Ultrarunners from Massachusetts had ample opportunities at home and away to tackle ultramarathons – and they took full advantage. While some headed to the Blue Hills Reservation to take part in the Trail Animals Running Club’s classic “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, dozens more headed to other parts of New England – Vermont and Connecticut, specifically – to take part in the Runamuck 50K, the Enchanted Forest 6-Hour Ultra and the Traprock 50K. Several others left New England altogether and competed in at least seven other ultramarathons ranging from 50K to 100 miles. Those non-New England ultras were captured in a previous roundup, so this one is focused on the ultras in Vermont and Connecticut. Don’t Run Boston will be covered in a separate story once results are available. Here’s round two of this week’s roundup – New England Edition. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup – New England Edition: Runamuck, Enchanted Forest, and Traprock →

There were at least 38 North American ultramarathons April 12-14, and it sure seemed like runners from Massachusetts were at almost all of them. Heck, FOUR of them took place in New England – the Trail Animals Running Club’s classic Don’t Run Boston 50K, as well as the Runamuck 50K in Vermont and the Traprock 50K and Enchanted Forest 6-Hour, which both were held in Connecticut. All of those will be included in separate writeups, so this roundup focuses on the races outside of the region; seven of them are included here. Two guys from the Bay State earned top-10 finishes at the Trail Mix 50K in Minnesota to lead us off. We’ve also got Kelly Manchester’s run at the Bull Run Run 50-miler in Virginia; Jonathan Clemente’s double-marathon in Virginia; and recaps of the Lake Sonoma 50 in California, the Oak Mountain 50K in Alabama, the Whiskey Basin Ultras in Arizona, and the Zion Ultras in Utah. Those races make up Round 1 of this week’s roundups. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup – Non-New England Edition: Trail Mix, Bull Run Run, Blue Ridge Double, Lake Sonoma, Oak Mountain, Whiskey Basin, and Zion →

Somerville resident Sarah Aponte delivered a dynamite performance and prevailed in a back-and-forth duel to win the Umstead 100-miler last weekend in North Carolina. Additionally, a handful of New England residents earned ultramarathon finishes at the New Jersey Ultra Trail Festival. Finally, Greg Soutiea – a former Quincy resident now running an inn in Maine – celebrated his birthday by grinding out a fastest known time on the Hills to Sea Trail. We’ve got all of these covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Umstead, New Jersey Festival, and a Hills to Sea Trail FKT →

Pittsfield’s Kehr Davis had to wait until last weekend to earn a victory at what was supposed to be her final race of 2018 at the Castle to River 50K in New York. Westborough’s Ben Nephew secured a runner-up finish at the same race in the Empire State and a dozen more New England residents also took part. Additionally, the controversy at the Georgia Death Race impacted a New Englander, and local ultrarunners earned finishes at the Badger Mountain Challenge in Washington and Prairie Spirit in Kansas. We have those four races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Castle to River, GDR, Badger Mountain, and Prairie Spirit →