MassUltra Roundup: Infinitus, Spring Fling, and Pineland Farms

The May ultrarunning calendar came to a close with a handful of New England events that attracted hundreds of runners for ultra and sub-ultra distances. That included the CT Trailmixers’ Spring Fling 600 in Connecticut, a 10-hour endurance challenge, as well as the popular Pineland Farms Trail Festival in Maine. Additionally, Infinitus offered an assortment of ultra-distance and multi-day options in Vermont. All three of these regional events are featured in this edition of the roundup.

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Free to Run Trail Races Return with New Course, Distances

After months of anticipation, registration for the Free to Run Trail Races opened on Saturday, May 27, on UltraSignup. The event, which has been a staple of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s BURCS Badass Race Series since 2015, returns with a few new features for 2023.

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MacDonald Defends Title on Tough Day at Wapack

During the first 13 years of the Wapack and Back Trail Races only two runners won back-to-back titles in either the 50-mile or 43-mile distances – Josh Katzman during his 2012 and 2013 runs that remain the top two men’s 50-mile performances in event history, and Debbie Livingston’s winning performances in the women’s field in 2013 and 2014.

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MassUltra Roundup: Massanutten, Dirty German, Run Ragged, and Cruel Jewel

May is winding down quickly and May 20-21 was a mostly quiet weekend of ultramarathon racing in New England. The Run Ragged Last One Standing was the lone race in the region, and runners traveled to a few other ultras along the East Coast. Most notably, nine New Englanders earned finishes at the Massanutten 100-miler in Virginia, including Fairhaven’s Kevin Mullen who completed the challenging race for the seventh time. Additionally, Marblehead’s Kate Cook successfully finished the 50-miler at the Dirty German Endurance Fest in her final tune-up before running Western States next month. Those efforts lead off this edition of the roundup.

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Results: Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-Mile Ultras

The 27th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event, the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, took place on Saturday, April 16, 2023, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. In addition, the 14th edition of the DRB 50-miler also took place. The 6 a.m. wave start enjoyed 50-degree temperatures, fog, and a little bit of light drizzle, and similar conditions greeted runners in the 8 a.m. start wave. The day was overcast throughout, humid and breezy with temperatures in the low- to mid-50s throughout the day.

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MassUltra Roundup: Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health, Manchester 2 Monadnock, and Blood Root

Part I of our May 13-14 weekend roundup focused on ultras beyond New England. Here in Part II, we catch up on results from three New England ultras beyond the Bay State. Each saw some big performances by runners from the region. In Connecticut, Clorice Reinhardt and Jenny Hoffman turned in the top two women’s times in course history at the Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health. In New Hampshire, the men’s and women’s course records fell at the Manchester 2 Monadnock 55-miler. And in Vermont, runners gutted out hard-earned finishes at 100 miles, 50 miles and 50K at the Blood Root Ultra. Read on to learn more about it.

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From Ice to Ultras, Chara Finds Success Through Tenacity, Teamwork

FALL RIVER, Mass. – As Zdeno Chara prepared to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins in September 2022 and officially retire from the National Hockey League following a 24-year career, the future hall-of-famer skimmed the agreement and immediately began to laugh.

After signing the document which allowed him to retire as a Bruin, Chara turned to the crowd assembled.

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Pizzi Delivers Dynamite Performance in Ultra Debut at Watuppa

FALL RIVER, Mass. – When Becca Pizzi completed the World Marathon Challenge in 2016, becoming the first American woman to do so, it was no surprise that the ultramarathon world quickly came knocking.

Pizzi fielded calls and emails from race directors inviting her to their events, but the native of Belmont, Mass., wasn’t yet ready to venture beyond the 26.2-mile distance. Ultras would have to wait.

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