After a quiet start to 2018, the Massachusetts ultrarunning season kicked into high gear Feb. 17-18 as local runners traveled to eight ultras across the country. In doing so, they took on diverse, scenic terrain, and many turned in impressive performances. From fast times in Arizona, New Jersey and Virginia, to the scenic slickrock of Moab and jungle of the Everglades, runners scattered to six states for eight distinctly different races. In doing so, this week’s roundup is a novel. Grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable – there’s a lot to read this week. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Black Canyon, Feebapple, Holiday Lake, Moab, Winter Beast, Virginia Beach, Dawn to Dusk, and Everglades
Category Archives: Roundup
MassUltra Roundup: Orcas Island 100
Lisa Rising gets this week’s roundup all to herself. The Cambridge resident made her 100-mile debut on a beastly course at the Orcas Island 100 in Washington, and she conquered the climbing and the cold along the way to crossing the finish line. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Orcas Island 100
MassUltra Roundup: Rocky Raccoon and Sean O’Brien
Feb. 3-4 marked the first weekend of multiple major national ultramarathons for 2018, and Massachusetts was well represented at both the Rocky Raccoon 100-miler in Texas and the Sean O’Brien 100K in California. The former served as the USATF Trail 100-Mile National Championship, while the latter was a Western States Endurance Run Golden Ticket race. Local runners had big days at both events, led by Ted MacMahon of North Andover who earned a Men’s Masters Division championship at Rocky. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Rocky Raccoon and Sean O’Brien
MassUltra Roundup: Arches, Mountain Mist, and Calico Trail
While the Cape Cod Frozen Fatass 50K ushered in the 2018 ultramarathon season in Massachusetts (separate article coming soon), scenic trails at more running-friendly winter destinations lured runners away from the Bay State for the final weeks of January. They traveled to the slick rock of Moab, the singletrack of Alabama, and a ghost town in California, and fast times were turned in along the way – none moreso than at the Arches Ultra in Utah where former Massachusetts resident Kyle Pietari and current residents Sean Haggerty and Molly Karp threw down speedy runs. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Arches, Mountain Mist, and Calico Trail
MassUltra Roundup: The Spine Race and the Clearwater Classic
Acton’s Andrea Baum traveled to sunny Florida to run her first ultramarathon. Meanwhile, Waban’s Dima Feinhaus had a polar opposite experience in the United Kingdom – with an emphasis on polar. Baum’s race at the Clearwater Distance Classic and Feinhaus’ epic experience at The Montane Spine Race are this week’s featured races. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: The Spine Race and the Clearwater Classic
MassUltra Roundup: San Diego 50
A quiet second weekend of January on the ultramarathon racing scene meant Dan Kelley of Lynnfield, Mass., gets this week’s roundup all to himself – and he earned the spotlight with a victory in California. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: San Diego 50
MassUltra Roundup: San Tan Scramble, Bandera, and Across the Years
The 2017 ultramarathon season closed out and 2018 was ushered in at the 34th annual Across the Years Ultrarunning Festival in Arizona where Mattapoisett resident Clifford Lange lodged perhaps the final ultra finish of the year for a Massachusetts resident, and then Cambridge’s Julien Klaudt-Moreau and Boylston’s Neil Feldman opened the 2018 season with strong showings in Arizona and Texas.
Klaudt-Moreau’s top-three finish at the San Tan Scramble, Feldman’s negative-split 100K, and Lange’s 48-hour run kick off the first MassUltra Roundup of the new year. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: San Tan Scramble, Bandera, and Across the Years
MassUltra Roundup: Hellgate, Tallahassee, and Spooner’s Cove
Kelsey Allen of Wendell and Amy Rusiecki of South Deerfield represented Massachusetts with strong races at the tough Hellgate 100K in Virginia on Saturday in the most high-profile of the weekend’s out-of-state ultramarathons. Additionally, Bolton’s Sandra Richards turned in a fast 50K in Florida, and Nick Velonis of Danvers ran a 50K in California. Their races are featured in one of the final roundups of 2017. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Hellgate, Tallahassee, and Spooner’s Cove
MassUltra Roundup: Devil Dog 100
December is typically a quiet month of racing for Massachusetts ultrarunners as cold weather rolls into New England and the holiday season cuts into the running travel schedule. A large crop of local runners spent the first weekend of the month in-state at the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra at the Middlesex Fells Reservation (separate story in development), and just one race earned a spot in this week’s roundup. New Bedford’s Lynn Poyant opened December with a 100-mile finish at the Devil Dog Ultras. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Devil Dog 100
MassUltra Roundup: Icarus and Saint Sebastian
Thanksgiving weekend was mostly quiet for the Massachusetts ultrarunning scene, at least in terms of racing. Many runners took to the trails for multiple long runs on what—for many—was a four-day weekend. The racing schedule wasn’t silent, however. This week’s roundup features two races in Florida, one on the holiday weekend and one the week prior. Medford’s Andy Novis took on 24 hours at the Icarus UltraFest, and Arlington’s Ray Rey finished 50 miles at Saint Sebastian. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Icarus and Saint Sebastian
