The seventh annual Village Ultra took place Sept. 2-3, 2023, in New Salem, Mass. This year’s event raised money to fund dance scholarships through the Victoria Rose Scholarship Fund. 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. The following are a small sample of photos from the weekend. A full photo gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.
Continue reading Photos: The Village UltraTag Archives: Massachusetts
Redemption Run: Burke Victorious in Return to TARC Summer Classic
Brian Burke was a mystery when he first appeared at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic.
Continue reading Redemption Run: Burke Victorious in Return to TARC Summer ClassicRosol Rolls at Sweltering Summer in Strong Javelina Tune-Up
With 100 miles on his mind, Chris Rosol turned to the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s BURCS Race Series to help him prepare.
Continue reading Rosol Rolls at Sweltering Summer in Strong Javelina Tune-UpResults: TARC Summer Classic
The 12th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic trail races took place Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathons or the second edition of the Summer Classic 10-miler, all of which used the same 10-mile trail loop course.
Continue reading Results: TARC Summer ClassicResults: BURCS Sweltering Summer Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the 11th edition of the BURCS Sweltering Summer Ultra 8-hour and 5K races on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass. Runners raced on a .355-mile flat dirt and cinder loop course through the park.
Continue reading Results: BURCS Sweltering Summer Ultra
From the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up Short
WINDSOR, Mass. – The range of emotions I’ve experienced during nearly 12 years of running trail ultramarathons runs the gamut from elation to extreme exhaustion, optimism to dread, confident and determined, to concerned and a bit scared, to almost always ending with a sense of fulfillment.
If you’ve been in this sport long enough then you’ve likely had your own run-ins with all of these and more. Heck, you may have experienced them all if you’ve run a single ultra, depending on the course, the conditions, the distance and countless other factors.
Still, as I lay on a mattress in the back of the Subaru on Saturday afternoon, July 8, knowing my run at the Notchview Ultra was likely finished, I felt something that I’ve never felt before at an ultra: I felt empty.
Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up Short
Kousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop Ultra
It seems that any time Justin Kousky steps to a starting line a course record may soon fall.
Continue reading Kousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop UltraResults: Jug End Loop Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth annual Jug End Loop Ultra 6-Hour and 4.2-mile trail races on Saturday, July 29, at Jug End State Reservation in Egremont, Mass.
Continue reading Results: Jug End Loop Ultra
Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview
WINDSOR, Mass. – When Taylor Verville hobbled to her car after finishing the Notchview Ultra and braced herself for the three-hour ride home to Kingston, her body felt like it couldn’t give much more. She’d just run 216.6 miles in the 72-hour race and broke the previous overall course record by 15 miles.
Verville’s legs felt like concrete and her brain was fried from the lack of sleep. To say she was exhausted would’ve been the understatement of the year. It was July 11, 2022, and though her mind and body both needed rest, within just a few days Verville was already beginning to plot her Notchview sequel.
Continue reading Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview
Results: Notchview Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth edition of the Notchview Ultra from July 7-10 at the Trustees of Reservations’ Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. Runners tackled a 1.9-mile loop course for 100.7 miles (53 loops), or 72-hour, 48-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour time-based options. Those who ran the most days started their race with high humidity, sun and temperatures in the low 80s and finished their races with temperatures in the 70s and nearly 24 hours of rain.
Continue reading Results: Notchview Ultra
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