Most New England ultrarunners who sought out a starting line last weekend headed to Westwood, Mass., for the inaugural TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra. Meanwhile, a handful headed to Texas to take on one of the sport’s classic 100-milers: the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville. Boston’s Kate Cook and Boylston’s Neil Feldman both earned finisher’s belt buckles for their efforts, and they get this week’s roundup all to themselves after what was an otherwise light weekend of out-of-state racing. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Rocky Raccoon →

The warm weather of the west coast and southwest attracted ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England in recent weeks. That included Jeremy Scanlan of Worcester, Mass., who earned a podium finish at the Arches Ultra in Utah. In addition to Arches, last weekend’s AZT Oracle Rumble in Arizona and the Big Bend Ultra from Jan. 20 in Texas are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Arches, AZT Oracle, and Big Bend →

More than 200 ultrarunners – most of them from New England – are counting down the days until the inaugural TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-hour ultra and 15-mile races. Two weeks before taking on what are anticipated to be frigid conditions in the Bay State, a few local runners sought refuge on the trails in much warmer climates. For Ryan Fecteau of Danvers, Mass., that meant heading to Hawaii for the HURT 100. Meanwhile, Lynnfield, Mass., resident Dan Kelley headed back to sunny California for another successful race. Both of their performances are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: HURT 100 and Crystal Springs 50K →

The cold of winter is starting to unleash its bite in the Northeast. That hasn’t stopped ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England from taking to the trails. One must look no further than Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass., where the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K took place last weekend (separate story in the works). Another local runner traveled to nearby New York on Sunday to run in the annual Recover from the Holidays 50K. Several more runners from the Bay State sought out warmer weather by flying west to California where they took part in a trio of ultras: the San Diego 50, the Steep Ravine 50K, and the Avalon Benefit 50-miler. From the Empire State to the Golden State, we have those races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: San Diego 50, Steep Ravine, Avalon, and Recover from the Holidays →

While the 2019 ultrarunning season in New England kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 5, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. (separate story in the works), races also got underway around the country. For Douglas MacLean of Jamaica Plain, Mass., and four other ultrarunners from New England, that meant hopping on a plane to Texas to take part in the 17th running of the Bandera 100K. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bandera →

The final days of the year are typically pretty quiet for ultramarathon racing, save for a handful of events. The biggest may be the Across the Years multi-day ultras in Arizona, which included two Massachusetts residents and two more New Englanders. Additionally, new Massachusetts resident Shalisa Davis threw down a runner-up performance at the River Loop Ultra 12-hour race in North Carolina. Both races are featured as we close out 2018 and kick off 2019 with this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Across the Years and the River Loop Ultra →

A busy year of racing is quietly coming to a close for the Massachusetts ultrarunning community. The 2018 slate of races in the Bay State is finished, and only a handful of ultras nationwide remain between now and the new year. That doesn’t mean all has been quiet for Massachusetts ultrarunners, however. Quincy’s Greg Soutiea recently raced at the invitation-only Desert Solstice 24-hour race in Arizona, and Boston’s Jorge Gonzalez turned in a strong performance last weekend in Texas at the Houston Running Festival. Both of those races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Houston Running Festival and Desert Solstice →

The 2018 Massachusetts ultrarunning calendar wound down on Saturday with the annual Fells Winter Ultra in Stoneham, but a handful of runners from the Bay State ventured south to tackle out-of-state trails at the Chattanooga 100 and Devil Dog Ultras. We’ve got them covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Chattanooga and Devil Dog →

Fresh off of the Thanksgiving holiday, a light slate of ultramarathon races were on the docket in the United States. Many Massachusetts runners took to the local trails to log some miles, but the Bay State was only represented at the finish line of one race during the Nov. 24-25 weekend: the Quad Dipsea 28.4-mile ultra on Saturday, Nov. 24, in Mill Valley, Calif. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Quad Dipsea →