Tag Archives: ultrarunning

G.A.C.

Around 150 Runners Kick Off New Year at G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K

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Runners endured the full spectrum of weather conditions during the first 20 years of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K, from bone-chilling temperatures far below freezing, to blizzard conditions, to rain, ice, sun and unseasonably warm temperatures.

The 21st annual event took place Saturday, Jan. 4, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass., and it featured a little bit of everything. Patches of snow and ice covered the 6.2-mile loop course, as did a fair amount of mud thanks to some thawing in the mid-40s temperatures and the rain that fell on and off during the race. The damp yet comfortable conditions were ideal for runners who sought several loops and didn’t mind having mud-coated calves and shoes. Continue reading Around 150 Runners Kick Off New Year at G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K →

BURCS

BURCS Series to Expand with Alford Springs 6-Hour Ultra

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For the past few years, the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) has kicked off its annual ultramarathon race series in mid-June. This year, the series will begin a few weeks sooner thanks to the introduction of a new race – the Alford Springs 6-Hour Ultra. Continue reading BURCS Series to Expand with Alford Springs 6-Hour Ultra →

Columns

From the Editor’s Desk: Cheers to the Givers

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Four-hundred laps around a track seems awful – at least to me. Running 402.3 laps sounds even worse.

That’s exactly what Joe McConaughy did on Saturday, Dec. 21, however. The 28-year-old Boston resident set out to complete 402.3 laps – 100 miles – on the Anderson High School track in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a fundraiser for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. His wife, Katie, was diagnosed with Crohn’s four years ago, so it’s something that has touched their family deeply.

Ultrarunning is a selfish endeavor in many ways. The countless hours and miles required just to prepare to run even longer distances mean that other people and activities are often put on hold. Joe’s track feat reminds us that our running can be done in service to others, too, and we can use ultrarunning as a vehicle for doing tremendous good. There is no cure for Crohn’s – at least not yet – but we’ll hopefully be a few steps closer to finding one thanks in part to the efforts of Joe and Katie. Continue reading From the Editor’s Desk: Cheers to the Givers →

Roundup

MassUltra Roundup: West Rock and Lookout Mountain

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A light post-Christmas weekend of ultrarunning included one last chance for New Englanders to tackle an ultra distance at the West Rock Winter Fat Ass Extravaganza 8-hour event in Connecticut. That race – as well as belated pre-holiday results from the Lookout Mountain 50-miler in Tennessee – provide some light reading in the final roundup of 2019. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: West Rock and Lookout Mountain →

Roundup

MassUltra Roundup: Joe McConaughy’s Track 100-Miler, the Woodside Ramble and Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic

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Massachusetts ultrarunners rung in the holiday season with a few solid performances, the most festive coming from Boston resident Joe McConaughy who raised more than $2,000 for the Crohn’s and Colitis foundation by running 100 miles on a track. Additionally, another Boston resident gave herself the gift of becoming an ultrarunner as Jacqueline Kressee finished the Woodside Ramble 50K in California, and Bolton resident Sandee Richards celebrated the season by crossing the finish line of the 50K race at the Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic in Florida. Those three events make for some cheerful holiday reading in this week’s roundup. Continue reading MassUltra Roundup: Joe McConaughy’s Track 100-Miler, the Woodside Ramble and Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic →