The 2017 edition of the Vermont 50 was an unseasonable scorcher, but normal conditions returned for the 2018 version of the race on Sunday, Sept. 30, with the 26th running of the race at Ascutney Mountain Resort in Brownsville, Vt.

Runners tackled 50-mile or 50K distances on the trails and dirt country roads of the surrounding communities. Whereas a year ago the journey felt like running through a sauna, this time it was more of a tiring trot through the tranquil mountains, meadows and maple farms – conditions that runners grew accustomed to during the 2016 and 2015 editions of the race.

The temperature lingered around 40 degrees when the 50-milers started shortly before sunrise, and it was in the low 50s when the 50K race got underway. At its hottest, runners were warmed by sunlight and low-60s temperatures that made for an ideal fall day.

In the 50-mile race, Vermont resident Aliza Lapierre, 38, of Williston cruised to the women’s win in 7:43:20, placing seventh overall. Meanwhile, the men’s victory came down to the wire as 23-year-old Andrew Erickson of Stewartstown, Pa., outkicked 22-year-old Andrew MacGibbon of Goffstown, N.H., down the stretch and won by 40 seconds. Erickson’s time was 6:56:58 while MacGibbon followed in 6:57:38.

Thirty-three Massachusetts residents were among the 179 who completed the 50-mile race led by 29-year-old Katka Smolarova of Boston who was the sixth female and 23rd overall finisher in a speedy 8:26:59. Smolarova missed cracking the women’s top five by just 13 seconds. Another top Bay State performer was Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman, 40, who was the 12th-place woman in 9:18:35. Hoffman’s performance came just one week after earning the overall victory at the Forgotten Forest 9-Hour Ultra in Connecticut where she set a new course record with 53.27 miles.

Neil Wheaton, 51, of Winchester was the top Massachusetts male finisher in the 50-miler. He placed 39th overall in 9:11:25.

A full listing of Massachusetts finishers is provided below.

While the 50-mile race threw 8,000 feet of climbing at runners, the 50K race overlapped with parts of the 50-mile course and had around 5,500 feet of gain. The race featured a pair of runaway winners – Keith Lundquist, 32, of Hopkinton, N.H. (4:18:11), and Lydia Gill, 26, of Freedom, N.H. (4:46:32) – were the men’s and women’s winners, easily outdistancing their closest competitors by more than 20 minutes apiece while placing first and third overall.

Lundquist may have dominated the men’s race, but a pair of Massachusetts men helped round out the top five as 29-year-old Ty Van Der Linden of Cambridge cracked the men’s podium in third (fourth overall) in 4:49:48 and another Cambridge resident, 24-year-old David Bain, placed fifth among the men (sixth overall) in 4:57:14.

The top seven overall runners finished in less than five hours. Boston resident Richard Carris, 31, nearly did so, placing seventh among the men and eighth overall in 5:00:20. He was followed by Grigory Kolesov, 42, of Brookline, in 5:02:26; Matthew Marden, 40, of Framingham in 5:03:09; and 48-year-old Neil Feldman of Boylston who rounded out the men’s top 10 (11th overall) in 5:04:01.

Emily Seminerio, 30, of Belmont was the fastest finisher among the Massachusetts women. She was 43rd overall and 10th among the women in 5:56:01.

Fifty Massachusetts residents were among the 218 runners to finish the 50K race.

MASSACHUSETTS RESULTS
50-Mile Run
Place, Name, Age; City, State; Time
23 Katka Smolarova, 29; Boston, MA; 8:26:59
39 Neil Wheaton, 51; Winchester, MA; 9:11:25
42 Jennifer Hoffman, 40; Cambridge, MA; 9:18:35
50 Mickel McClish, 47; Salem, MA; 9:33:58
58 Douglas Hsu, 38; West Roxbury, MA; 9:45:57
61 Remington Stone, 25; Jamaica Plain, MA; 9:50:06
63 Dean Barbera, 42; Westford, MA; 9:59:05
66 Christopher Haley, 62; Medfield, MA; 10:05:12
67 Sara Staats, 42; Winchester, MA; 10:06:46
69 Matt Howard, 34; Westfield, MA; 10:07:42
72 Juan Santos, 31; Boston, MA; 10:13:36
74 Samuel Osborn, 26; Boston, MA; 10:16:08
82 John Walker, 40; Longmeadow, MA; 10:31:13
89 David Diriwachter, 49; Vineyard Haven, MA; 10:37:13
92 Wayne Ball, 44; Feeding Hills, MA; 10:38:32
94 Rob Hand, 28; Mansfield, MA; 10:39:15
103 Chris Perkins, 49; Sheffield, MA; 10:46:54
108 Barry Ahern, 47; East Sandwich, MA; 10:49:19
109 George Gomes, 56; East Sandwich, MA; 10:49:35
110 Rebecca Spencer, 43; Amherst, MA; 10:50:04
111 Ericka Emerson, 47; Easthampton, MA; 10:50:14
117 Renee Demarsh, 53; East Sandwich, MA; 10:55:48
119 Christopher Bustard, 30; Stoneham, MA; 10:58:22
125 Mark Gauthier, 49; Fairhaven, MA; 11:06:41
137 Jodie Davis, 26; Dorchester Center, MA; 11:24:06
142 Heather Barackman, 43; Woburn, MA; 11:26:24
149 Matthew Smith, 31; Lancaster, MA; 11:30:49
160 Eric Seales, 36; Cambridge, MA; 11:42:36
162 Robert Bayliss, 35; Florence, MA; 11:44:19
165 Brian Jowder, 43; Quincy, MA; 11:46:31
171 Robert Falconi, 67; Milton, MA; 11:50:42
174 Paul Notari, 48; Bridgewater, MA; 12:01:16
179 Tracy Reusch, 54; Harvard, MA; 12:22:19

