The sixth annual Womp Romp 50K and 10-mile trail races took place Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass.
Continue reading Results: Womp RompTag Archives: trailrunning
The Village Ultra Keeps it Local for 10th Anniversary
The Village Ultra was created in 2017 to use running as a way to raise funds to support worthy causes and organizations. Given that it takes place in New Salem, Mass., and allows runners to explore the quaint town on foot, it was fitting that the 10th edition of the Village Ultra sought to preserve a critical piece of New Salem history.
Continue reading The Village Ultra Keeps it Local for 10th AnniversaryResults: The Village Ultra
The 10th annual Village Ultra took place Oct. 10-11, 2026, on the New Salem Town Common in New Salem, Mass. Runners and walkers had 24 hours to complete as many miles as they wanted on a variety of mini-loops through the town, with proceeds from this year’s event benefiting the historic New Salem 1794 Meetinghouse.
Continue reading Results: The Village UltraMassUltra Roundup: Oct. 16-18 Weekend
New Englanders scattered across the country to run ultras from New Jersey to Missouri and California, but most stayed close to home during the Oct. 16-18 weekend. That’s because there were two regional ultras to race, and one was a major attraction. Some runners took part in the Little Duck 50K on Sunday, Oct. 18, in Windham, Maine, results of which were unavailable at the time of publication. Meanwhile, in Brookline, N.H., more than 550 runners took part in the weekend-long Ghost Train Trail Race on the Granite Town Rail Trail. The spooky-themed event is the largest Halloween ultrarunning party in New England, and it featured plenty of scary decorations and a hauntingly fast performance by Jason Kaplan that rewrote the record books. His effort leads off this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Oct. 16-18 Weekend
Fall Foliage, Challenging Terrain Greet Runners at Midstate Massive Ultra Trail
The Midstate Massive Ultra Trail Races began with picture-perfect fall leaf-peeping conditions when runners in the event’s 100-mile race departed the Windblown Ski Area in New Ipswich, N.H., on Saturday morning, Oct. 10. The 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K races concluded a day later with participants attempting to outrun the approaching rain as they made their way to the finish line at Douglas State Forest in Douglas, Mass.
For some, it was a mix of the most ideal and most challenging conditions that runners have encountered during the event’s eight years of testing runners as they traversed Massachusetts from north to south. For all, it was a scenic and punishing run, regardless of the distance chosen.
Continue reading Fall Foliage, Challenging Terrain Greet Runners at Midstate Massive Ultra TrailMassUltra Roundup: Oct. 9-11 Weekend
A busy October of ultrarunning continued during the Oct. 9-11 weekend with five ultras in New England and runners from the region traveling to at least 15 more across the country, including the Moab 240 in Utah which was canceled partway through as heavy rains and dangerous course conditions made parts of the course impassable. We will highlight both the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail and the Village Ultra from Massachusetts in separate recaps, but here in the roundup we have as much covered as possible from the other events. That starts with the inaugural Downeast Trail Festival in Maine, followed by the always tough Devil’s Den Ultra in Vermont.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Oct. 9-11 WeekendResults: Midstate Massive Ultra Trail
The eighth annual Midstate Massive Ultra Trail took place Oct. 10-11, 2026, offering 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K distances on a point-to-point course along the Midstate Trail. Runners in the 100-miler started at the Windblown Cross Country Ski Area in New Ipswich, N.H., and crossed Massachusetts from north to south before finishing at Douglas State Forest on the state’s southern border in Douglas, Mass. The 50-mile race began in Rutland, and the 50K started in Spencer.
Continue reading Results: Midstate Massive Ultra TrailMassUltra Roundup: Oct. 2-4 Weekend
October opened with four ultras in New England, as well as with runners from the region at nearly two-dozen ultras across the country taking on distances ranging from barely beyond a marathon to well beyond 200 miles. We have many of them covered in this edition of the roundup, but we lead off with a recap from a stunning battle at Bubba’s Backyard Ultra that required the weekend plus bonus time to determine a winner.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Oct. 2-4 WeekendMassUltra Roundup: Sept. 25-27 Weekend
What was slated to be a busy closing weekend of September became a relatively quiet one in New England, save for the howl of the wind and the pattering of rain. A nor’easter rolled into the region and forced the cancellation of three New England ultras during the Sept. 25-27 weekend, including both the MetroWest Backyard Ultra and Race for the Refuge in Massachusetts and the Farm to Farm Ultra in Maine. Only the historic Vermont 50 took place on a rain soaked-weekend in West Windsor, Vt. For many New Englanders who made it to the starting line, the weather meant leaving the region for more accommodating weather conditions. We have some of those efforts covered–as well as the Vermont 50–in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Sept. 25-27 Weekend
Nor’easter Forces Cancellation of Weekend Races
A rare September nor’easter is creeping toward New England, and the slow-moving storm is expected to bring heavy rain and damaging wind to much of the coastal region, including eastern and central Massachusetts. An additional consequence of the storm is the cancellation of two Massachusetts ultramarathons slated for this weekend.
On Friday, Sept. 25, both the MetroWest Backyard Ultra and the Race for the Refuge announced their events were canceled. Both announcements were made in Facebook posts from the race directors.
Around 10:30 a.m., MetroWest Backyard Ultra race directors Kiko Bracker and Bill Gallagher made their announcement.
“After much deliberation and with the safety of all participants in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s MetroWest Backyard Ultra,” they wrote. “This weekend there is expected to be considerable and consistent rain (1-3 inches) and steady wind with gusts that may exceed 40 mph. The risk of falling branches and trees on a 100% forested course is just too great for our comfort and your safety. Although we cannot know the exact timing and severity of the storm, at this point in time we are confident that there exists enough risk to make holding the race both dangerous and irresponsible.”
The fifth annual event was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at its new home at Nobscot Scout Reservation in Sudbury following four years at the Needham Town Forest. The event won’t provide refunds, but is offering any registered runners to defer their entries to 2027.
Around the same time that the MetroWest announcement was made, Race for the Refuge race directors Judy Proteau and Beth Dougherty announced that their event, set for Sunday, Sept. 27, was also canceled.
“It is with disappointment that we must cancel the 2026 Race for the Refuge. Due to the expected storm and potential damage to the trees and trails we are unable to safely hold the race this year. We are so sorry that New England nature has not cooperated with us,” they wrote.
The nor-easter-related cancellations have not been limited to Massachusetts. In Maine, the Farm to Farm Ultra was scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, in Freeport, but it has also been canceled “to ensure runner safety and trail longevity.”
