Since its founding in 2017, the Village Ultra has been all about giving. Specifically, it has been about giving support to charitable causes and giving runners the opportunity to pursue personal-best performances in a low-key environment.
True to form, the third annual 24-hour event accomplished both goals on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the New Salem Town Common in New Salem., Mass. Around two-dozen runners and walkers took part in the event and money was raised to support the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides low-cost or free legal services to immigrants and refugees. A final fundraising total isn’t yet available because some runners made pledges remotely, but co-race director Carla Halpern said she knew hundreds of dollars were raised for RAICES. Continue reading Third Annual Village Ultra is All About Giving→
The second running of the Cape Cod ‘Y-Not’ Trail Races included the inaugural running of the event’s 50K race on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Sandwich, Mass. The race consisted of 10 laps around a 5K loop. In addition to the ultra, the event offered a marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K for the second year in a row. Continue reading Results: Cape Cod Moves ‘Y-Not’ Trail Races→
The White Mountains’ Kilkenny Ridge packed a punch last weekend, but several New England residents were up to the challenge for 50 or 25 miles, and a few others ventured to neighboring Vermont for 24 hours on a 3.5-mile loop in the Northeast Kingdom. Additionally, Miller’s Falls’ Daniel Grip of Millers Falls ascended to the top of the podium with a hard-earned win at Pisgah Mountain in New Hampshire, and a handful of other New Englanders took on a 50K course for the first time at Macedonia in Connecticut. All four events are captured in Part II of this week’s roundup: the New England-specific edition. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Kilkenny Ridge, Northeast Kingdom, Pisgah Mountain, and Macedonia 50K→
Prize money was on the line at the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler last weekend, and a former Massachusetts resident brought home the win in Steamboat Springs, Colo., leading the way for a few additional New Englanders who completed the challenging mountain race. Northwest of Colorado, another New Englander earned a big 100-mile finish as Woburn’s Samantha LeBlanc delivered a gritty performance at the IMTUF 100 in Idaho. Additionally, Cambridge, Mass., resident Jason Smith turned in a top-five finish at the Tahoe 100K, and New Englanders also finished the SRT Run/Hike in New York and the Boulder Field 100K in Pennsylvania. We have those five races covered in Part I of this week’s roundup. Coming tomorrow, Part II will showcase the non-Massachusetts New England races: the Kilkenny Ridge 50-miler, 24 Hours of Northeast Kingdom, Pisgah Mountain 50K and Macedonia 50K. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Run Rabbit Run, IMTUF, SRT, Boulder Field, and Tahoe 100K→
Months before the fifth annual Free to Run Trail Races took place on Saturday, Sept. 14, trail- and ultrarunners had already begun dropping off shoes with race organizers from the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service that would ultimately go to the non-profit organization that shares the race’s name.Continue reading Runners Pile Up Shoes, Miles at Free to Run→
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the fifth annual Free to Run 50-mile ultramarathon, marathon and half marathon trail races on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, at Pittsfield State Forest. New women’s course records were set in the marathon and half marathon races.Continue reading Results: Free to Run Trail Races→
Two 100-mile ultramarathons challenged New England residents with opposing types of terrain – crushed gravel on a smooth rail-trail in Pennsylvania and rugged, steep mountains in Utah – and runners from the region handled both just fine on the Sept. 5-8 weekend. Lynnfield resident Lori Mitchener’s overall win at the Pine Creek Challenge 100 in Pennsylvania leads off this week’s roundup, and her performance is joined by the successful finish at Wasatch Front by five New England residents. Additionally, the Water Gap 50K in Pennsylvania, the McKenzie River Trail Run in Oregon, and the Yeti Snakebite 50K in Georgia are included in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Pine Creek, Wasatch Front, Water Gap, McKenzie River, and Yeti Snakebite→
Thousands of ultrarunners descended on the European Alps for the 17th annual Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc – dubbed the World Summit of Trail-Running – from Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 as world-class mountain runners and world-class mountain lovers of varying speeds and natural abilities shared the trails on some of ultrarunning’s most hallowed trails.
With most of the ultrarunning world’s eyes on the European Alps last weekend for the self-proclaimed World Summit of Trail-Running at the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, the race schedule across the country was notably lighter during Labor Day weekend. A few runners from New England made the journey to Europe for UTMB and its associate races – we’ll have those covered in a separate roundup – but a few runners headed to nearby Vermont for a 33-mile ultra at the Jay Peak Trail Running Festival while others traveled to Idaho for the gnarly Run the Rut 50K. Both of those are covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Jay Peak and the Rut→
Since its inaugural running with less than two-dozen participants seven years ago, the Big Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tenn. – a quirky last person standing race – has grown into an event that attracts some of the best ultrarunners on the planet.
It has also sparked something of a revolution in the sport as new races adopting the same format have popped up across the country in recent years, attempting to recreate some of the magic of the original event that was the brainchild of the man behind the Barkley Marathons, Gary Cantrell, also known as Lazarus Lake.
MassUltra 