All posts by Chris Wristen

Founder and Editor of MassUltra.com

MassUltra Roundup: August 14-16 Weekend

The mountains called ultrarunners to New Hampshire for a grueling weekend of racing and adventure in the White Mountains at the fifth annual Jigger Johnson Ultras. Many New Englanders stayed close to home to take part in the event’s 100-mile, 50-mile and 20-mile races, while others headed to Connecticut for the Shenepsit Striders’ Summer Fat Ass 8-hour run. We have both of those events included in this edition of the roundup, as well as a few other races from throughout the country that took place during the Aug. 14-16 weekend.

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Runners Overcome Extreme Heat at Scorching TARC Summer Classic

The temperature was nearly 80 degrees, but it felt even hotter when runners gathered in front of the metal gate that serves as the starting line for the TARC Summer Classic. It was only 7 a.m., on Saturday, Aug. 8, and it was already shaping up to be a scorcher.

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MassUltra Roundup: August 7-9 Weekend

A hot New England weekend saw ultrarunners take on several events from Aug. 7-9 throughout the region, including the hottest Anchor Down Ultra ever in Rhode Island and the Lover’s Lane 12- and 6-hour races in Vermont, as well as a pair of Massachusetts ultras–the TARC Summer Classic and the BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra. We have the two Massachusetts races covered in separate recaps, but in this edition of the roundup we begin in Rhode Island and Vermont before catching up on how New Englanders performed at other ultras across the country, including Tobias Tello’s victory and course record at the Murderkill Ultramarathons in Virginia.

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BURCS Free to Run Trail Races Canceled

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) will wind down its annual trail series a few weeks early this year with Friday’s announcement that the Free to Run Trail Races are canceled. The event typically closes out the BURCS’ season, and it was scheduled to take place on Sept. 12 at Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield, Mass., but runner registrations lagged to the point that holding the event was not financially feasible.

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Results: BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the 14th edition of the Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass. Runners had eight hours to complete as many laps as they wanted on a .355-mile cinder and dirt track around the park. Proceeds from the event benefitted AYJ Fund, a non-profit organization in northern Berkshire County that supports children battling cancer.

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MassUltra Roundup: July 31-August 2 Weekend

New champions stood tall at ultramarathons across New England during the first weekend of August, with solid results on the trails of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Additionally, runners from the region scattered across the country and earned successful finishes from the Ridge Reaper in New York to Badwater 135 in California. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

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MassUltra Roundup: July 24-26 Weekend

Big mountains, big climbs and big results were the story of the July 24-26 weekend for New England ultrarunners as they took on challenging mountain ultras from coast to coast. Here in the region, Lila Gaudrault reigned supreme at the Magnificent Bastards Challenge in Vermont, while many other runners traveled cross-country to tackle tough ultras in the West. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

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