Max Darnell returned from ultramarathon hibernation, and Dan Kelley earned his second runner-up finish in two weeks. Those stories highlight this week’s roundup.

Mt. Hood 50

It has been awhile since Max Darnell last raced an ultramarathon, but his long-distance speed certainly didn’t disappear during his time away from the starting line.

Darnell, whose last ultra came in 2016 when he ran a sub-24-hour Leadville 100 in Colorado, made his return at the 20^th annual Mt. Hood 50 on Saturday, July 14, in Timothy Lake, Ore. The 29-year-old resident of Cambridge, Mass., made his presence felt as he was one of the frontrunners throughout the day. Nearly 150 runners started the 50-mile race on the out-and-back course on the Pacific Crest Trail, and Darnell spent his day in the top 10, navigating the 5,600 feet of climbing on the shaded, technical trails, and ultimately earned a third-place finish in 7:11:14. The top two runners, 29-year-old Paul Weeks of Seattle, Wash., and 43-year-old Matt Zuchetto of Spokane, Wash., were the lone sub-7-hour finishers. Weeks won the race in 6:08:30 while Zuchetto was a distant second in 6:55:40. Darnell finished six minutes ahead of the fourth-place finisher, 35-year-old Alex Hudgins of San Francisco, Calif. Of the 135 finishers, the top 12 finished in less than eight hours, including women’s winner Hannah Bright, 23, of Portland, Ore., who was 12^th overall in 7:56:54.

In addition to the 50-mile race, 131 runners finished the 50K race. That included Gabrielle Balestrier, 25, and Derek Domino, 25, both of Boston, MA, who finished one second apart with Balestrier turning in a time of 6:30:30 and Domino crossing the line right behind her. They placed 76^th and 77^th, respectively, and were well under the nine-hour time limit.

Lake Chabot 50K

Dan Kelley tacked on a second runner-up finish during his trip to the West Coast. After finishing second at the Golden Gate Summer 50K on July 7 in Rodeo Beach, Calif., Kelley was back at it again on Sunday, July 15. This time he raced the Lake Chabot 50K in Casto Valley, Calif., and he once again delivered a strong performance.

Kelley, 40, of Lynnfield, Mass., found himself in a tight battle with Guillaume Hansel, 25, of Walnut Creek, Calif., in a race that went down to the wire. The course was ideal for fast runners – mostly dirt roads and asphalt with just 3,300 feet of climbing – and Hansel and Kelley capitalized. They delivered the two fastest times in the event’s five-year history. Ultimately, Hansel secured the win in 4:05:17, narrowly edging Kelley who finished moments later in 4:05:48. The third-place finisher – women’s winner Thia Angelo, 29, of Foster City, Calif. – followed in 4:21:21.

Thirty-five runners finished the race within eight hours.

Ethan Allen 24-Hour

The inaugural Ethan Allen 24-Hour Race, a fixed-time track event, took place July 14-15 on the 400-meter track at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vt.

Thirty-one runners took part in the inaugural 24-hour race, and five surpassed the 100-mile mark led by overall winner and women’s champion Emily Collins. The 39-year-old from Akron, Ohio, notched 113.1012 miles, holding off men’s champion and overall runner-up Chris Roberts, 33, of Washington, D.C., by less than two miles. The lone Massachusetts resident in the 24-hour race was 24-year-old Maude Gorman of Hingham. Gorman completed 27.2482 miles.

Eight runners took part in the 12-hour race, which was won by 50-year-old Byron Lane of Stony Brook, N.Y., with 70.298 miles. Hanna Littlefield, 26, of Pembroke, Mass., was the lone finisher from the Bay State. She finished fourth overall and was the second-place woman with 44.4736 miles. Amy Mower, 49, of Falls Church, Va., was the women’s winner and second overall finisher with 62.7572 miles.

Five runners took part in the six-hour race, led by 29-year-old George Klaeren of Rock Hill, S.C, who logged 33.019 miles.

*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.