The lightest weekend of out-of-state racing in months featured just one Massachusetts resident toeing the starting line at a race beyond the Bay State, but that runner – Lynnfield resident Dan Kelley – more than made his presence felt when he traveled cross-country to California for the Golden Gate Trail Race 50K. This week’s roundup is a one-man show.

Golden Gate Trail Race

Dan Kelley’s ultramarathon debut came two years ago at the Golden Gate Trail Run 50K, and he proved to be a mighty strong runner back then as he earned a fifth-place finish.

Kelley returned to the race at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on Saturday, July 7, in Rodeo Beach, Calif., and proved just how much stronger of a runner he has become in the two years that have gone by. Kelley, a 40-year-old resident of Lynnfield, Mass., once again took on the course’s singletrack trails, dirt roads, and more than 6,500 feet of climbing. Once again, he found himself racing among the fastest runners.

Kelley cruised past views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge as he hammered the course, chasing 31-year-old Robert Ressl-Moyer of Sacramento, Calif., and battling with 18-year-old Nick Cioci of Auburn, Calif. The trio would be the only runners to finish the race in less than five hours.

Ultimately, Ressl-Moyer earned the victory in 4:40:51, Kelley secured second place in 4:48:33, and Cioci rounded out the podium in 4:55:02. Kelley delivered the fifth-fastest time in course history, while Ressl-Moyer’s checked in at third on the course record board.

The top 13 runners finished in less than six hours, and 46 finished within the nine-hour time limit.

*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.