After a busy summer of racing, Sept. 21-22 was a relatively calm, quiet weekend for the New England ultrarunning community before the fall racing season ramps up beginning with the annual TARC Fall Classic. There were still a few races, however, including a new one on Cape Cod (see separate story on the Y-Not 50K) the always-popular Forgotten Forest 9-Hour Ultra in Connecticut and the new Firebird 50K in Maine that attracted runners from throughout the region. Both of those races, as well as the Yukon’s Gold Rush 50K in New Jersey are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Forgotten Forest, Firebird, and Yukon’s Gold Rush →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Even with two in-state ultramarathons on the Aug. 10-11 weekend, several runners headed beyond the Bay State to race. Six of those races are featured in this week’s roundup, led by Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman’s overall victory at the Catskill Mountain 100K and the return of the Eastern States 100. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Catskill Mountain, Eastern States, Ragged, Beast of Burden, Green Lakes, and the Nifty Fifty →

Britta Clark continued her recent domination of New England ultras with her overall win at the Moosalamoo 36-miler on Saturday in Vermont, leading a large contingent of New England runners. Additionally, Dan Kelley of Lynnfield, Mass., made his 100-mile debut with a strong showing at Angeles Crest in California, Cambridge resident David Huang tackled the tough Volcanic 50K in Washington, and Medford’s Emily Holland made her ultramarathon debut at the high-alpine Sheep Mountain 50K in Colorado. Details from those four races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, Angeles Crest, Volcanic, and Sheep Mountain →

The summer 100-miler season is in high gear, and New England ultrarunners took on some tough ones at the high-altitude High Lonesome 100 in Colorado and the hot and humid Burning River 100 in Ohio. Additionally, a few runners from the region took on the tough Never Summer 100K in Colorado and the classic Minnesota Voyageur 50-miler in Minnesota. We have all of those races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Burning River, Never Summer, and Minnesota Voyageur →