing so, she added another classic 100-miler to her resume, having previously finished the Vermont 100 in 2017 and the Leadville 100 in 2013.

Shortly after Cook finished, Feldman, 48, was the 93rd overall finisher in 25:52:18. For Feldman, it was at least his fifth 100-mile finish. He previously completed the Vermont 100 in 2010 and 2017, Leadville in 2015, and the Javelina Jundred in 2016.

Cook and Feldman weren’t the only New England residents to take part in the race, but they were the only ones who finished. Russell Hammond, 59, and Michele Hammond, 59, both of Chester, Conn., started the race and ran together for 50 miles before dropping. Additionally, 38-year-old Andrew Crews of Johnson, Vt., completed 75 miles before dropping.

David Laney, 30, of Portland, Ore., cruised to the outright win in 14:03:17, beating men’s runner-up Catlow Shipek, 40, of Tucson, Ariz., by an hour. Maria Sylte, 28, of Houston, Texas, took top honors in the women’s field and finished 12th overall in 19:19:58.
Seventy runners finished in less than 24 hours, and 208 finished the race within the 30-hour time limit.

*Editor’s Note: Results are found on a variety of sites, including ultrasignup.com, UltraRunning Magazine, and official race websites. We do the best we can to find as many results as possible to report on and recognize the local ultrarunning community.