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
Tag Archives: Massachusetts
New 100-Mile Race Coming to Western Mass
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
No Freeze, but Plenty of Chill at the Cape Cod Frozen Fat Ass 50K
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
Results: 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
Photos: 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
Massachusetts Ultra Season Begins Saturday on Cape Cod
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
Frigid Temperatures Force Cancellation of G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
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
From the Editor’s Desk: Personal and Community Engagement Made 2017 Special
A steady downpour pelted Alex and me as we made our way through the streets of Chamonix, rounded the final turn and – with the thumping sound of spectators banging on signboards echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings – ran the final steps of the CCC 101K hand-in-hand, crossed the finish line and immediately collapsed into each other’s arms in a long embrace.
It was late-morning on Sept. 2. Four years and one day earlier we’d shared a starting line in Whistler, B.C., to take on a mountain 50-miler just days after meeting for the first time. It was during that trip that we first talked about running the CCC. Now, after four years of waiting and more than 25 hours of running and hiking through the Alps, we were done. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Personal and Community Engagement Made 2017 Special
Ciocca top Male, Brochu Tops Fast Women’s Field at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
Eric Ciocca dominated the overall field, but a pack of fast women stole the show during the final Massachusetts ultramarathon of 2017 at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K on Saturday, Dec. 16, in Springfield.
Racing on a 5K paved loop in Forest Park, runners had seven hours to lap the course 10 times and be credited with a 50K finish. Sixty-eight took on the challenge, and 21 completed the distance – 20 of them officially within the seven-hour limit. Continue reading Ciocca top Male, Brochu Tops Fast Women’s Field at Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K
The final ultramaraton of 2017 in Massachusetts – Seth’s Fat Ass 50K – took place Saturday, Dec. 16, at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. Runners had seven hours to complete 10 laps around a paved 5K loop. Continue reading Results: Seth’s Fat Ass 50K