The return of the Riverlands 100 and the 100-mile debut of Pittsfield resident Kehr Davis highlight a roundup that also includes the Wildflower 50K in Texas and the inaugural running of the Cocodona 250 in Arizona. There were several more races in the Northeast and around the country, too, and we will try to include those next week if results become available.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Riverlands, Wildflower, and the Cocodona 250All posts by Chris Wristen
MassUltra Roundup: Big A 50K, UROC, Alexander County, and Salt Flats
The arrival of May meant the return of more in-person racing across the United States. Among the most notable for New England ultrarunners were the Ultra Race of Champions in Virginia where Vermont’s Aliza Lapierre raced to victory, and the 10th annual Big A 50K in Maine that featured a field consisting almost entirely of New Englanders and a dynamite debut performance Lila Gaudrault. Those races and more are featured in this week’s roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Big A 50K, UROC, Alexander County, and Salt Flats
May Day Distance Classic Brings Runners Together for Miles, Camaraderie at Cutler Park
NEEDHAM, Mass. — When Kiko Bracker and the Needham Running Club’s Bill Gallagher drew up plans for the Needham May Day Distance Classic, they thought around a dozen local runners would show up throughout the day to log some miles and enjoy camaraderie on the trail. As it turned out, the idea was far more popular than they anticipated.
Continue reading May Day Distance Classic Brings Runners Together for Miles, Camaraderie at Cutler ParkResults: Needham May Day Distance Classic
The inaugural May Day Distance Classic took place on Saturday, May 1, 2021, at Cutler Park in Needham, Mass. Runners had 14 hours and 5 minutes – from sunrise to sunset – to run as many laps on a 6.6-mile loop trail course as they wanted. Partial laps counted in the results.
Continue reading Results: Needham May Day Distance ClassicMassUltra Roundup: C&O Canal, Jackpot, and Seven Trails
The continued success of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the United States has led to more in-person ultramarathons taking place across the country. The April 24-25 weekend was just the latest example as more than two-dozen in-person ultras took place throughout the country. Results have been slow to come in from many of them, but at least three included runners from New England.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: C&O Canal, Jackpot, and Seven Trails
‘Don’t Run Boston’ 50K is TARC’s First In-Person Event Since Pandemic Began
MILTON, Mass. — Twenty-five years ago, Howie Breinan dug his heel into the dirt path near Houghton’s Pond and drew a starting line for the “Don’t Run Boston” 50K at the Blue Hills Reservation. It was the first official race sponsored by the young Trail Animals Running Club, and one of the earliest trail ultramarathons to exist in Massachusetts.
A quarter century after that inaugural event, Breinan once again drew a starting line with his heel on Sunday, April 18, and welcomed runners to the 25th edition of the classic event at the Blue Hills.
Continue reading ‘Don’t Run Boston’ 50K is TARC’s First In-Person Event Since Pandemic Began
Results: Trail Animals’ ‘Don’t Run Boston’ 50K and 50-Mile
The 25th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s “Don’t Run Boston” Ultras took place on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. It was the first in-person TARC event since early February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the in-person running of DRB was canceled, but a virtual option was held in its place.
Continue reading Results: Trail Animals’ ‘Don’t Run Boston’ 50K and 50-MileMassUltra Roundup: Traprock, Enchanted Forest, Ledyard, Chopawasmic, and Whiskey Basin
The first in-person trail of the year in Massachusetts took place Sunday, April 18, with the return of the Trail Animals Running Club’s “Don’t Run Boston” 50K at the Blue Hills Reservation, but plenty of out-of-state racing also went down during the April 17-18 weekend. No place was more active for New England ultrarunners than Connecticut where a trio of events were held, including some record-setting performances at the Traprock 50K and the Enchanted Forest 6-Hour Ultra. As an in-state race, DRB will be featured in a separate story, but the Connecticut races lead off this week’s busy roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Traprock, Enchanted Forest, Ledyard, Chopawasmic, and Whiskey BasinNeedham Introduces New Ultra with 14-Hour May Day Run
After more than a year of race cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person ultrarunning is gradually returning to Massachusetts and local runners have a new opportunity to log some major mileage thanks to the Needham Running Club.
Continue reading Needham Introduces New Ultra with 14-Hour May Day RunMassUltra Roundup: Zion and the Rattler
The combination of spring weather and the continued successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines made the April 10-11 weekend enticing for several New England ultrarunners to head West to race. Two headed to Colorado to race the Rattler 50K, but Utah’s Zion National Park was by far the most popular destination as 19 New Englanders tackled ultra distances from 50K to 100 miles on desert trails. Both events are featured in this week’s roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Zion and the Rattler