Category Archives: Mt. Toby

Mt. Toby Ultra Returns with Record-Setting Performances

Just as race director Amy Rusiecki was starting to lay the foundation for the Beast Coast Trail Running Series in 2019 and early 2020, she encountered a massive route-blocking blowdown in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the better part of 18 months, Rusiecki was forced to cancel races, including the Mt. Toby Ultra 50K and 24K twice.

Normalcy gradually returned to the Beast Coast series in the latter half of 2021 as races returned. Finally, after two years of uncertainty, the 2022 series enjoyed an optimistic start with the return of the Mt. Toby races on Saturday, April 9, in Sunderland, Mass. More than 150 runners showed up to race the two distance offerings, tripling the turnout from the inaugural running in 2019.

Continue reading Mt. Toby Ultra Returns with Record-Setting Performances

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

New England’s Newest Ultra Set for April at Mt. Toby in Sunderland

The ultrarunning scene in Western Massachusetts is getting a new race in 2019.
The inaugural Mt. Toby Ultra is the newest addition to the growing ultramarathon racing schedule in the Bay State’s more mountainous half, and it’s the second Massachusetts ultra to be organized by Race Director Amy Rusiecki. Continue reading New England’s Newest Ultra Set for April at Mt. Toby in Sunderland