During more than six years as an ultrarunner, Kara Olivito has frequently felt herself called to rugged mountain races like the Tahoe 200 in California, the Infinitus 48-hour in Vermont, and the Cloudsplitter 100 in Kentucky. She has thrived on those challenging courses and earned top-10 finishes each time. That said, some of her most meaningful miles have been run near the ocean – specifically on Cape Cod. Continue reading ‘Special Place’ Sparks Great Race for Olivito at Cape Cod 50K
All posts by Chris Wristen
Volunteers Outshine Vandals at Inaugural Mt. Toby Ultra
For more than a decade, the trails of western Massachusetts have been Amy Rusiecki’s playground. The rugged, rocky and at times steep terrain prepared her legs and lungs to succeed, propelling her to more than 35 ultramarathon victories and dozens more podium finishes. She’s grateful for all those trails have given her, and for years she has dreamed of sharing her training ground with others.
Last year she began doing that with the introduction of the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra and 25K trail race in West Chesterfield, Mass. On Saturday, April 6, she shared another of her favorite places to run when she played host to the inaugural Mt. Toby Ultra and 22K in Sunderland, Mass. Continue reading Volunteers Outshine Vandals at Inaugural Mt. Toby Ultra
MassUltra Roundup: Umstead, New Jersey Festival, and a Hills to Sea Trail FKT
Somerville resident Sarah Aponte delivered a dynamite performance and prevailed in a back-and-forth duel to win the Umstead 100-miler last weekend in North Carolina. Additionally, a handful of New England residents earned ultramarathon finishes at the New Jersey Ultra Trail Festival. Finally, Greg Soutiea – a former Quincy resident now running an inn in Maine – celebrated his birthday by grinding out a fastest known time on the Hills to Sea Trail. We’ve got all of these covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Umstead, New Jersey Festival, and a Hills to Sea Trail FKT
Results: Cape Cod Trail Race 50K
The sixth annual Cape Cod Trail Race 50K took place Sunday, April 7, 2019, at the Crane Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth, Mass. Fifty runners completed the race within eight hours. Additionally, 146 runners completed the half marathon and another 167 finished a 10K race. Continue reading Results: Cape Cod Trail Race 50K
Results: Mt. Toby Ultra
The inaugural Mt. Toby Ultra 50K and 22K trail races took place on Saturday, April 6, at Sunderland Town Park in Sunderland, Mass. The low-key event on rugged singletrack and doubletrack trails saw eight runners complete the 50K ultra and another 51 finish the 22K race. Continue reading Results: Mt. Toby Ultra
MassUltra Roundup: Castle to River, GDR, Badger Mountain, and Prairie Spirit
Pittsfield’s Kehr Davis had to wait until last weekend to earn a victory at what was supposed to be her final race of 2018 at the Castle to River 50K in New York. Westborough’s Ben Nephew secured a runner-up finish at the same race in the Empire State and a dozen more New England residents also took part. Additionally, the controversy at the Georgia Death Race impacted a New Englander, and local ultrarunners earned finishes at the Badger Mountain Challenge in Washington and Prairie Spirit in Kansas. We have those four races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Castle to River, GDR, Badger Mountain, and Prairie Spirit
Back at Hale, Burke Enjoys Another Big Run
Brian Burke has been To Hale and Back in 2019, and both times turned out pretty darn good.
It was just last month that Burke first went to Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass., where he received an intense introduction to the reservation’s rocky, rooty, winding trail system through the woods. The occasion was the TARCtic Frozen Yeti, a 30-hour ultramarathon that took place in 20-degree temperatures while the trails were coated in a thick layer of ice and a dusting of snow.
Burke spent more than 28 hours on the trails that weekend in early February on a course that consisted of three five-mile mini-loops labeled Red, White and Blue. He was one of three runners to finish with 100 miles; one runner went farther.
After seven weeks away, Burke went back to Hale Reservation on Saturday, March 23. This time his stay was shorter. Rather than a 30-hour race, he was there alongside 112 other runners for the Trail Animals Running Club’s fourth annual To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra. Continue reading Back at Hale, Burke Enjoys Another Big Run
MassUltra Roundup: Mt. Tammany, Get Lucky, Antelope Island, and Cape Fear
A pair of Massachusetts ultrarunners – South Deerfield’s Brian Rusiecki and Boston’s Kevin Koncilja – kicked of their 2019 seasons with runner-up finishes last weekend, Rusiecki at the Mt. Tammany 10! in New Jersey and Koncilja at the Get Lucky 50/50 in Ohio. Meanwhile, Framingham’s Art Beauregard earned his first 100-mile finish at the Antelope Island Buffalo Run in Utah. Additionally, we tracked down a few local runners’ performances March 16 at the Badwater: Cape Fear Ultras in North Carolina. Those four races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Mt. Tammany, Get Lucky, Antelope Island, and Cape Fear
Results: To Hale and Back
The fourth annual TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 5K took place on Saturday, March 23, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. More than 100 runners took part in the 6-hour race, including 17 who ran farther than a marathon. Continue reading Results: To Hale and Back
Reflections on the Frozen Yeti: Low on Heat, High on Heart
In the more than a month that has passed since the inaugural running of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti, the snow and ice on the trails has melted, disappeared, refallen and refrozen, and is in the process of melting once again.
Winter is beginning to release its grip on New England, so we’re taking one last look back at a first-year event that lived up to its name. Continue reading Reflections on the Frozen Yeti: Low on Heat, High on Heart
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