All posts by Chris Wristen

Founder and Editor of MassUltra.com

MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to Laz

The summer miles are piling up as New England ultrarunners conquer the busy summer racing season. Included among those miles has been plenty of vert, especially for those who traveled to Colorado during the July 21-23 weekend to tackle the high-altitude High Lonesome and Ouray 100-milers. Those big mountain races lead of this edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to Laz

Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview

WINDSOR, Mass. – When Taylor Verville hobbled to her car after finishing the Notchview Ultra and braced herself for the three-hour ride home to Kingston, her body felt like it couldn’t give much more. She’d just run 216.6 miles in the 72-hour race and broke the previous overall course record by 15 miles.

Verville’s legs felt like concrete and her brain was fried from the lack of sleep. To say she was exhausted would’ve been the understatement of the year. It was July 11, 2022, and though her mind and body both needed rest, within just a few days Verville was already beginning to plot her Notchview sequel.

Continue reading Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview

Results: Notchview Ultra

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth edition of the Notchview Ultra from July 7-10 at the Trustees of Reservations’ Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. Runners tackled a 1.9-mile loop course for 100.7 miles (53 loops), or 72-hour, 48-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour time-based options. Those who ran the most days started their race with high humidity, sun and temperatures in the low 80s and finished their races with temperatures in the 70s and nearly 24 hours of rain.

Continue reading Results: Notchview Ultra

MassUltra Roundup: Back Cove, ALFC 50K, Catoctin, Siskiyou Out Back, and Silverton Alpine

In Massachusetts, the July 7-9 weekend meant a packed course at Notchview Reservation in Windsor where the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the multi-day Notchview Ultra. We’ll have that covered in a separate story, but Notchview wasn’t the only popular draw for New England ultrarunners. Two other New England events – the Back Cove Backyard Ultra in Maine and the Aliza Lapierre Fan Club 50K in Vermont – also attracted strong turnouts and saw some big performances. Additionally, a few runners from the region ventured beyond New England to take on ultras in Maryland, Oregon and Colorado. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Back Cove, ALFC 50K, Catoctin, Siskiyou Out Back, and Silverton Alpine

MassUltra Roundup: Ansonia 6-Hour and Quebec Mega-Trail

With the July 4 holiday on the horizon, the June 30-July 2 weekend was largely quiet for New England ultrarunners with only two local ultras in the region and just a handful of folks heading beyond the region to race. Several runners took on six hours of loops in Ansonia, Conn., where Northampton’s Eric Ciocca raced to victory. Others headed to Vermont for the Mt. Sparta 24-Hour Challenge (results from that event are unavailable as of this posting). Additionally, a few New Englanders traveled north across the border to Canada for hard-earned finishes of various distances of the Quebec Mega-Trail ultras. We have them covered in this short edition of the roundup.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Ansonia 6-Hour and Quebec Mega-Trail

Maine’s Schide Eclipses Record with Runner-Up Finish on Historic Day at Western States

When Canada’s Ellie Greenwood scorched the Western States Endurance Run 100-mile course in 2012, she was right in the middle of her 13-year reign as one of the most dominant women’s ultrarunners in the sport’s history. Her winning time of 16:47:19 – a women’s course record – set a bar so high that many wondered who besides Greenwood herself might one day surpass it.

Continue reading Maine’s Schide Eclipses Record with Runner-Up Finish on Historic Day at Western States

MassUltra Roundup: Six Days in the Dome, San Juan Solstice, Wy’East Wonder, and Bears Ears

When Jenny Hoffman stepped to the starting line of her 24-hour race at Six Days in the Dome in Wisconsin, she was laser-focused on locking up a position on the United States 24-Hour National Team. By the time the clock expired, the resident of Cambridge, Mass., had turned in the race of her life, earned a victory and surged into one of the top qualifying positions for Team USA with one week remaining in the qualification period. While Hoffman’s big effort during the June 16-24 event was one of the most remarkable performances by a New England ultrarunner during the past week, she was far from the only one racing. We highlighted results from several events in the Northeast in a previous roundup, and this one showcases Hoffman’s effort in the Midwest as well as those by a handful of New England residents who took on tough races out west in Colorado, Oregon and Utah.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Six Days in the Dome, San Juan Solstice, Wy’East Wonder, and Bears Ears

MassUltra Roundup: Manitou’s Revenge, Catamount, Gunstock, and Midnight Squatchapalooza

All eyes were on Western States during the June 24-25 weekend … well, not all eyes, but most of them in the ultrarunning world. There were plenty of other ultras taking place in both the west and here in the east. In fact, there were so many New England ultrarunners racing throughout the country that covering it all merited a two-roundup week – plus a separate writeup on Western States. In this first roundup we catch up on how runners from New England fared at ultras in the Northeast. That included a pair of Massachusetts residents reclaiming titles at the gnarly Manitou’s Revenge in New York. We also catch up on the Catamount 50K in Vermont, the Gunstock TrailFest in New Hampshire, and Midnight Squatchapalooza in New Jersey.

Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Manitou’s Revenge, Catamount, Gunstock, and Midnight Squatchapalooza