MassUltra (2025)

06/06/2025

While the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra in Massachusetts was the hottest – and wettest – place to race in the region during the May 30-June 1 weekend, several New Englanders closed out the month with strong performances at ultras nationwide. Still, of all the locations to race, Pennsylvania is where they threw down the hardest, with a pair of Rhode Island residents, Ben Quatromoni and Sandy Spitler, earning victories at the Worlds End Ultras and Connecticut’s Caitlin Rossi taking the overall win at the inaugural Berry Mountain 12-Hour Challenge. They lead off this edition of the roundup.

While the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra in Massachusetts was the hottest – and wettest – place to race in the region during the May 30-June 1 weekend, several New Englanders closed out the month with st…

03/06/2025

Results are up from last weekend's Beast Coast Trail Running Series in West Chesterfield, Mass.

The seventh edition of Beast Coast Trail Running’s Chesterfield Gorge Ultra took place May 31-June 1, 2025, at the Chesterfield Gorge Reservation in West Chesterfield, Mass. Runners took on a 7.75-…

30/05/2025

The ultrarunning scene was hot across northern New England during Memorial Day weekend with events in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The Infinitus ultras wound down to close out 10 days of muddy miles on the trails of Vermont at the multi-day classic. In New Hampshire, runners journeyed on roads and trails before climbing a mountain at the Manchester 2 Monadnock 55-miler. Finally, Maine’s Pineland Farms Trail Festival made 100 miles more tempting with a 30-hour option this year, and several runners from the region took advantage. We have all of those events covered – plus the Flagstaff Buffaloops Ultra in Arizona – in this edition of the roundup.

The ultrarunning scene was hot across northern New England during Memorial Day weekend with events in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The Infinitus ultras wound down to close out 10 days of muddy…

26/05/2025

Robbert Struyven has done most of his ultramarathon racing in Europe, but the postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School put forth what may have been his finest ultramarathon performance to date when he toed the starting line for the third annual Free Spirit 50K on Saturday, May 17, in Leyden, Mass.

Read on for more from the , and be sure to check out the full photo gallery from the race by Ben Kimball of Ben Kimball Photography.

Robbert Struyven has done most of his ultramarathon racing in Europe, but the postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School has been gradually making his mark on the trails of New England.

25/05/2025

For most of the past 11 years, the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service has kicked off its BURCS Trail Series with the Vegan Power Trail Races at Pittsfield State Forest. For 2025, the BURCS decided to shake things up. They shelved Vegan Power, but maintained the event’s beneficiary and added a few more for a brand new event at Pittsfield State Forest: the Tails & Trails State Forest Run.

Read on for more from the BURCS' inaugural State Forest Run.

For most of the past 11 years, the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service has kicked off its BURCS Trail Series with the Vegan Power Trail Races at Pittsfield State Forest. For 2025, the BUR…

23/05/2025

The May 16-18 weekend was busy in Massachusetts with a pair of ultras on the calendar: the Free Spirit 50K in Leyden and the inaugural BURCS Tails & Trails State Forest Run in Pittsfield. We’ll have both covered in separate recaps, but there was plenty more action in the northeast and nationwide for New England ultrarunners. In New England, that included the Run Ragged Last Person Standing race in Connecticut, which was won by Andreas Mucchietto of Cambridge, Mass. Additionally, Jack Mantell of Newton, Mass., earned a podium finish in the 50-miler at Mayapple in New Jersey. We also catch up on tough 100-milers in Virginia and Georgia, before closing out in Arizona. There’s plenty of action to read about in this edition of the roundup.

The May 16-18 weekend was busy in Massachusetts with a pair of ultras on the calendar: the Free Spirit 50K in Leyden and the inaugural BURCS Tails & Trails State Forest Run in Pittsfield. We’ll…

20/05/2025

Results are up from last weekend's inaugural Tails & Trails State Forest Run 50K, 25K and 5-mile races in Pittsfield State Forest.

The Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service played host to the inaugural Tails & Trails State Forest Run on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pittsfield State Forest. The event replaced Vegan Po…

19/05/2025

Results are up from last weekend's in Leyden, Mass.

The third annual Free Spirit 50K took place on Saturday, May 17, in Leyden, Mass. The course consisted of dirt country roads in Massachusetts and Vermont with around 4,200 feet of climbing.

18/05/2025

Wapack and Back has had its share of wet years, but the 17th edition on Saturday, May 10, was unlike any other in event history. The rain began well before the start, and even when it finally subsided the runners had no reprieve from its impact. Ironically, the 10,000-plus feet of climbing may have been the easy part. The slick mud, deep water crossings and slippery granite made the course treacherous and significantly decreased the likelihood of success.

Read on for more from this year's Trail Races, and enjoy the fantastic photos courtesy of Dave Beliveau! A link to his full gallery is included at the end.

Tension was high among the 41 runners gathered around Wapack and Back co-race director Lisa Chaput as she called out final instructions. Their faces bore a mix of intensity, acceptance and determin…

17/05/2025

We close out the May 10-11 weekend ultrarunning roundups here at home in New England for Part III with three events that were daunting in their own unique ways. In Connecticut, runners took on a loop course for 10 hours of endurance fun at the Spring Fling 600. In Vermont, the Blood Root Ultras are always tough, with big climbs, mud and more at the multi-distance festival. But we begin in Maine with the Riverlands 100. Riverlands has thrown all sorts of challenging conditions at runners through the years, including extreme heat in 2022. But this year … this was the year that put the “river” in Riverlands.

We close out the May 10-11 weekend ultrarunning roundups here at home in New England for Part III with three events that were daunting in their own unique ways. In Connecticut, runners took on a lo…

16/05/2025

The Watuppa Trail Races have seen their share of speedy performances throughout the event’s first decade. The second decade kicked off with a familiar feel as 23-year-old Nathaniel Tokarsky delivered the finest performance of his young ultrarunning career at the 11th annual event on Saturday, May 10, at Watuppa Reservation in Fall River, Mass.

The Watuppa Trail Races have seen their share of speedy performances throughout the event’s first decade. The second decade kicked off with a familiar feel as 23-year-old Nathaniel Tokarsky deliver…

15/05/2025

Our journey through New Englanders’ ultrarunning exploits from the May 10-11 weekend continues in Part II of this week’s roundup as we work our way closer to home. After starting in the West, this edition highlights several events in the East, from North Carolina, New York and West Virginia, to Ohio and Pennsylvania, leading off with Massachusetts resident Samuel Cohen’s podium finish at the Hellbender 100.

Our journey through New Englanders’ ultrarunning exploits from the May 10-11 weekend continues in Part II of this week’s roundup as we work our way closer to home. After starting in the West, this …

MassUltra