Matt Pacheco hasn’t been running ultramarathons very long – only since June 2022 – but one thing is certain every time he races: he’s there to win.
Pacheco was victorious in his first ultra, winning the Chesterfield Gorge 50K. From there, he went on to win the Mt. Tom 50K before closing out the year with a sixth-place finish at the Race for DFL with 66.7 miles and 16 hours of racing at the last-person-standing event. Pacheco kicked off 2023 with a first-place, 72-mile performance in the Spring On the Trails Endurance Runs 12-hour race in New York in March, and then was victorious in April at the Traprock 50K in Connecticut. All of that laid the foundation for Pacheco to have a big day at the Free Spirit 50K.
Pacheco arrived at the starting line of the inaugural Free Spirit 50K with his legs primed and ready to fly on Sunday, May 21, in Leyden, Mass. It was a warm and sunny day for the nearly three-dozen runners who gathered in front of Leyden Town Hall for the pre-race briefing. Thirty-one miles of mostly dirt country roads awaited them, as did 4,200 feet of climbing as they made their way through the countryside of northwest Massachusetts and southern Vermont.
Decked out in a white singlet with black lettering and a backwards ball cap, Pacheco darted to the front right from the start and steadily pulled away from the field during the early miles. The 38-year-old from South Hadley, Mass., made quick work of the dirt country roads, opened an early lead and steadily pulled away.
Pacheco went on to win in a speedy 3:47:33 and established an impressive course standard for the first-year event. Christopher Parker, 41, of Cambridge, Mass., also had a strong day and finished second in 4:20:00 for his best ultramarathon finish ever. Chris Plankey, 31, of nearby Amherst, Mass., outkicked 61-year-old Leyden local Glenn Caffery for the final podium spot with Plankey finishing in 4:36:38 and Caffery in 4:47:05. It was Plankey’s ultra debut, and it was Caffery’s first ultra since finishing the Pine to Palm 100-miler in September 2022. Johnny Bontemps, 39, of Becket, Mass., rounded out the overall top five in 4:57:35, just 15 seconds ahead of 42-year-old Alex Markle of Burlington, Mass. (4:57:50). Pete Cannon, 34, of Boston, Mass., also slipped in under the five-hour mark, finishing seventh overall in 4:58:21.
The race for the win in the women’s field was much closer than the men’s. Jacqueline Johansen, 42, of Danbury, Conn., and Yuki Chorney, 51, of Mont Vernon, N.H., ran within minutes of each other – and at times just seconds – throughout the day. With the course’s sweeping views and open roads, they were typically within eyesight of each other even when the gap grew. Ultimately, Johansen beat Chorney to the finish by three minutes with Johansen taking the victory in 4:58:28 and Chorney following in 5:01:45. For Johansen, it was her third ultra and first victory. For Chorney, it was a successful tune-up before her 72-hour race at the Notchview Ultra in July. Julie Corey, 44, of Holyoke, Mass., rounded out the podium in 5:23:23 and also finished 10th overall.
Twenty-nine runners finished the race within 8 1/2 hours.
MassUltra 