November opened with a flurry of ultramarathon activity, highlighted by the massive Stone Cat Trail Festival in Massachusetts, along with three more New England ultra: RutFest in Vermont, the Hamsterwheel in New Hampshire, and 8 Hours at the Farm in Connecticut. Stone Cat will be featured in a separate recap, and the other New England races will have their own separate roundup, but here in this edition we catch up on ultras outside of the Northeast. New Englanders collected hard-earned finishes at the Pinhoti 100 in Alabama, the Rio Del Lago 100 in California, the Mountain Masochist 50-miler in Virginia and the Antelope Island 50K in Utah. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Pinhoti, Rio Del Lago, Mountain Masochist, and Antelope IslandResults: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival
The 23rd edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race – and second addition of its reincarnation as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival – took place on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, from 100K and 50-mile ultramarathons, to marathon, half marathon and 10K sub-ultra distances and a free youth fun run. Runners enjoyed a dry course on a breezy day with temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
Continue reading Results: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival
First-Timers Flourish, Baker Sizzles in Return to Womp Romp
The last time Jason Baker stepped to a starting line in Massachusetts, he was relatively new to trail-racing. It was 2021, and the then-23-year-old had just jumped into the sport with solid ultramarathon efforts at the Ragged 50K and Kilkenny Ridge 50-miler in New Hampshire, the Post Canyon 50K in Oregon. That October, he signed up for a new race in Massachusetts – the Womp Romp 10-miler – at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass.
Continue reading First-Timers Flourish, Baker Sizzles in Return to Womp RompMassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Canyonlands, Rim to River, and Bimbler’s Bluff
A week after the largest ultrarunning Halloween party in New England was held at the Ghost Train Trail race in New Hampshire, the biggest bash in the West took place in Arizona at the Javelina Jundred during the Oct. 25-27 weekend. Several New Englanders ran 100 miles or 100K at that event, while others traveled to the Canyonlands Ultra in Utah and the Rim to River 100 in West Virginia. In addition to those ultras outside the Bay State, we also look back to the previous weekend and catch up on the results from the 16th annual Bimbler’s Bluff 50K in Connecticut in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Javelina, Canyonlands, Rim to River, and Bimbler’s Bluff
Warren, Godzinski Dream Big, Raise the Bar with Record-Setting Run at Ghost Train
BROOKLINE, N.H. – The goal seemed audacious, but that was precisely the point.
Friendships take on all sorts of forms. Some are rooted in childhood connections; others may grow out of work, book clubs, or other shared interests. For Scott Warren and Andy Godzinski, theirs is a brotherhood built on lofty dreams, big adventures and bold efforts.
Continue reading Warren, Godzinski Dream Big, Raise the Bar with Record-Setting Run at Ghost Train
Two 130-Mile Efforts, Gaudrault’s Historic 100 Highlight Ghost Train
BROOKLINE, N.H. – Ever since Ghost Train Trail Race founder Steve Latour turned the event from just a 15-mile race into an ultramarathon in 2011, it has been the venue of choice for many New Englanders to run their first ultra, fastest ultra, or take a first crack at running 100 miles. The 7.5-mile-long Granite Town Rail Trail offers easy running with a bit of technicality, but it also presents an enticing opportunity for runners seeking to deliver a big-time performance.
There was no shortage of big-time performances at the 15th edition of the event on Oct. 19-20, and the biggest of those performances were downright stunning. There was the astounding effort of good friends Andrew Godzinski and Scott Warren who became the first runners in Ghost Train history to complete 130 miles. And then there was the eye-popping performance by Lila Gaudrault as she annihilated the women’s 100-mile course record with one of the fastest performances in North America this year.
Continue reading Two 130-Mile Efforts, Gaudrault’s Historic 100 Highlight Ghost Train
Results: Womp Romp Trail Races
The fourth annual Womp Romp Trail Races took place on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass. The event offered a 50K ultramarathon for the third straight year in addition to offering the event’s original 10-mile distance on rolling trails through the park.
Continue reading Results: Womp Romp Trail Races
Loureiro’s Presence Felt, Memory Honored at Midstate Massive
There were a few things you could always count on during the first five years of the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100-mile, 50-mile and 30-mile ultramarathons. The course would be challenging, the fall foliage would be spectacular, and both Dane LeBlanc and Joe Loureiro would be on the starting line for the 100-miler.
Continue reading Loureiro’s Presence Felt, Memory Honored at Midstate Massive
Results: Ghost Train Trail Race
The 15th edition of the Ghost Train Trail Race took place Oct. 19-20, 2024, in Brookline, N.H. Around 700 runners gathered and took on a variety of options, from a 30-hour ultra, to a 30-mile night race, a 15-mile race, and team relays on the 7.5-mile-long rail trail.
Continue reading Results: Ghost Train Trail RaceMassUltra Roundup: Moab 240, Patapsco Valley, Call of the Wilds, Tecumseh Trail Challenge, California Fall Classic, and the New Orleans Ultramarathon
Around 700 runners – mostly New Englanders – gathered in southern New Hampshire during the Oct. 19-20 weekend for the 15th edition of the Ghost Train Trail Race 30-hour ultra, 30-mile night race, 15-mile race and team relay. It seems hard to believe, but there were still several New Englanders who sought out ultra adventures in other places across the United States. They raced at the Patapsco Valley 50K in Maryland, the Call of the Wilds 50K in Pennsylvania, the Tecumseh Trail Challenge in Indiana, the California Fall Classic, and the New Orleans Ultramarathon. New Englanders also toed the starting line at the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd in Oklahoma, the Palo Duro Trail Run in Texas, the Man Against Horse 50-Miler in Arizona, and BadgerPalooza in New Jersey, though results from those races were unavailable at the time of publication. We’ll highlight several of last weekend’s events in this edition of the roundup, but we lead off with a race from the previous week where Massachusetts resident Tom Flummerfelt earned a top-20 finish at the grueling Moab 240-miler in Utah.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moab 240, Patapsco Valley, Call of the Wilds, Tecumseh Trail Challenge, California Fall Classic, and the New Orleans Ultramarathon
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