November opened with a flurry of races for New England ultrarunners. Here in Massachusetts, the Stone Cat 50K in Ipswich was the major draw, but three other New England ultras (Hamsterwheel, RutFest and 8 Hours at the Farm) also lured plenty of runners to the starting line. And then there were the races outside New England. The Nov. 4-6 weekend was so busy that it merits two roundups to attempt to catch everything. In this one we focus on the non-New England ultras that attracted runners from the region. The biggest performance from that group came from Connecticut’s Johanna Ylanen who notched her latest 100-mile victory at the Pinhoti 100 in Alabama. Read on for more in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Pinhoti, Fire Fest, Batona, Antelope Island, and Fall Back Into the TrailsMonthly Archives: November 2022
Photos: Stone Cat 50K
The 21st and likely final running of the Stone Cat Trail Race was held on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. First held in 2001 as the creation of Gil’s Athletic Club – or G.A.C. – Stone Cat was originally a 50-mile and marathon event, Stone Cat combined races into a single 50K beginning in 2019. That distance and course remained the same again this year. More than 230 runners took part in this year’s event, and Brian Burke was on hand to take photos. All photos in this gallery were taken by Brian, and a full gallery of his images can be viewed at this link.
Continue reading Photos: Stone Cat 50K
Results: Stone Cat 50K
The 21st and likely final running of the Stone Cat Trail Race took place on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. The event once again used the 50K distance that it debuted in 2019. Of the 233 starters of this year’s race, 157 finished within 9 hours. Men’s champion and overall winner Nicholas Lemon logged the second-fastest time in course history, missing the men’s course record by less than two minutes, while overall runner-up and women’s champion Lila Gaudrault smashed the women’s course record by 12 minutes.
Continue reading Results: Stone Cat 50K
By Popular Demand, Womp Romp Grows into 50K Ultra
There’s something special about the trails of Wompatuck State Park.
Continue reading By Popular Demand, Womp Romp Grows into 50K UltraMassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Kansas Rails-to-Trails, and Bimblers Bluff
A red-hot October for ultrarunners in New England came to a close with a somewhat quiet Oct. 29-30 weekend. Many runners were recovering from big races like Midstate Massive and Ghost Train while others were tapering before the upcoming Stone Cat 50K or the Hamsterwheel. Still, a few folks headed west to the Halloween party in Arizona known as the Javelina Jundred. Additionally, a few more traveled to Kansas to earn ultramarathon finishes at the Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza. Additionally, we caught up on the Bimblers Bluff 50K in Connecticut from the weekend before.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Kansas Rails-to-Trails, and Bimblers Bluff
Double the Fun: After Successful First Year, Runners Tackle Tough 50K at Mt. Tom
When Amy Rusiecki organized the inaugural Mt. Tom Trail Race 25K and team relay in 2021, the Beast Coast Trail Running race director crafted a course that lulled runners in with a smooth, speedy road section warm-up before smacking them with a strong dose of rugged New England singletrack – much of it hidden under a blanket of leaves. The result was some blood and brutality, outshined by a whole lot of fun.
So much fun was had that Rusiecki doubled down on the event for 2022 and added a 50K ultramarathon to the lineup.
Continue reading Double the Fun: After Successful First Year, Runners Tackle Tough 50K at Mt. Tom
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