All posts by Chris Wristen

Founder and Editor of MassUltra.com

MassUltra Roundup: Bold Coast Bash, Roxbury Marathon, Mountaineer Rumble, Tampa Bay 100, Mamba 100, and Tunnel Hill

New England had plenty of ultramarathon action during the Nov. 7-9 weekend, and we have it covered here in Part II of this week’s roundup. Several runners competed in the Race for DFL in Massachusetts, which we’ll have covered in a separate story. But in Maine, runners took on rugged coastal terrain at the Bold Coast Bash 50K, and a half dozen more raced on the roads in Connecticut at the Roxbury Marathon 50K. Additionally, we catch up on action beyond New England, with the Mountaineer Rumble 100 in South Carolina, Tampa Bay 100 in Florida, the Mamba 100 in Tennessee, and Tunnel Hill in Illinois.

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MassUltra Roundup: Kessel Run, Thunder River, Pass Mountain, Rancho Hills, and Red Rock Canyon

As the 2025 ultrarunning season rolls through its final months, runners are scrambling to squeeze in a few more finishes, and in some cases their first ultras. That made the Nov. 7-9 weekend another busy one as New Englanders scattered from coast to coast. Here in Part I of this week’s two-part roundup, we highlight results from the West Coast where New Englanders raced in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.

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Rollock Rolls to 100K Victory, Tracy Tops 50-Mile Field at Stone Cat

When the Trail Animals Running Club revived the Stone Cat Trail Race in 2023 and restored the event’s original 50-mile and marathon distances, a few new distances were added to improve access to those seeking to run fewer miles–and one was added to entice runners to go even farther. That latter distance, the 100K, has rewarded and–mostly–punished those who dared attempt it during the three editions. The most recent offering came at the 24th edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race – and third addition of its reincarnation as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival–on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass.

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Results: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival

The 24th edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race – and third addition of its reincarnation as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival – took place on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. A gathering of 478 runners took on a variety of distances, including 100K and 50-mile ultramarathons, marathon, half marathon and 10K sub-ultra distances, as well as free youth fun run.

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MassUltra Roundup: Mountain Masochist, Fire Tower Frenzy, Pinhoti, Rio Del Lago, and Wildwood Canyon

Nearly 1,000 trail- and ultrarunners took part in local events in New England during the first weekend of November. We had those events covered in Part I of this week’s roundup. Here in Part II, we look outside New England and catch up on how runners from the region did at races from coast to coast.

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MassUltra Roundup: Hamsterwheel, RutFest, 8 Hours at the Farm, and Bimbler’s Bluff

The October 31-Nov. 2 weekend saw New England play host to four trail ultramarathons – three of them massive events. We’ll catch up on the largest, the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival, in a separate recap, but here in Part I of this week’s roundup we’ll focus on the others: the Hamsterwheel in New Hampshire, and RutFest in Vermont. We’ll also check in on 8 Hours at the Farm in Connecticut, and then turn back the clock a few weeks to catch up on the results of the Bimbler’s Bluff 50K. 

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Baker Victorious in Return Romp at Wompatuck State Park

A year ago, Jason Baker returned to his native Massachusetts and delivered a dandy of a homecoming performance at the Womp Romp 50K, setting a course record and becoming the first person to break the 4-hour mark. On Saturday, Oct. 25, Baker returned for another romp through Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass., as the 27-year-old resident of Fort Collins, Colo., sought to defend his title.

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Historic Hundreds: Record Number of Runners Log Triple-Digit Miles at Ghost Train

When Steve Latour created the Ghost Train Trail Race in 2009, he couldn’t have envisioned what would happen 16 years later. The inaugural Ghost Train consisted of a single-distance, 15-mile round-trip run on the Granite Town Rail Trail between Brookline and Milford, N.H., and 27 runners took part.

The event has grown considerably in the years since, and the 16th edition on Oct. 18-19 saw more than 600 runners take part in a variety of race offerings, including a 30-hour ultra, 30-mile night race, 15-miler, and team relay options. More than 350 of them were in the 30-hour race, and a record 76 ran 100 miles or more on a weekend that offered near-perfect fall running conditions.

Continue reading Historic Hundreds: Record Number of Runners Log Triple-Digit Miles at Ghost Train

MassUltra Roundup: Big Brad Ultras, No Business, Rim to River, Javelina, Canyonlands, and Bromont

The Oct. 24-26 weekend roundup takes us all over the country, from Maine to Tennessee, to West Virginia, to Arizona, and on to Utah, where New Englanders turned out in force. In Maine, Massachusetts resident Daniel Grip sizzled with a hard-fought 50-mile victory at the Big Brad Ultras, while in Tennessee it was Massachusetts resident Laura Ricci who raced to a runner-up performance at the No Business 100. Runners from the region also earned finishes at the Rim to River 100 in West Virginia’s New River Gorge, the Javelina Jundred in the desert of Arizona, and the slickrock trails of Moab at the Canyonlands Ultra. Additionally, we turn back the clock to Oct. 18-19 to learn about Massachusetts resident Hank Xi’s strong showing at the Bromont Ultra 100-miler in Canada. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

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