Massachusetts ultrarunners rung in the holiday season with a few solid performances, the most festive coming from Boston resident Joe McConaughy who raised more than $2,000 for the Crohn’s and Colitis foundation by running 100 miles on a track. Additionally, another Boston resident gave herself the gift of becoming an ultrarunner as Jacqueline Kressee finished the Woodside Ramble 50K in California, and Bolton resident Sandee Richards celebrated the season by crossing the finish line of the 50K race at the Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic in Florida. Those three events make for some cheerful holiday reading in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Joe McConaughy’s Track 100-Miler, the Woodside Ramble and Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic
All posts by Chris Wristen
Past Champions Prevail at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
A pair of previous winners of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K reclaimed their thrones at the ninth running of the race on Saturday, Dec., 21, in Springfield, Mass. Continue reading Past Champions Prevail at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
The ninth running of the Seth’s Fat Ass 50K took place Saturday, Dec. 21, in Springfield, Mass. Runners had seven hours to complete 10 5K loops through Forest Park. Seventy-five runners started the race. Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
North Face Cancels Endurance Challenge for 2020, Teases New Format
For 13 years, The North Face Endurance Challenge was a staple of American trail- and ultrarunning – including the past three years in Massachusetts. The 2019 races were the last for the series, however. This morning, Friday, Dec. 20, The North Face announced the series is being canceled and hinted that a new format will follow. Continue reading North Face Cancels Endurance Challenge for 2020, Teases New Format
MassUltra Roundup: Rodeo Beach, Bell Ringer, and Naked Nick
A trio of Massachusetts residents squeezed in one last ultramarathon before the holidays when they traveled to races in California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania to explore new trails on Saturday, Dec. 14. Those races – the Rodeo Beach 50K, the Bell Ringer 50K and the Naked Nick 50K – make for light reading in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Rodeo Beach, Bell Ringer, and Naked Nick
Volunteers, Runners Dig Deep at Frigid, Snow-Packed Fells Winter Ultra
When Jeff LeBlanc arrived at the Middlesex Fells Reservation on Saturday morning, Dec. 7, he knew a difficult but rewarding day awaited him. As race director for the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra, he was responsible for putting on one of Massachusetts’ original and toughest trail ultramarathons. Runners in the 40-mile race had to circle the reservation’s rocky, root-covered Skyline Trail five times; competitors in the 32-mile race had to complete four loops. Some would achieve their goals and others would come up short, but LeBlanc hoped to do everything in his power to enable them to succeed. Continue reading Volunteers, Runners Dig Deep at Frigid, Snow-Packed Fells Winter Ultra
MassUltra Roundup: Daytona, Brazos Bend, Devil Dog, and the McDowell Mountain Frenzy
Only a handful of racing opportunities remain as the 2019 ultramarathon racing season nears its conclusion. New England residents seized on a few of those opportunities on the Dec. 7-8 weekend, with some racing 100-milers in Florida, Texas and South Carolina, and others racing 50 miles or 50K in Arizona. The warm weather fueled some fast performances, but none were better than Lynnfield resident Lori Mitchener’s victory at the Daytona 100. Her trip to Victory Lane leads off this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Daytona, Brazos Bend, Devil Dog, and the McDowell Mountain Frenzy
Photos: TARC Fells Winter Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to its annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail ultramarathons on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was a cold, snow-packed event, and Jon McInerney and Jeff LeBlanc shared the following photos from the event. Continue reading Photos: TARC Fells Winter Ultra
After 8 Years, Morton and Slater’s Western States Wait is Over
Western States lottery day is cruel to most, and Tom Morton and Scott Slater know that feeling as well as anyone. Morton, 42, of Chicopee, Mass., and Slater, 41, of Guilford, Conn., were two of nine ultrarunners in the lottery for a record eighth consecutive year. Nobody has tried longer than them to gain a spot at the starting line of the Western States Endurance Run, the sport’s original 100-mile footrace. Continue reading After 8 Years, Morton and Slater’s Western States Wait is Over
Results: TARC Fells Winter Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to its annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail ultramarathons on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. Runners in the 40-mile race tackled five eight-mile loops of the Skyline Trail, while runners in the 32-mile race had to complete four loops. Continue reading Results: TARC Fells Winter Ultra
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