All posts by Chris Wristen

Founder and Editor of MassUltra.com

Photos: 2024 TARC Summer Classic

The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 13th edition of the TARC Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathons as well as a 10-mile trail race. The following are a small sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

Continue reading Photos: 2024 TARC Summer Classic

First-Timer is Fastest, But Familiar Faces Abound at Sweltering Summer

Events put on by the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) are known for their family reunion-type vibes. That was the case once again when the BURCS played host to the Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Aug. 10, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass., where familiar faces were aplenty – though it was an event newcomer who ran away with the overall victory at the 12th annual event.

Continue reading First-Timer is Fastest, But Familiar Faces Abound at Sweltering Summer

MassUltra Roundup: Anchor Down, Bigfoot 200, Wyoming Range 100, and In the Heat of the Night

Severe weather forced the cancellation of the Lover’s Lane Ultra in Vermont, but the running was undeterred in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during the August 9-11 weekend with the annual Anchor Down Ultra and the BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra. We’ll have Sweltering Summer covered in a separate story, but Anchor Down leads off this edition of the roundup, and we also catch up on runners from the region who had successes at several other ultras across the country.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Anchor Down, Bigfoot 200, Wyoming Range 100, and In the Heat of the Night

Results: BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the 12th annual Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra and 5K on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass. Runners had eight hours to complete as many .355-mile laps of the park’s dirt and cinder track as they wanted.

Continue reading Results: BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra

MassUltra Roundup: Ragged 75 Stage Race, Blue Hill, MCW Westfield, and A Louisiana Summer Night

New Hampshire and Maine were where the action was as the New England ultrarunning season rolled into August. Both states offered tough ultra challenges during the Aug. 2-4 weekend, with dozens of runners taking on one hard day of racing – or opting for all three – at the Ragged 75 Stage Race and 50K in New Hampshire. In Maine, Blue Hill took center stage with its second annual trail festival. Additionally, a few runners from the region headed to New Jersey and Louisiana to race. We have them all in this edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Ragged 75 Stage Race, Blue Hill, MCW Westfield, and A Louisiana Summer Night

MassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, Burning River, Grand Mesa, Pikes Peak, Never Summer, Crazy Mountain, and Lost Sierra

A jam-packed July of ultrarunning came to a close during the July 26-28 weekend as New Englanders took on tough ultras from coast to coast and experienced a bit of everything – smooth singletrack, mud, technical rocks and roots, big climbs, heat, humidity, and high altitude. We begin in Vermont, where Samantha Stimac delivered her latest dominant performance at the Moosalamoo Ultra. Then we head to Ohio, where John Sherback earned 100-mile redemption at the Burning River 100. From there, we head to Colorado, where Patrick Boyle earned a podium finish at Grand Mesa, Tom Flummerfelt and Jeff Miner had big days at the Pikes Peak Ultra, and a handful of New Englanders raced at the Never Summer Ultras. Then we finish up further West where New Englanders finished the Crazy Mountain 100 in Montana and the Lost Sierra Ultras in California. Additionally, New Englanders took on the Magnificent Bastards Challenge in Vermont and the Wakely Dam Ultra in New York; results from those events were not available at the time of publication, but there’s still plenty to read in this edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, Burning River, Grand Mesa, Pikes Peak, Never Summer, Crazy Mountain, and Lost Sierra

MassUltra Roundup: Tahoe Rim Trail, Ouray, High Lonesome, Cascade Crest, Palisades, and Stunner

Hundreds of ultrarunners were busy racing locally in New England during the July 19-21 weekend, including at the Vermont 100, Jigger Johnson Ultras, and Spaulding Woods 50K. We had those events covered in Part I of this week’s roundup, along with Many on the Genny in New York. Here in Part II, we turn to the West where New Englanders tackled at least a half-dozen additional ultras. Most were mountain races, such as the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs in California, the Cascade Crest 100 in Washington, and the Ouray and High Lonesome 100s in Colorado, but runners also raced in Idaho and Arizona. We have them all covered here in Part II, beginning with a podium finish at Tahoe for South Deerfield’s Greg Tew.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Tahoe Rim Trail, Ouray, High Lonesome, Cascade Crest, Palisades, and Stunner

MassUltra Roundup: Vermont 100, Jigger Johnson, Spaulding Woods, and Many on the Genny

Runners barely had time to recover from a big weekend at the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s multi-day Notchview Ultra when an even more jam-packed weekend of ultrarunning unfolded in New England. The July 19-21 weekend brought a triple-dose of regional running with the classic Vermont 100, the Jigger Johnson Ultras in New Hampshire, and the new Spaulding Woods 50K in New Hampshire all taking place. Additionally, a few runners from the region traveled to nearby New York for the Many on the Genny 45-miler. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup… but that’s just Part I. Several runners from the region headed West to at least a half-dozen ultras, so we’ll have that slate covered in Part II.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Vermont 100, Jigger Johnson, Spaulding Woods, and Many on the Genny

‘Magic’ Moments Abound at 2024 Notchview Ultra

WINDSOR, Mass. – Moments after concluding her 64.6-mile effort at the Notchview Ultra, Kimberly Boisvert walked to the Race Headquarters pop-up tent and chatted away with Race Director Benn Griffin and volunteer Mark Bancroft about her experience during the previous 26 hours.

Race Director Benn Griffin, left, and volunteers Mark Bancroft and Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg relax in the shade while cheering on runners during the Notchview Ultra. Photo by Chris Wristen/MassUltra

It was Sunday afternoon and Boisvert was ending her 48-hour race early, but she had loved every moment of her time on the 1.9-mile cross-country ski loop through Notchview Reservation. The event began at noon Friday, July 12, and would conclude at noon Monday, July 15. Boisvert had missed the 12-hour racers who were already finished, but she’d shared some time and miles with her fellow 48-hour racers, as well as some of the runners in the 72-hour, 24-hour and 6-hour races, and a few remaining in the event’s lone distance-specific race, the 100.7-miler. She had run under the stars on a clear night, and endured the heat and humidity of parts of two sun-soaked days. She had logged major miles and shared many stories and laughs with her fellow runners. If the ear-to-ear smile she wore was any indication, she’d loved every second of it.

“This place is magic!” Boisvert exclaimed to Griffin and Bancroft, summing up her experience.

Continue reading ‘Magic’ Moments Abound at 2024 Notchview Ultra

MassUltra Roundup: Great Hill, Hardrock, Siskiyou Out Back, Mt. Hood, and the Peak 50K

July is typically quiet on the ultrarunning scene in Massachusetts, with just one in-state ultra on the calendar. But the Bay State goes big during that lone weekend, as was the case July 12-15 when the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to hundreds of ultrarunners for the multi-day Notchview Ultra in Windsor (separate recap article coming). Still, Notchview wasn’t the only event that attracted New Englanders. Runners scattered from coast to coast to tackle a wide range of ultras, and we’ve caught up with as many as possible in this edition of the roundup. Around 120 runners took part in the third annual Back Cove Backyard Ultra in Maine, though results from Back Cove are not yet available (perhaps they’re still running?). So we’ll start in nearby New York where a handful of runners from the region tackled the Great Hill Ultra. Then we’ll work our West, stopping in Colorado to catch up on New Englanders at the iconic Hardrock 100, before making it to the coast for a pair of races in Oregon and another in California. There’s plenty to read in this edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Great Hill, Hardrock, Siskiyou Out Back, Mt. Hood, and the Peak 50K