Tag Archives: Massachusetts

MetroWest Backyard Ultra Returning for Third Year

When the Backyard Ultra craze began sweeping the country and the Boston metro area was left without its own event, the Needham Running Club stepped in to fill the void and launched the Needham Backyard Ultra in 2022. Twenty-six runners took part in that inaugural race that May with Daniel Leonard earning the victory after 12 hours and 50.04 miles of running. A year later, the event rebranded itself as the MetroWest Backyard Ultra, and moved to the fall. This time, Jason Kaplan was the victor after 17 hours and 70.89 miles.

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Runners Capitalize on Conditions as Record Number of Buckles Earned at Frozen Yeti

WESTWOOD, Mass. – A few minutes into the pre-race briefing, TARCtic Frozen Yeti co-Race Director Surjeet Paintal turned the floor over to course-marking captain Chris Martin who had the honor of delivering the best news runners could hope for.

“The course is beautiful. You probably have the best conditions in the history of this race,” Martin told the nearly 100 runners gathered inside Powissett Lodge awaiting the start of the 30-hour ultramarathon at Hale Reservation.

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Photos: 2024 TARCtic Frozen Yeti

The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the fifth edition of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-Mile Night Race on Feb. 3-4, 2024, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners enjoyed some of the best weather in event history with with no precipitation, a temperature around 30 degrees at the start on Saturday, sunny skies and a high in the mid-30s, overnight temperatures in the mid-20s, and a sunny Sunday morning that crept above freezing for the final hours before reaching the upper-30s by the time the race ended on early Sunday afternoon. All photos in this gallery by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen (who was running the race and didn’t take many). To view a full photo gallery from the event, check out the great work by Garrett Simon who was out on the course and took nearly 500 photos.

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Results: 2024 TARCtic Frozen Yeti

The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the fifth edition of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-Mile Night Race on Feb. 3-4, 2024, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners took on a 15+-mile clover-leaf style course consisting of three approximately 5-mile mini-loops. Runners enjoyed seasonably good weather with no precipitation, a temperature around 30 degrees at the start on Saturday, sunny skies and a high in the mid-30s, overnight temperatures in the mid-20s, and a sunny Sunday morning that crept above freezing for the final hours before reaching the upper-30s by the time the race ended on early Sunday afternoon.

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Photos: 2024 G.A.G. Fat Ass 50K

The 24th running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 250 runners took part in running between one and five loops of the 10K course. The following are a sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. Additional photos can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

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Familiar Faces Abound, But First-Timer Pacheco Leads All at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K

Matt Pacheco is still a relatively new face on the New England ultrarunning scene, having made his debut in 2022. Still, he made a quick impact, winning the 50K race at the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra that year. Pacheco has been even stronger in 2023 as he has gained more experience and confidence.

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