MassUltra

23/12/2024

The holidays are nearly upon us, and the ultrarunning calendar was accommodating with a pretty light load of races across North America during the Dec. 20-22 weekend. One New England resident took time to take on a course out West. Maggie Swanson made her ultrarunning debut, and she gets this edition of the roundup all to herself.

The holidays are nearly upon us, and the ultrarunning calendar was accommodating with a pretty light load of races across North America during the Dec. 20-22 weekend. One New England resident took …

20/12/2024

The bright sun and clear, blue skies may have given the appearance of warmth as runners arrived for Seth’s Fat Ass 50K, but they knew better. They could see their breaths, after all, and the cold cut right through their tights, warm jackets and gloves.

It was a frigid 14 degrees on Saturday morning, Dec. 14, at Forest Park in Springfield, Mass. Though the sun stuck around all day and it ultimately warmed to 33 degrees by the time the finish line closed, the 14th edition of this end-of-the-year ultrarunning tradition was far from easy.

Read on for more from .

The bright sun and clear, blue skies may have given the appearance of warmth as runners arrived for Seth’s Fat Ass 50K, but they knew better. They could see their breaths, after all, and the cold c…

17/12/2024

The 2024 ultrarunning season came to a close in Massachusetts during the Dec. 14-15 weekend with the 14th running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K in Springfield. While a few dozen New Englanders logged miles on the road at Seth’s, several others ventured beyond the Bay State to squeeze in late-season ultras. Around 60 runners logged miles at the Jingle My Frosty Balls Fat Ass in New Hampshire, though results were unavailable. Additionally, a few others traveled farther to run. From Virginia to Washington, and Arizona to Pennsylvania, New Englanders tackled tough and scenic courses across the country. Some, like Brian Burke, put up most of those miles in the dark, while others, like Isabel Lane, soaked up the sights while racing to victory. Read all about it in this edition of the roundup.

The 2024 ultrarunning season came to a close in Massachusetts during the Dec. 14-15 weekend with the 14th running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K in Springfield. While a few dozen New Englanders logged miles…

16/12/2024

Results are up from Saturday's annual running of Seth's Fat Ass 50K in Springfield.

The 14th annual running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. Runners once again took on a 5K paved loop course in Forest Park that had to be completed …

15/12/2024

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the TARC Winter Classic closed out the 14th edition of the TARC Trail Series for the 13th time (the 2020 race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and it offered so many of the familiar traits of prior years: classic cold weather, classic Skyline Trail, classic good vibes at the aid stations, and a few performances destined to be considered classics.

Read on for more about this year's , and enjoy the photos courtesy of Chris Arson Photography!

Running loops of the Skyline Trail at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass., is a New England trail-running tradition that outdates the creation of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TAR…

12/12/2024

Results are up from the Trail Animals Running Club (TARC)'s TARC Winter Classic.

The 14th season of the TARC Trail Series came to a close with the annual TARC Winter Classic on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was the 15th running of th…

10/12/2024

Here in Part II of this week’s roundup we catch up on New Englanders’ efforts are ultras from South Carolina to Florida, and from Georgia to Arizona. Zach Medeiros takes top billing with his win at the Last Chance 50K.

Ice and snow covered some of the trails in New England and – along with cold temperatures – provided appropriate seasonal challenges for runners in the region as they raced in Massachusetts, New Ha…

09/12/2024

The TARC Winter Classic was the place to be for ultrarunners in Massachusetts during the Dec. 6-8 weekend, but there was plenty of ultra action throughout New England with tough ultras and lots of climbing. The inaugural Tower Tag Challenge in Connecticut and the Krampuslauf 9-hour in New Hampshire take the spotlight in Part I of this week’s roundup.

