Justin Fitzgerald used the 2016 Winter Beast of Burden 50-miler to jumpstart what proved to be a strong year of ultrarunning. The resident of Malden, Mass., completed at least eight ultras in 2016 – including the Ghost Train 100-miler in October in Brookline, N.H.

Fitzgerald is once again registered for the Ghost Train 100 in 2017, and he’s starting the new year in similar fashion.

He returned to the Winter Beast of Burden on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Lockport, N.Y. Fitzgerald cruised through the two out-and-backs of the flat, mostly crushed-gravel course along the Erie Canal and finished 14^th overall in 10:46:03. He was the sixth male finisher.

It was Fitzgerald’s third time completing the 50-miler at Winter Beast of Burden. He also finished the race in 2014 and 2016.

Local Lockport resident Jim Salmeri, 29, was the overall winner of the 50-miler race in 6:26:54, exactly 15 minutes ahead of runner-up and women’s champion Angie Darbyson, 34, of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

Additionally, Craig Fox, 26, of Woburn, Mass., finished 30^th overall in 20:14:10.

A total of 32 runners finished the 50-mile race within the 24-hour time limit.

In the 100-mile race, 27 of the 28 starters completed the race within the 30-hour time limit. Runners in that race completed the out-and-back course four times. No 100-mile participants were from Massachusetts.

*Editor’s Note: Results are found on a variety of sites, including ultrasignup.com, UltraRunning Magazine, and official race websites. We do the best we can to find as many results as possible to report on and recognize the local ultrarunning community.