MassUltra Roundup: Bubba’s Backyard Ultra and Black Forest Ultra

Part I of this week’s roundup focused on results in the West; here in Part II we turn to the East, and what a weekend it was. Bubba’s Backyard Ultra in New Hampshire was the place to be in New England during the Oct. 3-5 weekend. There were two additional 50Ks in the region–the Little Duck 50K in Maine and the CT Donut Run 31.5-miler in Connecticut (results from both events were unavailable at the time of publication)–but Bubba’s was the only place where you could literally run for days on end. A few runners did, led by Lukas Janulaitis who endured 53 hours on a 3.5-mile loop course to win. He had plenty of company for most of those hours as the two best male and female performances in event history were tuned in. In addition to Bubba’s, we head to Pennsylvania where a New Englander earned a top-10 finish at the Black Forest Ultra.

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MassUltra Roundup: Above the Clouds, Saddles, Wild Wild West, Cuyamaca, Moscow Mountain Madness, and Arches

October started fast for New England ultrarunners. There were three events here in the region during the Oct. 3-5 weekend, but New Englanders also traveled to several other ultras throughout the country for some hard-earned finishes and strong results. Here in Part I of this week’s roundup we catch up on results from the West, including ultras in Colorado, Arizona, California, Idaho and Utah. We begin in Colorado, where Connecticut’s Chase Smith outdueled his younger brother for a victory and course record.

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Inaugural Race for the Refuge a Major Success for Highland City Striders

For years, the trails of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, Mass., have been a hidden gem for New England trail-runners. Miles of wide, rolling trails wind through the forested land, past a handful of eerie, abandoned military bunkers, surrounded by a variety of wildlife that call the refuge home. It’s scenic, serene, and soothing – and it’s Judy Proteau’s favorite place to run.

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100 Miles and Beyond: History Made at MetroWest Backyard Ultra

NEEDHAM, Mass. – The buzz around the Claxton Field Quarry was intense. Would this be the year someone – or even multiple people – achieved or surpassed the 100-mile mark at the MetroWest Backyard Ultra?

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BURCS Return to Roots for Notchview Invitational

For the first four years of its decade-long existence, the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s largest event – the multi-day, multi-distance Notchview Ultra – was a low-key, no-frills fatass-style event. It began as a simple 6-hour event in 2015, but by 2017 had expanded to include 12- and 24-hour offerings. In 2019, it exploded into a three-day endurance festival under its current name.

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