The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the eighth edition of the To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 3.5-mile trail race on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners in the ultra had six hours to complete as many laps of the 3.5-mile course as they wanted. Runners enjoyed temperatures that ranged from 35 degrees at the start to 60 at the finish, with sunny skies and mostly dry trails. The following are a small sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery of 212 photos can be viewed on the MassUltra Flickr page.
Continue reading Photos: To Hale and Back 6-Hour UltraTag Archives: Massachusetts
Runners Overcome Icy Footing, Sub-Freezing Temperatures at TARCtic Frozen Yeti
WESTWOOD, Mass. – No matter each runner’s preference, be it a carefully curated playlist or an earbud-free experience with the soothing sounds of nature, the crunch, crunch, crunch of Yaktrax, microspikes and EXOspikes was the unofficial soundtrack to the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra on Feb. 1-2 at Hale Reservation.
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Results: TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the sixth running of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-Mile Night Race on Feb. 1-2, 2025, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners took on a clover leaf-style course that was covered in ice and snow, encountered light snowfall at times, and endured below-freezing temperatures for the duration of the event.
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Photos: 2025 TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the sixth running of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra on Feb. 1-2, 2025, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners had 30 hours to complete as many loops as they wanted on a clover leaf-style course consisting of three approximately 5-mile mini-loops. The course was covered in ice and a thin layer of snow, and the temperature was below freezing for the duration of the event. The following are a small sample of photos from the event taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery from the event can be viewed here on the MassUltra Flickr page.
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200 is the New 100: Gonzalez-Kreisberg Redefines Ultra Endurance By Volunteering
Two hundred wasn’t the number Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg had in mind for the 2024 ultrarunning season. Her heart was set on 152 – the precise number of miles she planned to run at the Notchview Ultra.
It was an ambitious milestone, but after earning her first 100-mile finish at the 72-hour event in 2023 she dared to dream even bigger. Unfortunately for her, the combination of a toe injury and upheaval at work halted her running ambitions before the season even began.
“Things were kind of falling apart,” Gonzalez-Kreisberg admitted. “That’s where the goal of 152 had to be put aside, because suddenly I was in no capacity between what was going on at work and what was going on with my physical body to be training. I spent a lot of that winter barely surviving in a lot of ways.”
“Luckily,” she added, “I’m totally on the other side now.”
How she dealt with the disappointment and weathered storm involved an extraordinary feat of a different type of endurance, one that called to mind the popular ultrarunning phrase “200 is the new 100” while also redefining it.
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From Motorcycles to Ultramarathons: A Friendship Measured in Miles
If there’s one thing Dana Searcy knows about his best friend, it is this: There is no quit in Damien Booker.
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Cold Temperatures Don’t Deter Runners at 25th G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
While blizzard conditions and ice ravaged much of the United States spanning from Kansas to Washington, D.C., ultrarunners in New England only had to brace themselves for cold temperatures as they kicked off the 2025 ultrarunning season.
Continue reading Cold Temperatures Don’t Deter Runners at 25th G.A.C. Fat Ass 50KResults: G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
The 25th running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. The New England classic was organized by Gil’s Athletic Club and played host to around 200 runners. Runners took on a 10K loop course through the park as many times as they wanted, up to five loops for a 50K finish. Some completed four loops and an additional out-and-back for a marathon.
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From the Editor’s Desk: Looking for Light During Dark Times
It started with a YouTube video. Surely you know the one. Kilian’s Quest – Slow Motion. Four minutes and 51 seconds of spine-tingling, eye-widening, downhill-running magic.
For a relatively new trail-runner and novice ultrarunner, it was a tantalizing video that led me to dream about dancing my way down mountain slopes and seek out the best spot to run hill repeats on my local trails.
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G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K to Kick Off 2025 Ultra Season
In what has been an annual tradition for years, the 2025 Massachusetts ultrarunning season will kick off with the the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K. Gil’s Athletic Club will play host to the event for the 25th time at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.
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