The 22nd edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race and inaugural running of the event now known as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival took place Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. Founded in 2001 by Gil’s Athletic Club (GAC) in Topsfield, GAC played host to the event every year except 2020 when it was canceled due to the COIVID-19 pandemic. GAC played host to it for the final time in 2022, and the Trail Animals Running Club welcomed Stone Cat under its umbrella of trail races for the first time in 2023 to keep the beloved New England classic alive. This year’s event brought back Stone Cat’s original 50-mile and Marathon distances, but also added 100K, half marathon, 10K and a youth fun run to the lineup. This year’s event had a capacity of 550 runners and sold out well in advance of race day.
Continue reading Results: TARC Stone Cat Trail FestivalMassUltra Roundup: Tunxis, Survival of the F.I.T.test, Javelina, Canyonlands, and Fonta Flora
A red-hot October came to a close with just a handful of New England ultrarunners traveling to races, either close by at the Tunxis Trail Ultramarathon in Connecticut or bigger national events like the Javelina Jundred in Arizona and the new Canyonlands Ultra in Utah. We also tracked down results from the Oct. 21-22 Survival of the FI.T.test 30-Hour Ultra in Rhode Island where several New Englanders had strong showings – none stronger than Taylor Verville’s 100-mile victory. These races and more make for some light reading in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Tunxis, Survival of the F.I.T.test, Javelina, Canyonlands, and Fonta Flora
Runners Rise Above the Demons, Earn Milestone Finishes at Ghost Train
BROOKLINE, N.H. – The demons were there lurking in the darkness, just like they always do at Ghost Train.
Some of those demons were present day and night, such as the statues and hand-crafted decorations carefully created and placed along the Granite Town Rail Trail that stretches for 7.5 miles between Brookline and Milford, N.H. Others were the demons that lurk inside the minds of runners as the miles pile up and they push late into the night and – for some – the following day.
Continue reading Runners Rise Above the Demons, Earn Milestone Finishes at Ghost Train
Grip Clips Course Record with Victory at Mt. Tom Trail Race
There is never an “easy time” to run the trails of Mt. Tom State Reservation. They’re steep, rocky and rough every month of the year. When Race Director Amy Rusiecki added an October race at Mt. Tom to her Beast Coast Trail Running Race Series in 2021, the accomplished trail- and ultrarunner decided those always-tough trails would be even more fun to run while covered in leaves.
Continue reading Grip Clips Course Record with Victory at Mt. Tom Trail Race
Womp Romp Champ Tidd Savors Victory at “Special Place”
HINGHAM, Mass. – Andrew Tidd squinted as he rounded the final turn and the finish line came into view. A steady rain blurred his vision, but through the drops he could see the race clock, the red arch and Race Directors Robert Jeffers and Matt Hoadley cheering him on.
Continue reading Womp Romp Champ Tidd Savors Victory at “Special Place”MassUltra Roundup: Bimblers Bluff, Farm to Farm, No Business, Gate2Gate, Patapsco Valley, Pumpkin Holler, Lake Sonoma, and Moab 240
New England ultrarunners took to the trails in both eastern and western Massachusetts during the Oct. 21-22 weekend for the Mt. Tom Trail Race 50K in Easthampton and the Womp Romp 50K in Hingham, but those popular events weren’t the only racing destination for runners from the region. A few took on a road ultra in Maine at Farm to Farm, and others toed the starting line at Bimblers Bluff in Connecticut. Several more tackled up to 30 hours at Survival of the F.I.T.test in Rhode Island, though official results of that event aren’t yet available. Many more ventured beyond the region to places as far south as Florida and as far west as California, and places in between, to take on tough courses. Several races have yet to post their results, but we’ve caught up with as many as we can in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bimblers Bluff, Farm to Farm, No Business, Gate2Gate, Patapsco Valley, Pumpkin Holler, Lake Sonoma, and Moab 240
Photos: Mt. Tom Trail Race
Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the third annual Mt. Tom Trail Race and second edition of its 50K offering on Saturday, Oct. 21, in Easthampton, Mass. The race started and finished at Millside Park in Easthampton. In between, runners took on one or two loops of a course on the trails on and around Mt. Tom. Photographer Jonathan Loyche was on the scene to capture images of the day, and he shared them with MassUltra. The following are just a sample of Loyche’s photos; a full gallery can be viewed here.
Continue reading Photos: Mt. Tom Trail Race
Results: Mt. Tom Trail Race
Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the third annual Mt. Tom Trail Race and second edition of its 50K offering on Saturday, Oct. 21, in Easthampton, Mass. The race started and finished at Millside Park in Easthampton. In between, runners took on one or two loops of a course on the trails on and around Mt. Tom. Runners in the 25K race amassed around 3,600 feet of climbing while 50K runners gained around 7,000 feet of elevation.
Continue reading Results: Mt. Tom Trail Race
Photos: 2023 Womp Romp
The third annual Womp Romp 10-miler and second edition of the 50K took place on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass. Runners took on a 10.5-mile loop either one or three times, doing so this year in drizzly to rainy conditions. The following are a small sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen at this year’s event. A full photo gallery of 257 photos can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.
Continue reading Photos: 2023 Womp Romp
Results: Womp Romp
The third annual Womp Romp 10-miler and second edition of the 50K took place on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass. Runners took on a 10.5-mile loop course on a mixture of surfaces – singletrack trails, doubletrack, fire roads, cross country grass, and pavement – either one or three times depending on the distance. Temperatures in the upper 50s made for comfortable running despite a light drizzle falling for the first four hours that eventually transitioned to a steady rain.
Continue reading Results: Womp Romp
MassUltra 