The 12th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic trail races took place Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathons or the second edition of the Summer Classic 10-miler, all of which used the same 10-mile trail loop course.
Continue reading Results: TARC Summer ClassicResults: BURCS Sweltering Summer Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the 11th edition of the BURCS Sweltering Summer Ultra 8-hour and 5K races on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass. Runners raced on a .355-mile flat dirt and cinder loop course through the park.
Continue reading Results: BURCS Sweltering Summer UltraMassUltra Roundup: Anchor Down, Lover’s Lane, Beast of Burden, Bigfoot, and Fat Dog
The August 11-13 weekend saw dozens of ultrarunners flock to western Massachusetts for the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s popular Sweltering Summer Ultra, but it was also a big weekend for other ultras in New England and beyond as runners from the region took on a wide variety of races. Sweltering Summer will have its own separate recap, but in this edition of the roundup we look to Rhode Island and numerous big performances at the Anchor Down Ultra, as well as Vermont for the third edition of Lover’s Lane. We also turn to New York and the annual Beast of Burden Summer Edition, as well as to the West where runners from New England took on the Bigfoot 200 and Fat Dog 120.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Anchor Down, Lover’s Lane, Beast of Burden, Bigfoot, and Fat DogMassUltra Roundup: Ragged Stage Race and 50K, Blue Hill, Waldo, Volcanic, Dahlgren, and Kauai
Ultrarunners from across the country flocked to New England during the Aug. 4-6 weekend for the USATF 50K Trail National Championship as part of the Ragged 75 Stage Race event in New Hampshire, highlighting a big weekend for ultrarunners in the region. Both the men’s and women’s championships came home to Massachusetts thanks to Boston’s Philip Royer and Hannah Rowe who hammered the tough, rugged course. But Ragged wasn’t the lone race in the region during the weekend. Several other runners ventured to Maine for the inaugural Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest. Additionally, many runners headed south to Virginia our West To Oregon, Washington and Hawaii for other races. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Ragged Stage Race and 50K, Blue Hill, Waldo, Volcanic, Dahlgren, and KauaiFrom the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up Short
WINDSOR, Mass. – The range of emotions I’ve experienced during nearly 12 years of running trail ultramarathons runs the gamut from elation to extreme exhaustion, optimism to dread, confident and determined, to concerned and a bit scared, to almost always ending with a sense of fulfillment.
If you’ve been in this sport long enough then you’ve likely had your own run-ins with all of these and more. Heck, you may have experienced them all if you’ve run a single ultra, depending on the course, the conditions, the distance and countless other factors.
Still, as I lay on a mattress in the back of the Subaru on Saturday afternoon, July 8, knowing my run at the Notchview Ultra was likely finished, I felt something that I’ve never felt before at an ultra: I felt empty.
Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up ShortKousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop Ultra
It seems that any time Justin Kousky steps to a starting line a course record may soon fall.
Continue reading Kousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop UltraMassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, SoapstoneSix, Pikes Peak, Tushars, and Never Summer
A busy July ultrarunning slate came to a close for New England ultrarunners during the July 28-30 weekend with many runners racing locally and several venturing outside the region. Local ultras included the Jug End Loop Ultra in Massachusetts (separate recap to follow), as well as the popular Moosalamoo 36-miler in Vermont and the close-knit SoapstoneSix in Connecticut where runners put up fast times and big mileage numbers. Additionally, several runners ventured beyond New England to take on mountain races in the West. That included the Pikes Peak Ultra and Never Summer Ultras in Colorado and the Tushars Mountain Races in Utah, where runners from the region had strong showings. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, SoapstoneSix, Pikes Peak, Tushars, and Never SummerResults: Jug End Loop Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth annual Jug End Loop Ultra 6-Hour and 4.2-mile trail races on Saturday, July 29, at Jug End State Reservation in Egremont, Mass.
Continue reading Results: Jug End Loop UltraMassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to Laz
The summer miles are piling up as New England ultrarunners conquer the busy summer racing season. Included among those miles has been plenty of vert, especially for those who traveled to Colorado during the July 21-23 weekend to tackle the high-altitude High Lonesome and Ouray 100-milers. Those big mountain races lead of this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to LazDespite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview
WINDSOR, Mass. – When Taylor Verville hobbled to her car after finishing the Notchview Ultra and braced herself for the three-hour ride home to Kingston, her body felt like it couldn’t give much more. She’d just run 216.6 miles in the 72-hour race and broke the previous overall course record by 15 miles.
Verville’s legs felt like concrete and her brain was fried from the lack of sleep. To say she was exhausted would’ve been the understatement of the year. It was July 11, 2022, and though her mind and body both needed rest, within just a few days Verville was already beginning to plot her Notchview sequel.
Continue reading Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview