In March of 2020, the To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 5K became the first Massachusetts trail ultramarathon to be a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just seven weeks earlier, the Trail Animals Running Club had played host to the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra on some of the same trails at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass., in the first of what was supposed to be a 10-race season for the TARC Trail Series.
Continue reading Back to Hale: After 2-Year Hiatus, To Hale and Back Registration OpensMonthly Archives: November 2021
McInerney, Farnsworth Prevail at Spirited TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
WINCHESTER, Mass. — Less than 24 hours before the start of the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra, Race Director Jeff LeBlanc found himself inundated with rain. He was marking the 3.1-mile loop course through Wright-Locke Farm and Whipple Hill when a heavy thunderstorm moved over Winchester, soaking him within seconds and blasting him with heavy wind. As fast as the rain fell, leaves dropped from the trees all around him almost as quickly, expediting their autumn transition and hiding many of the course’s network of rocks and twisting tree roots.
Continue reading McInerney, Farnsworth Prevail at Spirited TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
Kenty Goes from First at Ghost Train to DFL Champion
A month ago, Jennifer Kenty put on an impressive display of speed when she dominated the Ghost Train Rail Trail Race 100-miler, winning the race outright by 2 ½ hours and clocking the third-fastest women’s time in course history. Four weeks later, Kenty once again turned heads – though this time it was for her patient endurance as she outdueled the rest of the field at the Race for DFL.
Continue reading Kenty Goes from First at Ghost Train to DFL ChampionMassUltra Roundup: Bold Coast, Run the Rock, Tunnel Hill, and Rio Del Lago
November has been busy for ultras in Massachusetts, starting with the Stone Cat 50K and followed by both the Race for DFL and TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultras on Nov. 13-14. While those events attracted many runners from Massachusetts and greater New England, a handful of runners from the region still raced beyond the Bay State, including the inaugural offering of a 50K distance at the Bold Coast Bash in Maine. That race and more are featured in this week’s roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bold Coast, Run the Rock, Tunnel Hill, and Rio Del LagoResults: Race for DFL
After a one-year hiatus, Race Director Amy Rusiecki revived the Race for DFL last-person-standing event at a new location at Chesterfield Gorge Reservation in West Chesterfield, Mass. Runners tackled a 4.1667-mile loop, with a new race starting on the hour, every hour, until one runner remained.
Continue reading Results: Race for DFL
Photos: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the fifth running of the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Wright-Locke Farm and Whipple Hill in Winchester, Mass. The following are a small sample of photos from the day. A full gallery from the race can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page at this link. All photos by Chris Wristen/MassUltra.
Continue reading Photos: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
Results: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
The fifth running of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra took place Saturday, Nov. 13, at Wright-Locke Farm and Whipple Hill in Winchester, Mass. Eighty-seven runners took part in the race on the 3.1-mile loop course. Only loops completed during the time limit counted.
Continue reading Results: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour UltraBainbridge Scorches Course on Record-Setting Day at Stone Cat 50K
When Rachel Bainbridge attended the 2019 Stone Cat 50K to cheer on some friends, she knew then and there that she wanted to run the race. A classic New England ultra, Stone Cat began in 2001 as a 50-miler and marathon, but organizers consolidated the distances into a 50K in 2019 to streamline race management and breathe new life into the early-fall race.
Continue reading Bainbridge Scorches Course on Record-Setting Day at Stone Cat 50KMassUltra Roundup: White Lake Ultras, RUTFest, Batona, Rim to River, and Antelope Island
November opened with a bang for New England ultrarunners. In addition to the classic Stone Cat Trail Race in Ipswich, Mass., it seemed ultras were taking place throughout the region as well as all across the country. That included a record year at the White Lake Ultras in New Hampshire and the inaugural RUTFest in Vermont, which were popular draws. Additionally, numerous runners from New England took part in a variety of time-based races at the Hamsterwheel Ultras in New Hampshire. Results from that event are not yet posted, but we will include them in a future roundup when available.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: White Lake Ultras, RUTFest, Batona, Rim to River, and Antelope IslandMassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Mountain Masochist, Tussey Mountainback, Chicago Lakefront, and Bimbler’s Bluff
October finished with a flurry of strong performances by ultrarunners from New England, but none had a bigger weekend than Tyler Andrews. The resident of Concord, Mass., took on a massive, speedy field at the high-profile Javelina Jundred – though he raced the 100K rather than the 100-miler – and Andrews brought a victory back to the Bay State. His performance leads off a busy roundup that also includes the Mountain Masochist 50 in Virginia, Tussey Mountainback 50 in Pennsylvania, the Chicago Lakefront 50 in the Midwest, and a belated recap of the popular Bimbler’s Bluff 50K in Connecticut.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Mountain Masochist, Tussey Mountainback, Chicago Lakefront, and Bimbler’s Bluff
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