MassUltra Roundup: Cascade Crest

The post-Vermont 100 recovery week meant not many ultrarunners from New England were racing during July 22-23, but it wasn’t a completely quiet weekend. Seven runners from the region were among the finishers of the Cascade Crest 100-miler in Washington State, including two who battled into the top 10. That race gets this edition of the roundup all to itself.

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Van Cleef, Lapierre Victorious as VT100 Returns from 2-Year Hiatus

The Vermont 100 has been a staple of New England ultrarunning for more than three decades. It’s the region’s first and largest 100-mile race, and it literally has served as a family reunion of sorts for ultrarunners and supporters in the Northeast for generations.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended activities and family gatherings for millions of people in the United States and worldwide during much of 2020 and some of 2021; the Vermont 100 wasn’t spared from the disruption. The race, which passes through 30 pieces of private property, was forced to cancel two years in a row due to the pandemic, putting the annual ultrarunning reunion and race entrants’ planning on long-term hold.

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MassUltra Roundup: Laugavegur, Seek the Peak, Washington Yeti, and Tahoe Rim Trail

Yes, the July 15-17 weekend was Vermont 100 weekend in New England, and yes it was Hardrock 100 weekend, too. But there was so much more going on in the world of ultra-trail running, too – including for several New England residents who didn’t partake in those two historic events (which will be covered in separate recaps). For Boston resident Laura Ricci, that meant a trip to Iceland to race a difficult 55K. For others, like Weymouth’s Amanda Beucler-Rapos, it meant running – and winning – her first ultramarathon at Seek the Peak in New Hampshire. Other runners also headed west to race, such as Connecticut’s Andrew Orefice who earned a spot on the podium at the Washington Yeti 100-miler. Those races and more are included in this edition of the roundup.

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Current, Former New England Runners Among Hardrock Finishers in Record-Setting Year

A bright media spotlight was focused on the front of the pack at the 27th edition of the Hardrock 100 – and for good reason. On the men’s side, defending champion Francois D’Haene squared off against four-time champion Kilian Jornet, while the women’s side featured the dominant Courtney Dauwalter’s pursuit for redemption following a DNF in 2021.

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Big-Time Performances Abound at Notchview Ultra

Where to begin with the 2022 edition of the Notchview Ultra? Two women surpassing the 200-mile mark in the 72-hour race? A 13-year-old running 100 miles? An assortment of runners carrying a watermelon around the course for 74 miles? All of that and more played out at the seventh running of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s Notchview Ultra on July 8-10 at Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass.

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Results: Notchview Ultra

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the seventh running of the Notchview Ultra on July 8-10 at Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. The multi-day event offered runners an assortment of ultramarathon options, including a 100.7-mile race and time-based events of 72 hours, 48 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours and 6 hours.

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MassUltra Roundup: ALFC 50K, Silver Rush, Silverton Alpine, Catoctin, and Siskiyou Out Back

The summer ultramarathon calendar continued to heat up during the July 8-10 weekend as 135 runners took on a 1.9-mile loop course for hours – and in some cases days – on end at the Notchview Ultra in Windsor, Mass., but plenty of New England residents were also busy racing beyond the Bay State borders. That included several who gathered in Vermont for the inaugural Aliza Lapierre Fan Club 50K, while more headed to Colorado, Maryland, and all the way to Oregon to tackle challenging courses. Those out-of-state races are featured in this edition of the roundup.

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MassUltra Roundup: Finger Lakes 50s, Ansonia, and Merrill’s Mile

July opened with a bang thanks to Iain Ridgway. After two runner-up finishes at the Finger Lakes 50s, 2022 was his year to ascend to the top of the podium. Additionally, other runners from New England gathered in Connecticut and Georgia to race, and we have those covered, too, but Ridgway’s dominant victory kicks off this edition of the roundup.

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