A day before more than 27,000 runners toed the starting line painted across East Main Street in Hopkinton, Mass., for the 120th Boston Marathon, around three-dozen trail runners stepped up to a different starting line about 27 miles away for a much different adventure. Continue reading “Don’t Run Boston” Turns 20
MassUltra Roundup: Rusieckis Sweep Titles at Bull Run Run
Virginia has been mighty good to Brian and Amy Rusiecki.
Last October, the husband and wife trail-running duo from South Deerfield, Mass., traveled to Swoope, Va., and returned home with the men’s and women’s championships at the Grindstone 100.
On Saturday, April 9, the Rusieckis were back in Virginia – this time in Clifton – for the Bull Run Run 50-Mile Race. Again, they swept the men’s and women’s titles. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Rusieckis Sweep Titles at Bull Run Run
Third Time’s a Charm for Levy at Cape Cod Trail Race 50K
Rob Levy has steadily climbed the podium at the Cape Cod Trail Race, and this year he finally reached the top.
Levy, 41, won the 50K race in 4:34:53, on Sunday, April 10, at the Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area in East Falmouth, Mass. Continue reading Third Time’s a Charm for Levy at Cape Cod Trail Race 50K
MassUltra Roundup: 3 Bay Staters Earn Buckles at Umstead; McBride Takes 5th in 50-Mile Race
A trio of Massachusetts ultrarunners brought home coveted belt buckles for finishing the 23rd annual Umstead 100 on Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, at William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, N.C. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: 3 Bay Staters Earn Buckles at Umstead; McBride Takes 5th in 50-Mile Race
MassUltra Roundup: Nephew Notches Runner-Up Finish at Mt. Tammany 10
Ben Nephew set a high bar for endurance, pain tolerance, and speed during his victorious 2015 performance at the Mt. Tammany 10, and it took an even better performance to dethrone Nephew in 2016.
That’s exactly what Jason Lantz did, though. Lantz, 34, of Lancaster, Penn., posted a winning time of 7:05:18 during the fifth running of the Mt. Tammany 10 on Saturday, March 19, in Delaware Water Gap, N.J., eclipsing Nephew’s previous course record of 7:33:00 set last year. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Nephew Notches Runner-Up Finish at Mt. Tammany 10
“To Hale and Back” Kicks Off TARC Ultra Season
What a difference a year makes.
The 2015 TARC ultra-running season opened with a Spring Thaw 6-Hour Race that came well before Massachusetts’ mountains of record-setting snowfall had melted away.
The 2016 TARC ultra season-opener relocated from Andover to Westwood, Mass., was scheduled for two weeks later, and rebranded itself as “To Hale and Back,” giving the trail animals an opportunity to emerge from winter hibernation for a six-hour trail race at Hale Reservation.
Ninety-six runners took to the trails Saturday, March 26, for a chilly but comfortable, snow-free six hours of running at Hale Reservation. No post-holing, Yaktrax or microspikes necessary; a 3.5-mile loop of mostly singletrack trail and rolling hills provided plenty of opportunity to run easy while ticking away the miles. Continue reading “To Hale and Back” Kicks Off TARC Ultra Season
MassUltra Roundup: Moab Red Hot, Febapple, and Antelope Canyon
Early-season ultramarathons don’t get much more unique than Moab Red Hot in Moab, Utah.
From its unusual 55-kilometer distance – a departure from the standard 50K – to its distinctly Moab slick rock terrain and surrounding views of Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, and the La Sal Mountains, Moab Red Hot presents a heavy dose of trail-running temptation.
The 10th annual event took place Feb. 13, and Mike Burnstein of Brookline, MA, was up to the challenge. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moab Red Hot, Febapple, and Antelope Canyon
Swenson, Bastings Rock at Rocky Raccoon
Rocky Raccoon has long been an attraction for both first-time 100-mile runners and veterans in pursuit of a fast time.
The 2016 event was no different, and two ultrarunners from Massachusetts were among the fastest to reach the finish line Feb. 6-7 in Huntsville, Texas. Continue reading Swenson, Bastings Rock at Rocky Raccoon
McDuffie Endures at Arrowhead 135
Ultra endurance events don’t come much tougher than the Arrowhead 135, but the race through northern Minnesota during the cold of winter wasn’t too daunting to stop Michael McDuffie. Continue reading McDuffie Endures at Arrowhead 135
MA Runners Conquer Winter Beast
With beast in the name, it isn’t supposed to be easy.
The same goes for the winter part. Continue reading MA Runners Conquer Winter Beast
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