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 WeekendTag Archives: ultrarunning
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.”
MassUltra Roundup: Sept. 18-20 Weekend
New Englanders had a big weekend of ultra racing from Sept. 18-20, scattering across the country to earn finishes from 50K to 108 miles. That included the rugged Kilkenny Ridge Trail Race in New Hampshire, as well as the Wild Goose Trail Festival in New Jersey where Maine’s Jennifer Whynot logged more miles than anyone, as well some hard-earned 100-mile finishes in the West.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Sept. 18-20 Weekend
Friendship, Determination Power Hearing-Impaired Runner to Fall Classic Finish
Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg is no stranger to running ultramarathons. She has completed at least a dozen ultras, including a personal-best 102.6-mile performance at the Notchview Ultra 72-hour race in 2023. So when Gonzalez-Kreisberg showed up to the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Fall Classic to run the event’s 50K race on Saturday, Sept. 5, the 36-year-old from Amherst, Mass., was confident her legs could handle the distance on the rolling trails of Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass. The bigger challenge for her would be handling the crowded trails as other runners zipped past in some of the event’s other distances, which included a 50-miler, 20-miler, half marathon, 10K, and kids’ fun run. In total, more than 600 runners took part in the event, making it the largest TARC event in club history.
Continue reading Friendship, Determination Power Hearing-Impaired Runner to Fall Classic FinishMassUltra Roundup: Sept. 11-13 Weekend
The Sept. 11-13 weekend was the busiest of the year for ultramarathons in New England with seven ultra events taking place throughout the region. Though none were held in Massachusetts, Vermont or Rhode Island, three took place in New Hampshire, two were held in Connecticut and two more in Maine. Additionally, New Englanders took part in at least nine other ultras throughout North America. Results from some of the events were not available at the time of publication, but we have many of them covered in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Sept. 11-13 WeekendResults: TARC Fall Classic
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 14th edition of the TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Carlisle, Mass. More than 600 runners took on 50-mile, 50K, 20-mile, half marathon, and 10K distances or a kids’ fun run on the rolling trails of Great Brook Farm State Park.
Continue reading Results: TARC Fall ClassicMassUltra Roundup: Sept. 4-6 Weekend
September opened with a jam-packed slate of ultrarunning opportunities in New England, with the TARC Fall Classic in Massachusetts and a pair of events in Maine. The Fall Classic will be featured in a separate story, but this week’s roundup begins in Maine where runners took part in both the Cherry Hill Farm Ultra in Gorham and the Last Man Standing Ultramarathon at Pineland Farms. From there we head beyond the region and catch up on how New Englanders fared at ultras in Washington and Florida. Welcome to September and the start of the busiest part of the year in ultrarunning.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Sept. 4-6 WeekendMassUltra Roundup: Aug. 28-30 Weekend
August came to a close with a jam-packed weekend of ultramarathon running in New England, most of it at official races. Runners took on challenging events in Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. We have the first two–the Five Fields Farm 50K and Black Bear Trail Races 50K–included in this edition of the roundup, while results from the Ocean State Ultra were unavailable at the time of publication. But we lead off with a massive ultra effort at a self-styled event in Maine where Bradford Eslin ran 100 miles and raised more than $17,500 to help the homeless in his hometown.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Aug. 28-30 Weekend
BURCS Runners Make Big Impact for Dana-Farber, Louison House at Jug End Loop Ultra
The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service closed out its 2026 race series with an exclamation point at the Jug End Loop Ultra.
Continue reading BURCS Runners Make Big Impact for Dana-Farber, Louison House at Jug End Loop UltraMassUltra Roundup: August 20-22 Weekend
It’s late August, and surprisingly calm on the ultrarunning scene in New England. After several jam-packed weekends of racing, just two ultras took place in the region during the Aug. 20-22 weekend. One was the Jug End Loop Ultra in Massachusetts, which we have covered in a separate story. The other took place in Maine where Michael Conley blazed to a new course record and successful title defense at the Firebird Trail Races 50K. We have that race covered along with an ultra in nearby New York in this edition of the roundup.
Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: August 20-22 Weekend
