Nov. 10-11 was a light weekend for ultramarathon racing, but a handful of Massachusetts residents still found courses to tackle. Wendell’s Kelsey Allen took her talents out west and did battle at the competitive Run the Rock 50-miler in Oregon, while Allston’s Caroline Tangoren earned her first ultramarathon finish in North Carolina. Both Run the Rock and the Lake Norman State Park 50K are featured in this roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Nov. 10-11 Races →

The always-popular Stone Cat Trail Races in Ipswich, Mass., were once again a major draw on Saturday, Nov. 3, as more than 250 runners took part in the 50-mile and marathon races, but there was still a large contingent of ultrarunners from the Bay State who took to the road and the air to travel for out-of-state ultras on Nov. 3-4. In fact, runners from Massachusetts took part in at least seven races beyond the Bay State at destinations as close as New Jersey and as far away as New Mexico and California. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Nov. 3-4 Races →

While hundreds of ultrarunners from New England were recovering from Ghost Train, a handful of Massachusetts runners spent Oct. 27-28 tackling the trails across the country. A few logged their first 100-milers, first ultramarathons, or turned in personal records. Benjamin Simanski returned to Kansas for a second crack at the Kansas Rails-to-Trails 100-miler, and he returned with a PR and a podium finish. Additionally, runners from the Bay State competed at ultras in Vermont, Arizona, Colorado and Mississippi, and we’ve got them all covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Kansas Rails-to-Trails, Norwitch, Javelina, Sage Burner, and Way’s Bluff →

The Ghost Train Trail Races may have attracted hundreds of ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England on Oct. 20-21, but it wasn’t the only race that lured runners from the Bay State. Adrian Will-Orrego and Daniel Coppersmith hit the road to Pennsylvania for the Sinnemahone Ultra – the first ultramarathon for both men – while Padraig Mullins and Alicia Rich earned a small piece of the sport’s biggest spotlight event of the weekend when they traveled to Bell Buckle, Tenn., and took part in the last-person-standing Big Backyard Ultra. Those races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Big Backyard Ultra and Sinnemahone →

Out-of-state ultramarathons attracted runners from the Bay State to the trails of Virginia, Maine, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona during the Oct. 13-14 weekend, and Salem’s Kristen Smith and Medford’s Kara Olivito highlighted the weekend races with their 103-mile journey together on the tough trails of Virginia, climbing more than 26,000 feet on their way to finishing the notoriously tough Cloudsplitter 100. That race, as well as the Big Brad Ultras, Water Gap 50K, Indian Creek Fifties, and the Canyon De Chelly 55K are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Cloudsplitter, Big Brad, Water Gap, Indian Creek, and Canyon De Chelly →

Who didn’t run 100 miles last weekend? When it came to the Massachusetts ultrarunning community, Oct. 5-7 was one of the biggest weekends of the year for 100-milers not involving the popular and nearby Vermont 100 or Ghost Train. Bay State residents traveled to five out-of-state 100s and brought home finisher’s belt buckles. The largest contingent traveled to Virginia for the difficult Grindstone 100, where Woburn resident Samantha LeBlanc snagged a spot on the women’s podium. Additionally, Boston’s William Hafferty gutted out a finish at the tough Bromont 100 in Canada, while others finished the Tesla Hertz 100 in New York, the Hennepin Hundred in Illinois, and the Oil Creek 100 in Pennsylvania. We have them all covered in this week’s 100-mile-specific roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Grindstone, Bromont, Tesla Hertz, Hennepin, and Oil Creek →

It sure seemed like everyone ran a 100-miler last weekend. Massachusetts ultrarunners took part in five different 100-mile trail races Oct. 5-7 in various North American locations beyond the Bay State, and we have those covered in a separate 100-miler-only roundup. Shorter ultra distances shouldn’t be overshadowed, so they get their own roundup this week. John Schwartz-Moore highlighted the four non-100-mile races with his win at the Farm to Farm Ultra 50-miler in Maine. We’ve also included Ralph Crowley’s race at the Cuyamaca 100K in California, Kevin Diguglielmo’s ultramarathon debut at the Blues Cruise 50K in Pennsylvania, and Chris Carmody’s solid 50-mile effort at the Bay Ridge Endurance Runs – formerly the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 in California. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Farm to Farm, Cuyamaca, Blues Cruise, and Bay Ridge →

The 2017 edition of the Vermont 50 was an unseasonable scorcher, but normal conditions returned for the 2018 version of the race on Sunday, Sept. 30, with the 26th running of the race at Ascutney Mountain Resort in Brownsville, Vt. Continue reading Smolarova Leads MA 50-Milers, Six Men Crack Top 10 in 50K at VT 50 →

The final week of September was massive for Massachusetts ultrarunners, most notably with the annual TARC Fall Classic and Vermont 50 ultras that attracted hundreds of runners throughout the region. Both of those races are featured in other reports due to their size. Beyond the biggest local races, however, a handful of runners tackled other pursuits – many of them at 100-mile distances or beyond. That included Boston resident Will Holets earning his first 100-mile finish at the Beebe Farm 48 in Vermont, a trio of Bay State men securing hard-earned finishes at the Bear 100 out West, and Kyle Robidoux blazing to his first sub-24-hour 100-miler at the Yeti 100 in Virginia. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Beebe Farm, the Bear, and the Yeti →