A few new surprises were in store for runners at the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s (BURCS) Free to Run Trail Races this year.
The event still raises funds to support Free to Run, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to enable women and girls in conflict regions to engage in physical and outdoor activities. That part of the event was unchanged.
Continue reading Runners Conquer Revamped Course at Free to Run Trail RacesNEEDHAM, Mass. – At its core, the format of the backyard ultra is rooted in simplicity: a set distance, a set time, repeated over and over again.
For runners at the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra, that simplicity may have been summed up best by the official race timepiece. There was no fancy digital clock next to a blow-up arch. Instead, there was a classic plastic circular clock with hands on it to track the hours, minutes and seconds.
Continue reading Kaplan Outlasts Everyone for Victory at MetroWest Backyard Ultrahe Needham Running Club played host to the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra on Sept. 16-17 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. A full gallery by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen can be viewed here. An additional photo gallery by Adam Hoffman can be viewed here.
Continue reading Photos: MetroWest Backyard UltraThe Needham Running Club played host to the second annual MetroWest Backyard Ultra – known in 2022 as the Needham Backyard Ultra – on Sept. 16-17 at the Needham Town Forest in Needham, Mass. Despite weather warnings due to a hurricane, race conditions were mild and comfortable as 30 runners took on a 4.17-mile loop course with a new loop starting on the hour, every hour, until one runner remained.
Continue reading Results: MetroWest Backyard UltraThe eighth edition of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s (BURCS) Free to Run Trail Races took place Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield, Mass. This year’s event included a redesigned course and new distances. The traditional 50-miler remained, but the marathon and half marathons were replaced with 50K, 25K and 15K distances.
Continue reading Results: BURCS Free to Run Trail RacesCARLISLE, Mass. – Thunderstorms and fallen branches forced a delayed start to the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Fall Classic as wind gusts littered the trail in debris and knocked down power lines that blocked roads to the trailhead.
Continue reading Storm Delay Doesn’t Dampen TARC Fall ClassicThe Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 11th edition of the TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass. The following are a small sample of photos from the day taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery of 325 photos can be viewed here.
Continue reading Photos: TARC Fall ClassicThe Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 11th edition of the TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass. Runners took on the traditional Fall Classic distances of 50 miles, 50K, half marathon and 10K, as well as two new additions to the lineup this year – a 20-mile run and a 1/2-mile free youth fun run. The event had a huge turnout with 436 runners toeing the starting line at the various distances.
Continue reading Results: TARC Fall ClassicNEW SALEM, Mass. – Victoria Rose Gaignard’s presence was strong at The Village Ultra. Her story was heard by runners and walkers as they registered and by passersby on foot and bike who stopped to inquire about the event. Her picture was placed prominently at race headquarters, as well as at each of the four bead stations along the course, reminding participants why they were there.
Continue reading Village Ultra Helps Fulfill Dancer’s DreamThe seventh annual Village Ultra took place Sept. 2-3, 2023, on the Town Common in New Salem, Mass. This year’s event raised money to fund dance scholarships through the Victoria Rose Scholarship Fund. The Village Ultra is a noncompetitive event where runners had up to 24 hours to run or walk as many miles as they wanted on four separate loops, all while supporting a good cause and celebrating the memory of Victoria Rose Gaignard, the scholarship’s namesake.
Continue reading Results: The Village Ultra
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