Ultrarunners from across the country flocked to New England during the Aug. 4-6 weekend for the USATF 50K Trail National Championship as part of the Ragged 75 Stage Race event in New Hampshire, highlighting a big weekend for ultrarunners in the region. Both the men’s and women’s championships came home to Massachusetts thanks to Boston’s Philip Royer and Hannah Rowe who hammered the tough, rugged course. But Ragged wasn’t the lone race in the region during the weekend. Several other runners ventured to Maine for the inaugural Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest. Additionally, many runners headed south to Virginia our West To Oregon, Washington and Hawaii for other races. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Ragged Stage Race and 50K, Blue Hill, Waldo, Volcanic, Dahlgren, and KauaiTag Archives: trailrunning
From the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up Short
WINDSOR, Mass. – The range of emotions I’ve experienced during nearly 12 years of running trail ultramarathons runs the gamut from elation to extreme exhaustion, optimism to dread, confident and determined, to concerned and a bit scared, to almost always ending with a sense of fulfillment.
If you’ve been in this sport long enough then you’ve likely had your own run-ins with all of these and more. Heck, you may have experienced them all if you’ve run a single ultra, depending on the course, the conditions, the distance and countless other factors.
Still, as I lay on a mattress in the back of the Subaru on Saturday afternoon, July 8, knowing my run at the Notchview Ultra was likely finished, I felt something that I’ve never felt before at an ultra: I felt empty.
Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Reflections on Coming Up Short
Kousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop Ultra
It seems that any time Justin Kousky steps to a starting line a course record may soon fall.
Continue reading Kousky Cruises to Course Record at Jug End Loop UltraMassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, SoapstoneSix, Pikes Peak, Tushars, and Never Summer
A busy July ultrarunning slate came to a close for New England ultrarunners during the July 28-30 weekend with many runners racing locally and several venturing outside the region. Local ultras included the Jug End Loop Ultra in Massachusetts (separate recap to follow), as well as the popular Moosalamoo 36-miler in Vermont and the close-knit SoapstoneSix in Connecticut where runners put up fast times and big mileage numbers. Additionally, several runners ventured beyond New England to take on mountain races in the West. That included the Pikes Peak Ultra and Never Summer Ultras in Colorado and the Tushars Mountain Races in Utah, where runners from the region had strong showings. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Moosalamoo, SoapstoneSix, Pikes Peak, Tushars, and Never SummerResults: Jug End Loop Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth annual Jug End Loop Ultra 6-Hour and 4.2-mile trail races on Saturday, July 29, at Jug End State Reservation in Egremont, Mass.
Continue reading Results: Jug End Loop UltraMassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to Laz
The summer miles are piling up as New England ultrarunners conquer the busy summer racing season. Included among those miles has been plenty of vert, especially for those who traveled to Colorado during the July 21-23 weekend to tackle the high-altitude High Lonesome and Ouray 100-milers. Those big mountain races lead of this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: High Lonesome, Ouray, Many on the Genny, Tahoe, and Ode to Laz
Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at Notchview
WINDSOR, Mass. – When Taylor Verville hobbled to her car after finishing the Notchview Ultra and braced herself for the three-hour ride home to Kingston, her body felt like it couldn’t give much more. She’d just run 216.6 miles in the 72-hour race and broke the previous overall course record by 15 miles.
Verville’s legs felt like concrete and her brain was fried from the lack of sleep. To say she was exhausted would’ve been the understatement of the year. It was July 11, 2022, and though her mind and body both needed rest, within just a few days Verville was already beginning to plot her Notchview sequel.
Continue reading Despite Downpour, Verville Delivers Multi-Day Masterpiece at NotchviewMassUltra Roundup: Tahoe, Hardrock, and Mt. Hood
Mid-July meant lots of big mountain races for New England residents. That’s what this edition of the roundup is all about. Tahoe, Hardrock and Mt. Hood. Runners from the region threw down at all of them. Read on to learn how they did.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Tahoe, Hardrock, and Mt. Hood
Results: Notchview Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the eighth edition of the Notchview Ultra from July 7-10 at the Trustees of Reservations’ Notchview Reservation in Windsor, Mass. Runners tackled a 1.9-mile loop course for 100.7 miles (53 loops), or 72-hour, 48-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour time-based options. Those who ran the most days started their race with high humidity, sun and temperatures in the low 80s and finished their races with temperatures in the 70s and nearly 24 hours of rain.
Continue reading Results: Notchview UltraMassUltra Roundup: Back Cove, ALFC 50K, Catoctin, Siskiyou Out Back, and Silverton Alpine
In Massachusetts, the July 7-9 weekend meant a packed course at Notchview Reservation in Windsor where the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the multi-day Notchview Ultra. We’ll have that covered in a separate story, but Notchview wasn’t the only popular draw for New England ultrarunners. Two other New England events – the Back Cove Backyard Ultra in Maine and the Aliza Lapierre Fan Club 50K in Vermont – also attracted strong turnouts and saw some big performances. Additionally, a few runners from the region ventured beyond New England to take on ultras in Maryland, Oregon and Colorado. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Back Cove, ALFC 50K, Catoctin, Siskiyou Out Back, and Silverton Alpine
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