The cold of winter is starting to unleash its bite in the Northeast. That hasn’t stopped ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England from taking to the trails. One must look no further than Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass., where the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K took place last weekend (separate story in the works). Another local runner traveled to nearby New York on Sunday to run in the annual Recover from the Holidays 50K. Several more runners from the Bay State sought out warmer weather by flying west to California where they took part in a trio of ultras: the San Diego 50, the Steep Ravine 50K, and the Avalon Benefit 50-miler. From the Empire State to the Golden State, we have those races covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: San Diego 50, Steep Ravine, Avalon, and Recover from the Holidays
Little Rain, Lot of Good Times at 20th Annual G.A.C. Fat Ass 50
TOPSFIELD, Mass. – A thunderstorm inched closer to Topsfield during the morning hours on Saturday, Jan. 5, creating an ominous sky above and around Bradley Palmer State Park.
Runners coming to the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50 from the north and south drove through spurts of steady precipitation. Upon arrival at the park, however, they experienced reprieve from the rain. Radar showed that the storm that for hours had barreled toward the park split as it neared the Topsfield town border. There was rain to the north and rain to the south, but Bradley Palmer State Park was dry. Indeed, it was a good day to run. Continue reading Little Rain, Lot of Good Times at 20th Annual G.A.C. Fat Ass 50
G.A.C. Fat Ass 50
The 20th annual G.A.C. Fat Ass 50 took place on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 150 runners took part, with 30 completing a 50K distance and another eight running a marathon. Continue reading G.A.C. Fat Ass 50
MassUltra Roundup: Bandera
While the 2019 ultrarunning season in New England kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 5, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. (separate story in the works), races also got underway around the country. For Douglas MacLean of Jamaica Plain, Mass., and four other ultrarunners from New England, that meant hopping on a plane to Texas to take part in the 17th running of the Bandera 100K. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bandera
Photos: G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
The 20th annual running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. The following are a small sample of the photos taken during the 6-hour trail race. A full photo gallery with 186 photos can be found on the MassUltra Facebook page here. Continue reading Photos: G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
MassUltra Roundup: Across the Years and the River Loop Ultra
The final days of the year are typically pretty quiet for ultramarathon racing, save for a handful of events. The biggest may be the Across the Years multi-day ultras in Arizona, which included two Massachusetts residents and two more New Englanders. Additionally, new Massachusetts resident Shalisa Davis threw down a runner-up performance at the River Loop Ultra 12-hour race in North Carolina. Both races are featured as we close out 2018 and kick off 2019 with this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Across the Years and the River Loop Ultra
From the Editor’s Desk: Plenty to Smile About
It wasn’t hard to spot Kassandra Marin for a post-race interview at the Fells Winter Ultra, my final race providing live coverage for 2018. All I had to do was look for the smile. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Plenty to Smile About
MassUltra Roundup: Houston Running Festival and Desert Solstice
A busy year of racing is quietly coming to a close for the Massachusetts ultrarunning community. The 2018 slate of races in the Bay State is finished, and only a handful of ultras nationwide remain between now and the new year. That doesn’t mean all has been quiet for Massachusetts ultrarunners, however. Quincy’s Greg Soutiea recently raced at the invitation-only Desert Solstice 24-hour race in Arizona, and Boston’s Jorge Gonzalez turned in a strong performance last weekend in Texas at the Houston Running Festival. Both of those races are featured in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Houston Running Festival and Desert Solstice
Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
The ultrarunning year in Massachusetts closed out on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, with Seth’s Fat Ass 50K at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. The race consisted of 10 5K loops along the roads of Forest Park. Runners had seven hours to complete the distance. Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
Teamwork Propels Caron, Sinclair to Record-Setting Efforts at Fells Winter Ultra
STONEHAM, Mass. – David Sinclair was hot on the heels of Patrick Caron for nearly every step of 32 miles at the Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
For the better part of four eight-mile loops of the rugged Skyline Trail at the more than 2,500-acre public wildland seven miles north of Boston, Sinclair followed a few strides behind Caron. It was smart strategy. The 26-year-old resident of Peru, Vt., was running at the Fells for the first time. Meanwhile, Caron, a 21-year-old from Needham, Mass., knows the loop as well as anyone, having won the event’s 40-mile race in 2015 and 2016. Continue reading Teamwork Propels Caron, Sinclair to Record-Setting Efforts at Fells Winter Ultra
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