The temperature inched closer to 90 degrees as the noon hour approached at the East End Trail Races. It was Sunday, Aug. 5, and it was another scorcher.

Around 135 runners were taking part in the inaugural event at Borderland State Park in Easton, Mass., most of them in the 30K and 10K races. Seventeen runners toed the starting line of the 50K ultramarathon that muggy morning, armed with the knowledge that tough miles were ahead. They had to complete five trips around a “heavy” 10K loop that measured around 6.7 miles, making it a 33.5-mile race.

By 1 p.m., four of the ultramarathon runners had called it a day and 13 were still on the course. Charn McAllister was the frontrunner by a comfortable margin and appeared to have the overall victory in hand. The 35-year-old resident of Norfolk, Mass., was three minutes off the lead after the first loop, but he had moved to the front during his second trip around the course before steadily pulling away. McAllister faded a bit as the miles added up and the day got hotter, but not by much given the conditions. His closest competitor of all the runners – 30-year-old Billy Jenkins of Malden, Mass. – was more than 17 minutes back after four laps and losing ground. The third overall runner was almost six minutes behind Jenkins and trailed McAllister by more than 23 minutes.

Surprisingly, the third runner to finish four loops was the first to reach the finish line. Less than 58 minutes after starting her final loop, Maude Gorman crossed the finish line in 5:53:15. It appeared she had not only erased a hefty deficit, but also amassed a comfortable lead. McAllister finished eight minutes later in 6:01:18.

The timer called over the race directors from Northeast Race Management, LLC. Something didn’t seem right. Continue reading Massachusetts Runner DQ’d from Multiple Ultras, Suspected of Cutting Courses →