MIDSTATE MASSIVE ULTRA TRAIL
OCTOBER 10–11, 2026
Fifty miles,
one at a time.
A night on the trail, a morning in the autumn woods, and Aimee waiting at the finish. My 50-mile race, with a camera along for the miles.
50-mile raceMidstate Massive Ultra Trail
1st placeMen’s 50–59 age divisionView race results ↗
11:54:29Course time
THE FILM / 4 MINUTES, 45 SECONDS
Through the night,
into the morning.
Race weekend with Aimee, a night of headlamps, and the morning push to the finish. Highlights from the course, a conversation with Colin, autumn color at daybreak, and the coyotes in the dark.
From the inn to the finish. Filmed by Aimee and Walter Stock.
Music: “Ascension” and “The Climb” by Scott Buckley, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Music edited for length, transitions, and volume.
Automatic English captions are available. Listen for the coyotes from 0:53.
01 / BEFORE THE HEADLAMPS
A place to stay.
A long night ahead.
The weekend began with Aimee at The Inn Crowd, a bed and breakfast in Holden. A wraparound porch, a table set inside, autumn leaves over the pergola: a lovely place to spend the hours before the race.
We stayed there before the start. Once I was on the course, Aimee went back to the inn to stay, then came to meet me at the finish. Her weekend and mine took different routes through the night, with the same place to meet on Sunday.
02 / INTO THE NIGHT
The woods were already awake.
Before checking in, we could see the headlamps of hundred-mile runners coming through. Then there was the start area: runners, music, lights, and a gathering in the woods late on a Saturday night.
Aimee and I took a photograph together before I headed out. My friend from work, Colin, was there too; we caught a photograph with our headlamps ready for the night. At the first mile, the plan was simple: take it easy. Forty-nine to go.
A small circle of light.
The early recordings are full of footsteps and headlamps. I talked about taking care on the rocky sections, making better time on the easier ground, and using the route on my watch when a turn went wrong.
There was vegetable soup at an aid station, gloves as the night cooled, and stars overhead. At mile eleven, a message from Aimee came through. Even while we were in different places, she was part of the run.
Company at halfway.
Near the halfway point, I caught up with my friend from work, Colin. We talked about the race and getting to the finish ahead of the rain. In the next update, I was still talking about how good it had been to catch up with him.
Twenty-five miles down. Another twenty-five ahead.
03 / THE WORLD COMES BACK INTO VIEW
Then the morning colors.
After hours of darkness, the camera began to pick up the sky, the stone walls, and the changing leaves. At the aid station I changed out of my long tights. Getting moving again was hard, but now there was autumn all around me to look at.
The recordings kept coming: a few words about the last mile, a view of the trail, the next number to reach. The race was getting smaller, one check-in at a time.
By the later miles, I was chasing a finish under twelve hours. The smooth Trunkline Trail let me move; the rock gardens made me work for it. At forty-nine, there was just one mile left.
04 / THE MILE JOURNAL
Come along for the miles.
Short updates from the course, in order. Choose a mile to hear what was happening then, or begin at one and follow the night into morning. The mile numbers follow my own race updates.
1 of 49 recordings
Mile 1
Taking it easy, with forty-nine miles ahead.
Read the automatic transcript
all right one mile in, taking it easy 49 to go
Original race audio. Automatic captions and transcripts may contain errors.
05 / BACK TOGETHER
Aimee at the finish.
Pizza after fifty.
Aimee met me at the finish, just as we had planned. She caught the last steps on video. A little later, with the race behind me, there was pizza and one more check-in.
In that last update, I said we had broken twelve hours. I was already saying I couldn’t wait to do it again. The camera was nearly out of battery.
From the inn to the starting line, through the night, and back together in daylight. Fifty miles, one at a time.
2026 PRELIMINARY RESULTS
1st place in my age division.
I finished first in the men’s 50–59 age group, and Colin took third in the same group.
| Runner | Age-group place | Course time | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Stock | 1st of 7 | 11:54:29 | 38th |
| Colin | 3rd of 7 | 13:06:02 | 57th |
From the organizer’s preliminary results dated October 11, 2026, checked October 13. Colin is listed as Graham Campbell in the results. Placements and times may change when the results are finalized.
The 2026 50-mile event ran overnight on October 10–11, from Rutland State Park to Douglas State Forest. The mile journal follows my own recordings; the course times and placements above come from the organizer’s preliminary results.
Official race informationThe courseRace results and updatesThe Inn Crowd
More about the Midstate
- Race photos and filmsNew England Race Events’ media archive includes photo galleries and race films from earlier editions.
- A hundred years of the Midstate TrailThe organizer’s March 2026 preview of the trail’s centennial and this year’s race, published by Endurance Sportswire.
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