It started with a YouTube video. Surely you know the one. Kilian’s Quest – Slow Motion. Four minutes and 51 seconds of spine-tingling, eye-widening, downhill-running magic.
For a relatively new trail-runner and novice ultrarunner, it was a tantalizing video that led me to dream about dancing my way down mountain slopes and seek out the best spot to run hill repeats on my local trails.
Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Looking for Light During Dark TimesIn what has been an annual tradition for years, the 2025 Massachusetts ultrarunning season will kick off with the the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K. Gil’s Athletic Club will play host to the event for the 25th time at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.
Continue reading G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K to Kick Off 2025 Ultra SeasonThe holidays are nearly upon us, and the ultrarunning calendar was accommodating with a pretty light load of races across North America during the Dec. 20-22 weekend. One New England resident took time to take on a course out West. Maggie Swanson made her ultrarunning debut, and she gets this edition of the roundup all to herself.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Woodside RambleThe bright sun and clear, blue skies may have given the appearance of warmth as runners arrived for Seth’s Fat Ass 50K, but they knew better. They could see their breaths, after all, and the cold cut right through their tights, warm jackets and gloves.
Continue reading Runners Conquer the Cold, Close the Year Strong at Seth’s Fat Ass 50KThe 2024 ultrarunning season came to a close in Massachusetts during the Dec. 14-15 weekend with the 14th running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K in Springfield. While a few dozen New Englanders logged miles on the road at Seth’s, several others ventured beyond the Bay State to squeeze in late-season ultras. Around 60 runners logged miles at the Jingle My Frosty Balls Fat Ass in New Hampshire, though results were unavailable. Additionally, a few others traveled farther to run. From Virginia to Washington, and Arizona to Pennsylvania, New Englanders tackled tough and scenic courses across the country. Some, like Brian Burke, put up most of those miles in the dark, while others, like Isabel Lane, soaked up the sights while racing to victory. Read all about it in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Deception Pass, Hellgate, Desert Solstice, and Naked NickThe 14th annual running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. Runners once again took on a 5K paved loop course in Forest Park that had to be completed 10 times within 7 hours.
Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50KRunning loops of the Skyline Trail at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass., is a New England trail-running tradition that outdates the creation of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Trail Series.
Continue reading Grip Dominant, Needham Smashes Record at TARC Winter ClassicThe 14th season of the TARC Trail Series came to a close with the annual TARC Winter Classic on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was the 15th running of the event overall, 13th edition under the TARC umbrella, and second year with the new Winter Classic format with 32-mile and 8-mile distances on the Skyline Trail. Check out a full photo gallery from the race courtesy of Chris Arson Photography.
Continue reading Results: TARC Winter ClassicIce and snow covered some of the trails in New England and – along with cold temperatures – provided appropriate seasonal challenges for runners in the region as they raced in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. We have those events covered separately, including in Part I of this week’s roundup, but here in Part II we catch up on how New Englanders did at ultras beyond the region during the Dec. 6-8 weekend. They did mighty well, racing from South Carolina to Arizona, and from Georgia to Florida. Zach Medeiros kicks things off with a victory at the Last Chance 50K.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Last Chance, Colossal-Vail, Festivus, Cloudland Canyon, and McDowell Mountain FrenzyThe TARC Winter Classic was the place to be for ultrarunners in Massachusetts during the Dec. 6-8 weekend, but there was plenty of ultra action throughout New England with tough ultras and lots of climbing. The inaugural Tower Tag Challenge in Connecticut and the Krampuslauf 9-hour in New Hampshire take the spotlight in Part I of this week’s roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Tower Tag and Krampuslauf
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