The 27th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event, the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, took place on Saturday, April 16, 2023, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. In addition, the 14th edition of the DRB 50-miler also took place. The 6 a.m. wave start enjoyed 50-degree temperatures, fog, and a little bit of light drizzle, and similar conditions greeted runners in the 8 a.m. start wave. The day was overcast throughout, humid and breezy with temperatures in the low- to mid-50s throughout the day.
Continue reading Results: Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-Mile UltrasTag Archives: Massachusetts
Results: Free Spirit 50K
The inaugural Free Spirit 50K took place Sunday, May 21, in Leyden, Mass. The race took place on dirt country roads in both Massachusetts and Vermont, with around 4,200 feet of climbing along the way.
Continue reading Results: Free Spirit 50K
From Ice to Ultras, Chara Finds Success Through Tenacity, Teamwork
FALL RIVER, Mass. – As Zdeno Chara prepared to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins in September 2022 and officially retire from the National Hockey League following a 24-year career, the future hall-of-famer skimmed the agreement and immediately began to laugh.
After signing the document which allowed him to retire as a Bruin, Chara turned to the crowd assembled.
Continue reading From Ice to Ultras, Chara Finds Success Through Tenacity, Teamwork
Pizzi Delivers Dynamite Performance in Ultra Debut at Watuppa
FALL RIVER, Mass. – When Becca Pizzi completed the World Marathon Challenge in 2016, becoming the first American woman to do so, it was no surprise that the ultramarathon world quickly came knocking.
Pizzi fielded calls and emails from race directors inviting her to their events, but the native of Belmont, Mass., wasn’t yet ready to venture beyond the 26.2-mile distance. Ultras would have to wait.
Continue reading Pizzi Delivers Dynamite Performance in Ultra Debut at Watuppa
Results: TARC Wapack and Back
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 15th running of the Wapack and Back Trail Races on Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Ashburnham, Mass. Runners took on either a 43-mile out-and-back of the Wapack Trail, a 50-mile race that included the 43-mile out-and-back and an additional seven miles, or a 21.5-mile one-way journey through the course. Since its founding in 2007 by Bogie Dumitrescu, the event has been held annually with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue reading Results: TARC Wapack and Back
Results: Watuppa Trail Races
The ninth running of the Watuppa Trail Races and fourth edition of the Watuppa 50K took place on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Watuppa Reservation in Fall River, Mass. Runners took on 50K, 30K or 10K distances on a 10K loop course consisting of a mix of doubletrack trails, singletrack dirt, some pavement and gravel road.
Continue reading Results: Watuppa Trail Races
Photos: Watuppa Trail Races
The ninth edition of the Watuppa Trail Races and fourth running of the Watuppa 50K took place on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Watuppa Reservation in Fall River, Mass. The following are a small sample of photos from the day. A full photo gallery by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen with more than 125 photos can be found here on Facebook.
Continue reading Photos: Watuppa Trail Races
Special Moments Aplenty at TARC Spring Classic
WESTON, Mass. – Shortly after crossing the finish line at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic, Johnathan Charles settled into a camp chair to give his legs a break. Sweat glistened on his brow and his lungs still burned from the effort, though his breathing had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Tired and content, he sported a grin from ear to ear.
Charles had good reason to be smiling – he’d just completed his first trail race and longest run ever.
Continue reading Special Moments Aplenty at TARC Spring Classic
Photos: TARC Spring Classic
The 11th running of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic took place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, from a 50K ultramarathon, to the marathon, half marathon and 10K races. The following are a sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen at the event. A full gallery of his photos can be viewed on Facebook in the 2023 TARC Spring Classic gallery.
Continue reading Photos: TARC Spring ClassicDonahue Tops Field at Inaugural Spring Fever 8-Hour
Ever since running her first ultramarathon at the Castle to River Run 50K in 2019, Jenny Cavanagh has been hooked on long distances. She has finished numerous ultras in the years since, including the 2019 Ghost Train 100-miler.
Now, Cavanagh is more than just an ultra participant – she’s also a race director.
Continue reading Donahue Tops Field at Inaugural Spring Fever 8-Hour
MassUltra 