The April 19-21 weekend was busy for ultrarunning in the Bay State with two events – the TARC Spring Classic and the Spring Fever 8-Hour – attracting hundreds of runners to tackle ultra and sub-ultra distances on local trails. Not all racers that weekend stayed local, though. Some put up big mileage in nearby Connecticut at the Forgotten Forest 9-Hour Ultra where a course record crumbled. Others headed South to Virginia for the Promise Land 50K, and even more headed West to ultras in California, Colorado and New Mexico. And that’s just the events with results available at press time. New Englanders were also set to toe the starting line of the Wawayanda Trail Fest in New Jersey, the Hyner Trail Challenge in Pennsylvania, the Phoenix Trail Fest in Alabama, and Earth Day Bucklemania in Kansas.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Forgotten Forest, Promise Land, Mendocino Coast, Leona Divide, Royal Gorge, and Capitan MountainAll posts by Chris Wristen
Results: Spring Fever Trail Races
The second annual Spring Fever 8-Hour Ultra, 5-mile and 5K trail races took place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass.
Continue reading Results: Spring Fever Trail RacesPhotos: TARC Spring Classic
The 12th edition of the Trail animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic took place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, including a 50K ultramarathon, marathon, half marathon and 10K. The following are a small sample of photos from the day taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. Click here to view a full gallery.
Continue reading Photos: TARC Spring ClassicResults: TARC Spring Classic
The 12th edition of the Trail animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic took place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, including a 50K ultramarathon, marathon, half marathon and 10K.
Continue reading Results: TARC Spring ClassicMassUltra Roundup: Traprock, English’s Ridge, Whiskey Basin, Rattler, Gorge Waterfalls, Zion, and New River
While a few-dozen New Englanders were taking on the tough trails and unmarked course of the Trail Animals Running Club’s “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-mile ultras at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass., several other runners from the region were scattered throughout the country for a variety of other ultras during the April 12-14 weekend. Some stayed in the region for the classic Traprock 50K in Connecticut, where some of the finest performances in the event’s 14-year history were delivered. Others headed to nearby New York for the English’s Ridge Rumble. Several more raced out West, in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah, while a few more headed South to Virginia. We have them all covered in this jam-packed edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Traprock, English’s Ridge, Whiskey Basin, Rattler, Gorge Waterfalls, Zion, and New RiverClark Sets Course Record on Sloppy Day at Mt. Toby
A year ago, Samantha Stimac danced over rocks and dashed up and down the singletrack and doubletrack trails of Mt. Toby on a dry, sunny day on her way to setting the female course record at the Mt. Toby Trail Race 50K. On Saturday, April 6, it was Britta Clark’s turn to turn in a head-turning performance – this time with less than ideal conditions.
Continue reading Clark Sets Course Record on Sloppy Day at Mt. TobyMassUltra Roundup: Bootlegger and Umstead
The April 5-7 weekend featured plenty of tough running in sloppy conditions at the Mt. Toby Trail Race in Sunderland, Mass., but a few New Englanders opted for other environments as they scattered the country to race in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as Texas and Washington. Results have yet to be posted for the Ancient Lakes 50K in Washington and the Brazos Bend 50 in Texas, but New Englanders earned 100-mile finishes at the Bootlegger 100 in Georgia and the Umstead 100 in North Carolina, highlighting this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bootlegger and UmsteadResults: Mt. Toby Trail Races
Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the fourth edition of the Mt. Toby Trail Races 50K ultramarathon and 24K races, as well as the inaugural 13K, on Saturday, April 6, in Sunderland, Mass. Runners took on a rugged course with a challenging mix of mud and snow that made for difficult conditions.
Continue reading Results: Mt. Toby Trail RacesMassUltra Roundup: Georgia Death Race and Antelope Island Buffalo Run
The busiest March ultrarunning slate in recent memory for New Englanders came to a close with a relatively quiet March 30-31 weekend. Just a handful of runners from the region took on ultras with a few traveling to Georgia for the Georgia Death Race and two more heading west to Utah for the Antelope Island Buffalo Run. We have both covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Georgia Death Race and Antelope Island Buffalo RunLast-Minute Finishes, Family Miles Highlight Soggy Day at To Hale and Back
WESTWOOD, Mass. – Tension was high on the back deck of Powissett Lodge as race director Melissa Arnold, official timer Norm Sheppard, and about a dozen runners and volunteers peered out into the woods. Two runners were approaching, but would they make it in time?
Continue reading Last-Minute Finishes, Family Miles Highlight Soggy Day at To Hale and Back