All posts by Chris Wristen

Founder and Editor of MassUltra.com
Northeast Race Management

Pulli, Rushton Cruise to Wins at Watuppa

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Michael Pulli finished 2018 with a flourish, racing to victory at the rain-soaked Stone Cat 50-miler as well as runner-up finishes at the TARC Fall Classic 50K and the Fells Winter Ultra 32-miler.

Pulli waited until May to kick off his 2019 ultramarathon season, but the 42-year-old resident of Medford, Mass., raced like he was in mid-season form at the second annual Watuppa 50K and seventh annual Watuppa Trail Races on Sunday, May 19, at Watuppa Reservation in Fall River, Mass. Continue reading Pulli, Rushton Cruise to Wins at Watuppa →

TARC

After Chilly Spring, Warmth Returns for Wapack and Back

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After training through what has been an unseasonably cool spring, runners were granted a reprieve from the rain, clouds and dampness at the 13th annual Wapack and Back 50-mile, 43-mile and 21.5-mile trail races on Saturday, May 11, in Ashburnham, Mass.

After starting by the glow of headlamps at 5 a.m. at Mt. Watatic State Park, runners of the ultramarathon distances soon ditched their lights and endured the direct sun of a mostly clear day where the temperature rose into the 70s. Continue reading After Chilly Spring, Warmth Returns for Wapack and Back →

Roundup

MassUltra Roundup: Riverlands, Dawn to Dusk to Dawn, and Thunderbunny

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A handful of Massachusetts residents secured hard-earned finishes at the Riverlands 100 last weekend in Maine, including Andover’s Nate Combs who became one of just two runners to be three-time finishers of the race. Additionally, Cambridge resident Padraig Mullins brought home a victory in the 50K at Dawn to Dusk to Dawn in Tennessee; and another Massachusetts resident completed his first ultra at the Thunderbunny 50K in Ohio. All three races are included in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Riverlands, Dawn to Dusk to Dawn, and Thunderbunny →

Roundup

MassUltra Roundup: Bear Mountain, White Lake, Strolling Jim, Spring Fling, McDonald Forest, Grayson Highlands, and Chompawamsic Challenge

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From Patrick Caron’s 50-mile win on his birthday at The North Face Endurance Challenge’s event at Bear Mountain in New York, to Shannon Plesh’s first-place finish in the women’s field at the White Lake Ultras in New Hampshire, to Sarah Aponte’s winning effort at Strolling Jim in Tennessee, it was a weekend of big performances by Massachusetts ultrarunners at out-of-state races. This week’s roundup includes races in New York, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Connecticut, Oregon and Virginia. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bear Mountain, White Lake, Strolling Jim, Spring Fling, McDonald Forest, Grayson Highlands, and Chompawamsic Challenge →

Roundup

MassUltra Roundup: Jack Bristol, TNFEC-DC, The Dunes, Cedro Peak, Canyons, Tillamook, and Ironmasters Challenge

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April was a jam-packed month for trail ultramarathons in Massachusetts, and with the month coming to a close several runners fit out-of-state ultras into their schedules. Most made the easy drive to neighboring Connecticut for the 45th annual Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras, where Boston’s Joe McConaughy threw down a sizzling 50-mile performance to bring home the win. A few others traveled to Sterling, Va., for The North Face Endurance Challenge’s Washington, D.C., event, including Falmouth’s Jimmy Stavlo who won the 50-miler and Boston’s Palo Cvik who took fifth in the 50K. Other runners scattered to Florida, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Pennsylvania for ultras, and we have them all covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Jack Bristol, TNFEC-DC, The Dunes, Cedro Peak, Canyons, Tillamook, and Ironmasters Challenge →

Features

For Waltham Native Ward, Boston Quad is a Celebration of Good Health, Great Friends

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Decked out from head to toe in wind- and waterproof rain gear, including a bright yellow Mountain Hardwear jacket, black pants and thick, warm gloves, Henry Ward looked like he was on an early-spring expedition in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In place of sturdy hiking boots, however, were running sneakers. Rather than mountains, his path was black pavement that glistened from hours of heavy rain.

Ward was somewhere near Chestnut Hill, around mile 22 of the Boston Marathon. It was April 16, 2018, and the Waltham, Mass., native and current resident of Tempe, Ariz., was making his Boston Marathon debut. Heartbreak Hill was behind him; the famous Citgo sign, downtown Boston and the finish line four miles ahead. Continue reading For Waltham Native Ward, Boston Quad is a Celebration of Good Health, Great Friends →

TARC

Burke, Damon Splash, Dash to Victories in Spring Classic 50K

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WESTON, Mass. – Of course it rained. It was always going to happen. This is the Spring Classic, after all.

The Trail Animals Running Club’s Spring Classic has established its share of traditions through the years – the yeti howl at the start; the wooden “trophies” foraged from the course; the MarketBasket sushi tray for volunteers – but perhaps the most predictable feature of the early-season event is rain. Nearly every Spring Classic has experienced at least a bit of the wet stuff, usually during pre-race set-up or at some point in the first loop or two of the race. Continue reading Burke, Damon Splash, Dash to Victories in Spring Classic 50K →