The summer 100-miler season is in high gear, and New England ultrarunners took on some tough ones at the high-altitude High Lonesome 100 in Colorado and the hot and humid Burning River 100 in Ohio. Additionally, a few runners from the region took on the tough Never Summer 100K in Colorado and the classic Minnesota Voyageur 50-miler in Minnesota. We have all of those races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Burning River, Never Summer, and Minnesota Voyageur
Monthly Archives: July 2019
Results: Jug End Loop Ultra
The fourth annual Jug End Loop Ultra took place Saturday, July 27, at Jug End State Reservation in Egremont, Mass. Runners took on a 4.2-mile loop course, with a .88-mile mini loop used during the final hour. Additionally, runners had the option of racing a 27-miler and a 4.2-miler. Continue reading Results: Jug End Loop Ultra
Third Annual Village Ultra to Raise Funds for RAICES
A few things have changed during its short history, but the Village Ultra remains true to its roots. Founded with the mission of raising funds to support charitable causes, the Village Ultra continues that mission as race director Carla Halpern prepares to play host to the third annual event Aug. 31-Sept. 1 on the Town Common in New Salem, Mass. Continue reading Third Annual Village Ultra to Raise Funds for RAICES
McConaughy Handles the Heat, Places 2nd in 100-Mile Debut at VT100
Joe McConaughy is no stranger to pushing the pace in pursuit of major mileage, having established Fastest Known Times on the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2014, the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail in 2017 and the 70-mile Wicklow Round in Ireland in 2018. Every day had big mileage on those efforts, including a grand 110.8-mile push in the final 37 hours on the Appalachian Trail that ended on a mountaintop in a hailstorm.
Still, for all of McConaughy’s endurance feats, he’d never raced a true 100-mile ultramarathon until July 21-22 when he took part in the 31st annual Vermont 100 in West Windsor, Vt. While the race itself was a new experience for McConaughy, the unforgiving conditions he endured during his FKT pursuits prepared him for the grueling weather he encountered on race day. The Vermont 100 is known for its heat – usually in the upper 80s by mid-afternoon – and sticky humidity, but the temperature reached 90 degrees by 11 a.m. on race morning and threatened triple digits by that afternoon. Continue reading McConaughy Handles the Heat, Places 2nd in 100-Mile Debut at VT100
MassUltra Roundup: Speedgoat and Tahoe 100
Most New England runners who spent the July 20-21 weekend racing did so at the Vermont 100, one of the sport’s original 100-mile footraces. So many did so, in fact, that we’ll have it covered in a separate writeup. Meanwhile, a handful of runners from the region headed West to tackle two of the country’s more challenging trail ultras – the Speedgoat 50K in Utah and the Tahoe Rim Trail 100-Mile Endurance Run in Nevada. Both of those races are covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Speedgoat and Tahoe 100
MassUltra Roundup: Ethan Allen, Mt. Hood, Peak, and Beaverhead
For New England ultrarunners, the July 13-14 weekend was the calm before the storm, so to speak. That’s because it was one week before the Vermont 100, the classic 100-mile footrace that draws hundreds of runners from the region to race on what is almost always one of the hottest weekends of the year. For those not taking on Vermont 100, however, there were a few races that attracted runners from the region. Most notably, several took on the fixed-time track race at the Ethan Allen 24 in Bennington, Vt. Additionally, others headed West to California, Oregon and Idaho for tough races. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Ethan Allen, Mt. Hood, Peak, and Beaverhead
Alessandrini’s 201.4-Mile Performance Highlights Huge Weekend at Notchview Ultra
WINDSOR, Mass. – For most of the weekend, Ann Alessandrini was an unstoppable force.
From the moment she started the 72-hour race at the Notchview Ultra at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4, until her final dash through the field and across the finish line three days later, Alessandrini captured the imagination of her fellow ultrarunners who marveled at her speed, her endurance and – perhaps above all else – her grit. Continue reading Alessandrini’s 201.4-Mile Performance Highlights Huge Weekend at Notchview Ultra
MassUltra Roundup: Afton, Finger Lakes, Silver Rush, ANF, and Last Call
Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass., was the scene for most New England ultrarunners who spent Fourth of July weekend racing. That said, a handful headed beyond the Bay State to race, be it in nearby New York for the classic Finger Lakes 50s, the upper Midwest where Boston’s Lance Doherty earned a top-10 finish at the Afton Trail 50K in Minnesota, California at the Angeles National Forest, or Colorado where runners took on 50-milers in Leadville and Fairplay. We’ve got them all covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Afton, Finger Lakes, Silver Rush, ANF, and Last Call
Results: Notchview Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service played host to the Notchview Ultra from July 4-7 at Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distance options, from 72-, 48-, 24-, 12-, 6- and 3-hour timed events to the Quadzilla (four 52Ks within 72 hours), all on a 1.9-mile trail loop course. Continue reading Results: Notchview Ultra
Photos: Notchview Ultra
WINDSOR, Mass. – What started as a 6-hour event in 2015 known as the BURCS Summer Fat Ass soon grew into a 24-hour race. In 2019, it morphed into a massive multi-day event rebranded as the Notchview Ultra, offering runners the opportunity to tackle a 1.9-mile trail loop for 72, 48, 24, 12, 6 or 3 hours from July 4-7 at Notchview Reservation. The following are a sample of photos from the weekend. A full photo gallery can be found on the MassUltra Facebook page. Continue reading Photos: Notchview Ultra
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