August 18 was all about the 100Ks. After a few busy weekends of in-state races, ultrarunners from Massachusetts headed beyond the state borders to tackle a trio of 100K races – two out west and one in neighboring New York. Additionally, numerous runners hit the road for Rhode Island for the Anchor Down Ultras. Results from Anchor Down are still being updated, so we’ll include them next week. That means this week’s roundup is all about the 100Ks.

Twisted Branch 100K

Two Massachusetts ultrarunners took part in the fourth annual Twisted Branch 100K on Saturday, Aug. 18, in Naples, N.Y. Art Beauregard, 40, of Framingham, and Michele Gorham, 38, of North Andover, faced a point-to-point course with around 10,000 feet of climbing on the Bristol Hills Branch Trail in the Finger Lakes region.

Both runners successfully completed the course, and Beauregard was among the faster runners in the field. He placed 16th overall in 13:52:13. Gorham spent more time on the trail and earned a trip across the finish line in 18:20:58.

Jim Sweeney, 37, of Albany, N.Y., earned his second straight victory on the course and broke his own course record by 75 seconds, winning outright in 10:12:59. Emeline Lagache, 34, of New York, N.Y., posted the fifth-fastest time on the women’s record board with her winning time of 14:03:02, good for 17th overall.

Of the 133 starters, 110 finished within the 20-hour time limit.

Castle Peak 100K

At just four years old, the Castle Peak 100K has developed a reputation for being one of the tougher trail ultras on the West Coast, and for good reason. The point-to-point course takes place almost entirely on rugged singletrack trails with more than 15,000 feet of climbing, all of it at altitude with an average elevation of 7,300 feet above sea level for the course.

Lisa Rising decided to see what it was all about. The 27-year-old resident of Cambridge, Mass., took part in the fourth annual event on Saturday, Aug. 18, in Truckee, Calif.

Rising was one of just three runners from the Northeast in the starting field of 143 – and the lone New Englander – and she held her own just fine. Thirty-five of those who started did not finish within the 22-hour time limit, but that didn’t affect Rising. She was done with plenty of time to spare.

Rising finished 48th overall and was the fifth-place female finisher in 17:00:57.

Megan Arauzo, 34, of Novato, Calif., was the women’s winner in 13:46:59 (18th overall), an hour ahead of her closest competitor. Patrick Parsel, 32, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., was the men’s winner in 11:26:41. The top five overall finishers completed the race in less than 13 hours.

Waldo 100K

Lizzy Dickey has done most of her ultramarathon racing in New England, but she ventured to the West Coast for the first time last November to take part in The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler in San Francisco, Calif. Dickey returned to the West Coast once again on Saturday, Aug. 18, to take part in another classic race – the 17th annual Waldo 100K in Oakridge, Ore.

Dickey, 31, of Boston, Mass., and her fellow runners took on a loop course that started and finished at Williamette Pass Ski Area and featured multiple climbs above 7,000 feet. Ninety-seven runners finished within 18 hours, led by 30-year-old Duncan Hodge of Portland, Ore., in 10:15:00, who finished nearly 22 minutes ahead of his closest competitor. Another Portland resident, 27-year-old Rachel Drake, was the women’s winner and seventh overall finisher in 11:42:19. Dickey finished 75th in 15:39:16.

*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.