The TARC Winter Classic was the place to be for ultrarunners in Massachusetts during the Dec. 6-8 weekend, but there was plenty of ultra action throughout New England with tough ultras and lots of …

08/12/2024

The Hardrock 100 Endurance Run lottery gods smiled on Denise Klatt a year ago, and she took full advantage of the opportunity by completing the rugged high-altitude ultramarathon on her first attempt. The lottery gods were once again good to Klatt – along with five other New Englanders – whose names were selected for the starting field of the 2025 race during the Hardrock lottery on Saturday, Dec. 7. Eight more were selected for the waitlist.

Read on for more about the lottery from a New England perspective.

The Hardrock 100 Endurance Run lottery gods smiled on Denise Klatt a year ago, and she took full advantage of the opportunity by completing the rugged high-altitude ultramarathon on her first attem…

07/12/2024

The 2025 Western States Endurance Run isn’t until June 28, but the journey to the starting line of the 49th running of the historic 100-miler began Saturday, Dec. 7, for six New England residents whose names were drawn in the Western States lottery.

Joseph D’Alessio, Patrick McEnaney, Lance Doherty and Christopher Lay of Massachusetts, Austin Black of New Hampshire, and Yuichiro Hidaka of Rhode Island were among the lucky few selected for one of ultrarunning’s most exclusive events.

Read on for more about the lottery from a New England perspective.

The 2025 Western States Endurance Run isn’t until June 28, but the journey to the starting line of the 49th running of the historic 100-miler began Saturday, Dec. 7, for six New England residents w…

07/12/2024

05/12/2024

All was quiet on the ultrarunning scene in New England during the post-Thanksgiving weekend, save for personal ambitions to log big miles after enjoying a feast. Two runners from the region ventured outside New England to toe the starting line of ultramarathons, though, with one on each coast. Those efforts make for some light reading in the Nov. 29-Dec. 1 weekend roundup.

All was quiet on the ultrarunning scene in New England during the post-Thanksgiving weekend, save for personal ambitions to log big miles after enjoying a feast. Two runners from the region venture…

27/11/2024

It was a head-spinning Nov. 22-24 weekend at the historic JFK 50, and a New Englander was at the heart of it all. Vermont’s David Sinclair smashed the course record by a large margin, while fellow Vermonter Britta Clark notched a top-five finish in the women’s field. Beyond and its 1,100-plus field of runners, New Englanders took to the trails at the CT Trailmixers’ Fall Fling 400 in nearby Connecticut, and a few others logged big miles in Arizona at the Fat Ox. Read on for more in this pre-Thanksgiving appetizer edition of the roundup.

It was a head-spinning Nov. 22-24 weekend at the historic JFK 50, and a New Englander was at the heart of it all. Vermont’s David Sinclair smashed the course record by a large margin, while fellow …

20/11/2024

It isn’t yet Thanksgiving, but New England ultrarunners spent the Nov. 15-17 weekend preparing for the big feast by banging out plenty of miles. More than 100 did so at the Trail Animals Running Club’s annual TARCkey Trot 6-hour ultra in Massachusetts, but several more runners from the region opted for other events. A few in Connecticut packed on the calories at the CT Donut Run 31.5-miler, though results from that delicious event were unavailable at the time of publication. Others raced ultras in New York, Utah, California and Georgia. We have highlights from those events in this edition of the roundup.

It isn’t yet Thanksgiving, but New England ultrarunners spent the Nov. 15-17 weekend preparing for the big feast by banging out plenty of miles. More than 100 did so at the Trail Animals Running Cl…

19/11/2024

WI******ER, Mass. – Months of drought have ravaged Massachusetts from the Berkshires to the bay. Hundreds of wildfires have scorched fields and forests, and many bodies of water have shrunk or disappeared in the dry conditions. If there is a positive to be found in the dearth of rain, it may be that runners at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra benefitted from near-perfect trail conditions.

Read on for more from last weekend's .

WI******ER, Mass. – Months of drought have ravaged Massachusetts from the Berkshires to the bay. Hundreds of wildfires have scorched fields and forests, and many bodies of water have shrunk or disa…