STONEHAM, Mass. – A year ago, Sophia Farnsworth closed out her ultra season with a victory at the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra in mid-November. That set the tone for 2022 and what would be the biggest season of her life.
Farnsworth opened the year by taking on her first 100-miler – the grueling Hellbender 100 in North Carolina – and earned a top-10 finish. She followed that up in August with a top-five performance at the Twisted Branch 100K in New York. The Fells Winter Ultra marked the final race of her season on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation and Farnsworth once again hoped to end with a win.
The 12th edition of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. Runners once again took on a 5K paved loop course and had seven hours to complete 10 loops for a 50K ultramarathon. Thirty-five runners started the race and 22 ultimately achieved an ultramarathon finish within the time limit.
Ultrarunners looking to get a quick start to their 2023 season won’t have to wait long to do so. The legendary Gil’s Athletic Club (GAC) will once again provide an early ultra opportunity when it plays host to the 23rd annual G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.
The Trail Animals Running Club closed out its 2022 season with the annual TARC Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail ultras on the Skyline Trail at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. The following are a small sample of the photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen at the race. A full gallery of more than 175 photos can be viewed at this link.
The first Saturday of December always ranks among the most drama-filled days in North American ultrarunning thanks to the annual Western States Endurance Run and Hardrock 100-mile lotteries. Selection Saturday was worth the wait for several current and former New England ultrarunners this year as they came up big and were selected for two of the United States’ most hyped and high-profile events.
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to its annual running of the Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. Runners tackled either four or five 8-mile loops of the Skyline Trail in 32-mile and 40-mile trail ultramarathons.
WINCHENDON, Mass. – Two times Brian Burke tried his luck at Bubba’s Backyard Ultra, a last-person-standing event in New Hampshire. Twice he finished second to a master of the format, Ed Clifford, the event’s four-time champion and a winner of at least a half-dozen backyard ultras in his career.
Beast Coast Trail Running’s third edition of the “Race for DFL” Last Person Standing event took place Nov. 19-20, 2022, at a farm in Winchendon, Mass. Seventy-three runners took part in the event, which used a mixed-terrain 4.1666-mile loop course. A new race started on the hour, every hour, until only one runner remained. The race lasted for 30 hours, most of it in below-freezing temperatures. The following are a small sample of photos from the event by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be found at this link.
The third edition of Race Director Amy Rusiecki’s Race for DFL last-person-standing event took place Nov. 19-20, 2022, in Winchendon, Mass. Runners took on a 4.1666-mile loop course, starting a new loop on the hour, every hour, until one runner remained. Seventy-three runners took part in this year’s event, and two runners surpassed the 100-mile mark.
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