Tag Archives: Massachusetts

More Time, More Miles at BURCS Summer Fat Ass

Demand for big mileage opportunities has grown in western Massachusetts in recent years, and the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) responded first with the expansion of its BURCS Badass Race Series to include additional events, and then this year with time extensions for the organization’s annual Summer Fat Ass Run.

The Summer Fat Ass was a six-hour event during its first two years, and last year both runners and organizers discussed the possibility of doubling – and maybe even quadrupling – the time limit so runners could try to achieve 50- and 100-mile goals. That conversation laid the foundation for the third annual Summer Fat Ass, which expanded into a two-day affair on July 8-9 at Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. In addition to the standard six-hour event, runners could also choose to run for 12 hours or 24 hours. The result was that dozens of new faces turned out for the event, and many people set personal milestones, all of which pleased race director Benn Griffin. Continue reading More Time, More Miles at BURCS Summer Fat Ass →

MassUltra Roundup: IAU 24-Hour World Championships

Massachusetts was represented on the world stage at the International Association of Ultrarunners’ 24-Hour World Championships on July 1-2 in Belfast, Ireland.

Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman was one of seven women who represented the United States at the World Championships as a member of the US National 24-Hour Running Team. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: IAU 24-Hour World Championships →

Fresh Faces, Fast Times at Vegan Power 50K

Course record-holders Jason Mintz of Syracuse, N.Y., and Laura Kline of New Paltz, N.Y., were absent from this year’s Vegan Power 50K with Mintz racing the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and Kline serving as his pacer. Additionally, 2016 women’s champion Samantha LeBlanc of Woburn, Mass., took part in the relay portion of Vegan Power. That left the door open for new faces to contend for first-place finishes.

New champions emerged, and it was a tale of two races at the fourth annual Vegan Power 50K as the men’s field featured a runaway winner and the women’s field produced a close battle for the podium positions on Saturday, June 17, at Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield, Mass. Continue reading Fresh Faces, Fast Times at Vegan Power 50K →

New Solo, Relay 50-Miler Coming to Cape Cod

A new solo ultramarathon and team relay is coming to Massachusetts this fall. The Fall 50 will make its Bay State debut on Saturday, September 30, on Cape Cod.

Runners have the option of running 50 miles solo or forming teams of between two and five runners to cover the distance from Wellfleet to Barnstable. Continue reading New Solo, Relay 50-Miler Coming to Cape Cod →

New England Tough: Burly Course Tests Runners at TNFEC-MA

PRINCETON, Mass. – It took a decade for The North Face Endurance Challenge to venture into New England. When it finally did, runners were treated to a whopper of a course as the region’s diverse and difficult terrain lived up to its reputation. Continue reading New England Tough: Burly Course Tests Runners at TNFEC-MA →

Mullins Edges Loureiro in Inaugural Big Bear 50K

When Northeast Race Management began planning its inaugural trail ultramarathon, race organizers sought to meet growing demand from runners who’ve taken part in its shorter distance offerings during the past five years.

What played out at the first-year event, the Big Bear 50K, on Sunday, May 21, in East Taunton, Mass., was more than just the endurance challenge that race organizers had hoped to provide. A highly competitive race unfolded on the trails of Massasoit State Park as a trio of runners battled for the win. Continue reading Mullins Edges Loureiro in Inaugural Big Bear 50K →

Experienced Rusiecki Ready to Cash in Golden Ticket to Western States

Hectic racing schedules and last-minute planning are nothing new to Brian Rusiecki.

He races more frequently than most ultrarunners – Rusiecki finished 10 ultras in 2016 and already has six to his credit in 2017. It’s common for him to register for a race at the last minute, hit the road to Vermont or Virginia, show up at the starting line and see what happens.

That longtime approach may bode well for Rusiecki as he prepares for one of the biggest races of his career. On May 9, UltraRunning Magazine announced that Rusiecki was the men’s winner of the UltraRunning Race Series and that he, along with women’s winner Clare Gallagher, 25, of Boulder, Colo., had been awarded Golden Ticket entries into the Western States Endurance Run June 24-25 from Squaw Valley to Auburn, Calif. Continue reading Experienced Rusiecki Ready to Cash in Golden Ticket to Western States →