50K Run
Place, Name, Age; City, State; Time
4 Ty Van Der Linden, 29; Cambridge, MA; 4:49:48
6 David Bain, 24; Cambridge, MA; 4:57:14
8 Richard Carrick, 31; Boston, MA; 5:00:20
9 Grigory Kolesov, 42; Brookline, MA; 5:02:26
10 Matthew Marden, 40; Framingham, MA; 5:03:09
11 Neil Feldman, 48; Boylston, MA; 5:04:01
13 Jason Sarouhan, 41; Northampton, MA; 5:06:14
16 Alexander Nichols, 33; Lincoln, MA; 5:08:45
20 Donald Pacher, 46; Easthampton, MA; 5:24:48
27 James Zschau, 53; Duxbury, MA; 5:35:52
32 Steven Roszko, 47; Easthampton, MA; 5:40:35
43 Emily Seminerio, 30; Belmont, MA; 5:56:01
47 Niveen Ismail, 36; Florence, MA; 6:01:48
49 Lizzy Dickey, 31; Boston, MA; 6:05:02
60 Jeremiah Clark, 31; Clinton, MA; 6:12:10
85 Crystal Ross, 37; Carver, MA; 6:38:36
86 Christina Hall, 38; Plymouth, MA; 6:38:37
88 Jamie Hofstetter, 24; Cambridge, MA; 6:39:22
89 Jessa McIntosh, 40; Dover, MA; 6:39:27
95 Mia Vigener, 20; Sudbury, MA; 6:42:37
102 Todd Cleland, 49; Oak Bluffs, MA; 6:52:00
103 Alex Markle, 37; Burlington, MA; 6:52:32
106 Catherine Sullivan, 39; Scituate, MA; 6:55:00
109 Audrius Ivanauskas, 45; Quincy, MA; 6:56:43
115 Steve Collopy, 61; Holliston, MA; 7:04:15
117 Maxfield Green, 21; Arlington, MA; 7:07:01
118 Kimber Green, 51; Arlington, MA; 7:07:01
123 Scott McConchie, 50; Needham Heights, MA; 7:09:35
124 David Konieczynski, 51; Needham, MA; 7:09:35
125 Lee Garf, 41; Needham Heights, MA; 7:09:36
130 Scott MacDonald, 51; Hingham, MA; 7:16:22
133 Anthony Holand, 42; Vineyard Haven, MA; 7:17:05
135 Patrick Flaherty, 58; Quincy, MA; 7:20:02
138 John Benevides, 54; New Bedford, MA; 7:20:24
146 Alexander Mansfield, 30; Jamaica Plain, MA; 7:25:04
147 Lada Sycheva, 32; Brookline, MA; 7:26:15
149 Michelle Smith, 47; Sudbury, MA; 7:29:05
150 Kamran Tavangar, 54; Lexington, MA; 7:30:12
161 Kayla Boisvert, 33; Florence, MA; 7:39:15
169 Erinbridget Daylor, 44; Lakeville, MA; 7:55:20
170 Shaun Daylor, 39; Lakeville, MA; 7:55:20
184 Curtis Rising, 51; Manchester, MA; 8:13:07
186 Benjamin Ray, 40; Boston, MA; 8:17:14
187 Marissa Ross, 30; Boston, MA; 8:17:16
189 Sara Caton, 48; Medway, MA; 8:18:43
192 Kevin Draper, 46; Acton, MA; 8:26:37
196 Chris Williams, 50; Pembroke, MA; 8:32:53
201 Michael Casini, 37; Milton, MA; 8:40:15
204 Kristin Rude, 32; Medford, MA; 8:58:25
212 Peter Bonnette, 50; Wellesley Hills, MA; 9:32:45