Global ultrarunning’s marquee event, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc festival, took place Aug. 21-28 in Chamonix, France, and in neighboring communities across the border in Italy and Switzerland. Thousands of runners once again convened in the Alps for a week of racing in the mountains, capped by the event’s namesake 171.5-kilometer UTMB. Many of the world’s elite runners took part, as did thousands of up-and-comers and everyday runners eager for the challenge.
Several current and former New England residents took part in the festivities, and a handful turned in major performances. Among them, former New England resident Katie Schide was victorious in the women’s UTMB race while Vermont’s Britta Clark had a big day in the CCC and Maine’s Jessica Marion delivered a top-10 performance in the TDS. Those performances and more are included below.
When the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus began wiping out trail races and ultramarathons in March and April, the organizers of the Trail-Running Film Festival went to work revamping their traveling show for a virtual format. What started as a one-time event in May ultimately grew into a summer-long virtual film festival with a new lineup of films each month. Continue reading Final Virtual Trail-Running Film Festival Summer Screening Set for Saturday→
Thousands of ultrarunners descended on the European Alps for the 17th annual Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc – dubbed the World Summit of Trail-Running – from Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 as world-class mountain runners and world-class mountain lovers of varying speeds and natural abilities shared the trails on some of ultrarunning’s most hallowed trails.
The fourth annual TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 5K took place on Saturday, March 23, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. More than 100 runners took part in the 6-hour race, including 17 who ran farther than a marathon.Continue reading Results: To Hale and Back→
Joe McConaughy has earned plenty of recognition for his solo endurance exploits in recent years, most notably for setting the unsupported fastest known time (FKT) on the Appalachian Trail in 2017 and then establishing a new FKT on Ireland’s Wicklow Round in May 2018.
McConaughy has done his fair share of racing, too. The 27-year-old Boston resident has top-10 finishes to his credit at the 2016 Bear Mountain 50-miler, the 2017 Gorge Waterfalls 100K and Lake Sonoma 50-miler, as well as wins at the TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra in 2016 and 2018 and a win at the Stone Cat 50-miler in 2016. He added to his resume a seventh-place finish at the Ragged 50K on Aug. 12 in New Hampshire, which served as a final tune-up for his first major international race. Continue reading McConaughy Earns Top-50 Finish at CCC to Lead MA Contingent at UTMB→
A trio of Massachusetts ultrarunners recently tackled races in Europe, and they delivered strong performances. Needham’s Patrick Caron and Quincy’s Greg Soutiea both earned fourth-place finishes at international races, and Boston’s William Hafferty also secured a hard-earned finish in Ireland. Both the Zugspitz Ultratrail in Germany and the Wicklow Way Race in Ireland are captured in our inaugural international roundup. Continue reading International Roundup: Zugspitz Ultratrail and the Wicklow Way Race→
Acton’s Andrea Baum traveled to sunny Florida to run her first ultramarathon. Meanwhile, Waban’s Dima Feinhaus had a polar opposite experience in the United Kingdom – with an emphasis on polar. Baum’s race at the Clearwater Distance Classic and Feinhaus’ epic experience at The Montane Spine Race are this week’s featured races. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: The Spine Race and the Clearwater Classic→
Confusion abounded at the finish line of the inaugural Spartan Ultra World Championship on Sunday, Dec. 17, in Reykjavik, Iceland, but it had nothing to do with the outcome of the race.
Joshua Fiore, a resident of North Andover, Mass., was the winner – that much was certain. What puzzled the race’s announcer and other spectators gathered at the finish line was why Fiore was so intently digging into his pack pocket rather than exuberantly celebrating his world championship.
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 was a busy weekend for ultrarunning in the Bay State with races in Carlisle and on Cape Cod, but that didn’t prevent a handful of Massachusetts residents from tackling tough races in Tennessee and Utah. We have them covered in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: The Bear and Stump Jump→
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