In a normal year, it’s not unusual to have multiple roundups in a week this time of year as it’s typically the busiest season for ultramarathons. But in a pandemic year? We’ll take it! Four out-of-state ultras – the Pine Creek Challenge, Tunxis, the Boulder Field Ultra, and the Breaks – were highlighted on Tuesday. But there were additional in-person ultras held outside of Massachusetts on Sept. 12-13 that included runners from the Bay State and greater New England. Both the Macedonia 50K in Connecticut and the Megunticook 50K in Maine took place last weekend, so we’ve included them here in Part 2 of this week’s roundup.

The COVID-19 global pandemic hasn’t eased its grip on the United States, but in-person ultramarathons have gradually resumed during the past few months. The Sept. 12-13 weekend marked the busiest for the Roundup since April with four races attracting Massachusetts residents and several other New Englanders to starting lines in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Connecticut. Nobody had a bigger weekend than Cambridge resident Padraig Mullins who secured a hard-earned victory at 100 miles at the Pine Creek Challenge. Several other New England residents tallied top-10 finishes at Pine Creek and the other events. We have them covered in a busier-than-usual pandemic edition of the roundup.

In another of the rare in-person ultramarathons to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Massachusetts resident made his ultra debut and turned in a top-10 finish at the inaugural White Pine 50-Mile Backcountry Run in Utah. That performance by Boston’s Jack Murrel is featured in this week’s roundup.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out most of the trail ultras in New England this year, a few events have managed to happen. That now includes the Enchanted Forest 6-Hour Ultra, which postponed from its traditional April race date to August in hopes that the pandemic would subside. That hasn’t happened, but the race went on and is featured in this edition of the roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Enchanted Forest →

A handful of in-person ultramarathons have resumes – primarily in the West – as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread, and one race during the first weekend of August included a handful of New England residents. That event – the Tushars Mountain Runs in Beaver, Utah – featured high-altitude miles and saw a Massachusetts resident earn a top-10 finish in the event’s longest race. We have it covered in this edition of the roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Tushars Mountain Runs →

New England has been nearly silent in terms of in-person ultramarathons since the COVID-19 pandemic forced races and economies to shut down in March. As cities, states and local economies have begun to reopen, so too have ultras. In New England, that included the Forbidden Forest 30-Hour Ultra on June 27-28 in Stratford, Conn., where 46 runners took part in the event on a loop course. Additionally, a few runners from the region journeyed a little further south to Maryland for the Catocin 50K, so we have that included, too, in this edition of the roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Forbidden Forest and Catocin 50K →

The ultrarunning scene is reopening slowly and cautiously as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to increase its presence throughout the United States. Only a handful of in-person races have taken place in recent weeks, most of them in the West, with minimal representation from New England residents who would be required to travel cross-country. Two Massachusetts men made the journey and represented the region at the USATF Utah 50-Mile Trail Championships at the Squaw Peak 50 on June 13 in Utah, and we have them covered in this edition of the roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Squaw Peak 50 →

After a hiatus of a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roundup is back with the Bryce Canyon Ultras. Very few ultras are taking place anywhere right now, but the organizers of the Bryce Canyon Ultras pulled off their event May 30-31 in Utah with a trio of New England runners in attendance. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Bryce Canyon Ultras →