MassUltra Roundup: Six Days in the Dome, San Juan Solstice, Wy’East Wonder, and Bears Ears

When Jenny Hoffman stepped to the starting line of her 24-hour race at Six Days in the Dome in Wisconsin, she was laser-focused on locking up a position on the United States 24-Hour National Team. By the time the clock expired, the resident of Cambridge, Mass., had turned in the race of her life, earned a victory and surged into one of the top qualifying positions for Team USA with one week remaining in the qualification period. While Hoffman’s big effort during the June 16-24 event was one of the most remarkable performances by a New England ultrarunner during the past week, she was far from the only one racing. We highlighted results from several events in the Northeast in a previous roundup, and this one showcases Hoffman’s effort in the Midwest as well as those by a handful of New England residents who took on tough races out west in Colorado, Oregon and Utah.

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MassUltra Roundup: Manitou’s Revenge, Catamount, Gunstock, and Midnight Squatchapalooza

All eyes were on Western States during the June 24-25 weekend … well, not all eyes, but most of them in the ultrarunning world. There were plenty of other ultras taking place in both the west and here in the east. In fact, there were so many New England ultrarunners racing throughout the country that covering it all merited a two-roundup week – plus a separate writeup on Western States. In this first roundup we catch up on how runners from New England fared at ultras in the Northeast. That included a pair of Massachusetts residents reclaiming titles at the gnarly Manitou’s Revenge in New York. We also catch up on the Catamount 50K in Vermont, the Gunstock TrailFest in New Hampshire, and Midnight Squatchapalooza in New Jersey.

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Dunning Stunning in Ultra Debut at Soggy Vegan Power 50K

By design, the Vegan Power 50K course presents ample opportunities to run a fast time on singletrack trails. The loop course with rolling hills and mix of technical spots and smooth sections is inviting – even tempting – for a trail-runner looking to throw down.

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MassUltra Roundup: Bighorn, Mountain Lakes Backyard, Wild Woman, and Broken Arrow

Western States week is upon us and several New England residents are preparing to take on the sport’s original 100-mile race through the mountains in California. But before the WSER hype hits its fever pitch, let’s look back at the June 16-18 weekend when several New England residents took on trail adventures throughout the country. A handful of runners from the region overcame the big climbs of Wyoming to complete the Bighorn 100, including Massachusetts resident Jason Baker and Vermont’s Felix Lawson who earned top-10 finishes. In New York, New Englanders’ swept the top three spots at the Mountain Lakes Backyard Ultra, and in Washington State a pair of Massachusetts women tackled their first ultra while others from New England completed the tough 46K mini-ultra at the Broken Arrow Skyrace. All of those are included in this edition of the roundup.

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Runners Deliver Numerous Record-Setting Performances at Chesterfield Gorge

For runners looking to throw down a fast time or pursue a personal record in an ultramarathon, the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra is a prime location. Though not flat, the rolling hills and sure-footing on fire roads make the out-and-back course an ideal venue to push the pace and run with confidence. That’s exactly what happened at the fifth edition of the event on June 3-4 at the Chesterfield Gorge Reservation in West Chesterfield, Mass.

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MassUltra Roundup: Drummer Hill, Centurion, SAMO, Kettle Moraine, and Windsor Castle

June 10-11 was a busy weekend for New England ultrarunners. Here in the region, runners took on the tough and technical Drummer Hill Trail Race in New Hampshire and the Centurion Ultra Trail Event in Connecticut. Additionally, a handful of runners in Rhode Island took on the Last Human Standing race. Results were unavailable as of this posting. Beyond the region, runners had big days racing on the West Coast at the SAMO 100, in the Midwest at Kettle Moraine in Wisconsin, as well as in Virginia at the Windsor Castle 10-hour. All of those events are included in this edition of the roundup.

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MassUltra Roundup: The CUT, Cayuga Trails, Worlds End, Old Dominion, Dam Yeti, and Sawmill

The Chesterfield Gorge Ultra in Massachusetts has quickly established itself as a popular early-June attraction for ultrarunners in New England, but there’s another low-key event that continues to tempt more runners to its course: the Connecticut Ultra Traverse, or CUT 112. The 112-mile north-south journey across the state is too much for some, so a 100K option was added in 2022 and a 50-mile version made its debut in 2023. There were many other popular ultras that attracted New Englanders during the June 2-4 weekend – including Cayuga Trails in nearby New York – but the CUT leads off this edition of the roundup.

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Results: Chesterfield Gorge Ultra

Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the fifth edition of the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra on June 3-4 at the Chesterfield Gorge Reservation in Chesterfield, Mass. Runners had 30 hours to complete 50K, 50-mile, 100K and 100-mile ultra distances, as well as a 25K race, all on a 15-mile round-trip out-and-back course through the scenic gorge.

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Lost In the Woods: Large Crop of Newcomers Take On DRB

MILTON, Mass. – Howie Breinan gathered the crowd of runners near the starting line by Houghton’s Pond for the pre-race briefing. Breinan scanned the faces looking back at him and recognized a few, but most were a bit unfamiliar – at least at this starting line.

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