One of Massachusetts’ new ultramarathons in 2017 won’t return for a second year.
The Fall 50 Cape Cod, which made its debut in the Bay State last year on Sept. 30, will not take place in 2018. Organizers of the event made the announcement on the Fall 50 Facebook page. Continue reading Fall 50 Won’t Return in 2018
WESTWOOD, Mass. – The To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra was born of the best intentions. Specifically, those intentions were to avoid the snow.
Originally known as the Spring Thaw and held in mid-March, the Trail Animals Running Club’s season-opening event enjoyed a few years of seasonably good weather. In 2015, however, a late-winter snowstorm pummeled Massachusetts for weeks on end. When all was said and done, more than seven feet of snow had fallen, and runners at the Spring Thaw found themselves at times a foot or two above the actual trail because the snowpack was so thick. Following that year, the Trail Animals pushed the race back a few weeks, changed venues from Andover to Hale Reservation, and rebranded as To Hale and Back with hopes of benefitting from a legitimate thaw. Continue reading Snow-Packed Trails Test Runners Again at To Hale and Back
The third annual To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra took place Saturday, March 24, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. The following photos are a small sample of the collection of pictures taken during the race. A full 278-photo gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page. Continue reading Photos: To Hale and Back
The Trail Animals Running Club’s third annual To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 5K races took place Saturday, March 24, 2018, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Continue reading Results: To Hale and Back
For ultrarunners seeking a 100-mile race in Massachusetts, 2017 was a lonely season.
The Bay State was home to a triple-digit solo distance run from 2013-2016 with the TARC 100, but the Trail Animals Running Club mothballed the event after struggling to attract sufficient interest. It seemed runners’ intensified focus on select races that serve as lottery qualifiers for some of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious 100s, combined with a surge of new 100-mile offerings nationwide, diluted interest in the event.
The website run100s.com maintains a listing of the 100-milers in North America. Currently, it lists 159 100-milers. Not included on that list is a new Massachusetts 100-miler that will make its debut in 2018 and has quietly garnered attention through social media. The inaugural Chesterfield Gorge Ultra will take place June 2-3 at the Chesterfield Gorge Reservation in Chesterfield, Mass. Continue reading New 100-Mile Race Coming to Western Mass
BARNSTABLE, Mass. – The sun was already shining high above Cape Cod Bay when the cars started trickling into the parking lot at Sandy Neck Beach. It wasn’t long before the lot was nearly full of cars, many adorned with bumper stickers boasting of the long distances the drivers had run, races they’d conquered, or mountains they’d climbed.
On this day, however, they weren’t here to earn another sticker or shiny medal. Instead, they were in Barnstable to log some long miles, gauge their levels of toughness and grit, and enjoy a hearty supply of camaraderie. Continue reading No Freeze, but Plenty of Chill at the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K
The 12th annual Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. In addition to the 50K distance, runners also had the option of running a 25K. Seventy runners took part in the event. Continue reading Results: Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K
The 12th annual Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. The Cape Cod Ultrarunning Society played host to 70 runners who took on either the 50K or 25K distance. The following are just a sample of the photos from the race. A full gallery with more than 130 photos can be found on the MassUltra facebook page. Continue reading Photos: Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K
The 2018 Massachusetts ultrarunning season originally was set to begin bright and early on Jan. 3 with the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K, but the 20th edition of that event was called off due to single-digit temperatures and a wind chill well below zero.
Due to that change of plans, the Bay State’s 2018 ultramarathon race calendar will officially kick off with the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. The 12th annual event is put on by the Cape Cod Ultrarunning Society, and it includes a 25K race for runners who would rather not make a second figure-eight loop of the sandy course. Continue reading Massachusetts Ultra Season Begins Saturday on Cape Cod
The G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K has seen its share of cold, challenging weather conditions during the past 19 years, including a mid-race snowstorm in 2017 that sent some runners home early and forced others to scrape a few inches of fresh powder off of their windshields after finishing.
The forecast for the 20th annual Fat Ass 50K on Saturday at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass., looks like a recipe for frostbite, however, with The Weather Channel projecting a high of 4 degrees, a low of minus 9, and 17-mile-per-hour wind. Given the potentially dangerous conditions, the ultramarathon has been called off to ensure the safety of both runners and volunteers. Continue reading Frigid Temperatures Force Cancellation of G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
MassUltra 