From the Editor’s Desk: Cheers to the Givers

Four-hundred laps around a track seems awful – at least to me. Running 402.3 laps sounds even worse.

That’s exactly what Joe McConaughy did on Saturday, Dec. 21, however. The 28-year-old Boston resident set out to complete 402.3 laps – 100 miles – on the Anderson High School track in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a fundraiser for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. His wife, Katie, was diagnosed with Crohn’s four years ago, so it’s something that has touched their family deeply.

Ultrarunning is a selfish endeavor in many ways. The countless hours and miles required just to prepare to run even longer distances mean that other people and activities are often put on hold. Joe’s track feat reminds us that our running can be done in service to others, too, and we can use ultrarunning as a vehicle for doing tremendous good. There is no cure for Crohn’s – at least not yet – but we’ll hopefully be a few steps closer to finding one thanks in part to the efforts of Joe and Katie. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Cheers to the Givers

MassUltra Roundup: West Rock and Lookout Mountain

A light post-Christmas weekend of ultrarunning included one last chance for New Englanders to tackle an ultra distance at the West Rock Winter Fat Ass Extravaganza 8-hour event in Connecticut. That race – as well as belated pre-holiday results from the Lookout Mountain 50-miler in Tennessee – provide some light reading in the final roundup of 2019. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: West Rock and Lookout Mountain

MassUltra Roundup: Joe McConaughy’s Track 100-Miler, the Woodside Ramble and Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic

Massachusetts ultrarunners rung in the holiday season with a few solid performances, the most festive coming from Boston resident Joe McConaughy who raised more than $2,000 for the Crohn’s and Colitis foundation by running 100 miles on a track. Additionally, another Boston resident gave herself the gift of becoming an ultrarunner as Jacqueline Kressee finished the Woodside Ramble 50K in California, and Bolton resident Sandee Richards celebrated the season by crossing the finish line of the 50K race at the Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic in Florida. Those three events make for some cheerful holiday reading in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Joe McConaughy’s Track 100-Miler, the Woodside Ramble and Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic

North Face Cancels Endurance Challenge for 2020, Teases New Format

For 13 years, The North Face Endurance Challenge was a staple of American trail- and ultrarunning – including the past three years in Massachusetts. The 2019 races were the last for the series, however. This morning, Friday, Dec. 20, The North Face announced the series is being canceled and hinted that a new format will follow. Continue reading North Face Cancels Endurance Challenge for 2020, Teases New Format

MassUltra Roundup: Rodeo Beach, Bell Ringer, and Naked Nick

A trio of Massachusetts residents squeezed in one last ultramarathon before the holidays when they traveled to races in California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania to explore new trails on Saturday, Dec. 14. Those races – the Rodeo Beach 50K, the Bell Ringer 50K and the Naked Nick 50K – make for light reading in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Rodeo Beach, Bell Ringer, and Naked Nick

Volunteers, Runners Dig Deep at Frigid, Snow-Packed Fells Winter Ultra

When Jeff LeBlanc arrived at the Middlesex Fells Reservation on Saturday morning, Dec. 7, he knew a difficult but rewarding day awaited him. As race director for the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra, he was responsible for putting on one of Massachusetts’ original and toughest trail ultramarathons. Runners in the 40-mile race had to circle the reservation’s rocky, root-covered Skyline Trail five times; competitors in the 32-mile race had to complete four loops. Some would achieve their goals and others would come up short, but LeBlanc hoped to do everything in his power to enable them to succeed. Continue reading Volunteers, Runners Dig Deep at Frigid, Snow-Packed Fells Winter Ultra

MassUltra Roundup: Daytona, Brazos Bend, Devil Dog, and the McDowell Mountain Frenzy

Only a handful of racing opportunities remain as the 2019 ultramarathon racing season nears its conclusion. New England residents seized on a few of those opportunities on the Dec. 7-8 weekend, with some racing 100-milers in Florida, Texas and South Carolina, and others racing 50 miles or 50K in Arizona. The warm weather fueled some fast performances, but none were better than Lynnfield resident Lori Mitchener’s victory at the Daytona 100. Her trip to Victory Lane leads off this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Daytona, Brazos Bend, Devil Dog, and the McDowell Mountain Frenzy

Photos: TARC Fells Winter Ultra

The Trail Animals Running Club played host to its annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail ultramarathons on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was a cold, snow-packed event, and Jon McInerney and Jeff LeBlanc shared the following photos from the event. Continue reading Photos: TARC Fells Winter Ultra