Ultrarunners from Massachusetts had ample opportunities at home and away to tackle ultramarathons – and they took full advantage. While some headed to the Blue Hills Reservation to take part in the Trail Animals Running Club’s classic “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, dozens more headed to other parts of New England – Vermont and Connecticut, specifically – to take part in the Runamuck 50K, the Enchanted Forest 6-Hour Ultra and the Traprock 50K. Several others left New England altogether and competed in at least seven other ultramarathons ranging from 50K to 100 miles. Those non-New England ultras were captured in a previous roundup, so this one is focused on the ultras in Vermont and Connecticut. Don’t Run Boston will be covered in a separate story once results are available. Here’s round two of this week’s roundup – New England Edition.

Runamuck 50K

The Runamuck 50K ditched the “muck” for snow in 2018, but the “muck” was back this year for the sixth annual race on Saturday, April 13, in Pomfret, Vt. Indeed, runners at this year’s race – which takes place on country roads – didn’t miss the eight inches of snow that transformed the course into a slick, sloppy obstacle course. Instead, they were treated to typical conditions. April thunderstorms turned the 27 miles of dirt roads into mud, and the four miles of pavement allowed them to shake their shoes clean.

As is typically the case at Runamuck, however, runners still crank out pretty fast times. This year was no different in that regard.

Thomas Gennaro took full advantage of his Runamuck debut. The 32-year-old resident of Boston, Mass., built upon his victory last fall at the Trapp Lodge Mountain Marathon by hammering out a victory in 3:40:39. His time was the fourth-fastest in course history. Gennaro held off 24-year-old Saul Ramirez of White River Junction, Vt., who placed second in 3:42:47. Sylvain Gelinas, 46, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, was third in 3:55:12, exactly one minute ahead of 32-year-old Brandon Baker of New London, N.H. Pavol Cvik, 33, of Melrose, Mass., rounded out the top five in 4:05:15.

The women’s race also saw its share of speedy times. Christin Doneski secured the No. 2 spot on the women’s course record-board with her winning effort of 4:06:35. For Doneski, 48, of Hopkinton, N.H., the only runner to go faster than her was Sarah Keyes in 2018 (4:01:30). Meanwhile, women’s runner-up Dylan Broderick notched her third straight podium finish at the race and her fastest time in three tries. The 28-year-old from Montpelier, Vt., placed second in 4:19:10. Karen Benway, 47, of Williston, Vt., rounded out the women’s podium in 4:29:47.

Eleven more Massachusetts residents joined Gennaro and Cvik among the finishers. Both Jacob Varekamp, 44, of Norwell, and Pedro Grullon, 35, of Lawrence, landed in the overall top 10. Varekamp placed seventh in 4:08:53 while Grullon was ninth in 4:12:12. Other finishers from the Bay State were Andrew McLaughlin, 64, of Georgetown (4:59:31); Sean Murphy, 25, of Cambridge (5:00:33); Lynn Poyant, 55, of New Bedford (5:14:59); Ryan Powers, 38, of Fairhaven (5:18:55); Mark Gauthier, 50, of Fairhaven (5:41:14); David Shanahan, 38, of Auburn (5:58:05); Dane LeBlanc, 61, of Littleton (6:06:22); Marilyn Oberhardt, 54, of Arlington (6:10:57); and Michelle Aulson, 40, of Georgetown (8:21:32).

Click here for full results.

Enchanted Forest 6-Hour

After enjoying a successful day at the 2018 Enchanted Forest 6-Hour Ultra where he logged 38.5 miles and earned a first-place finish, Eric Ciocca sought to make more good memories when he returned to race the third annual event on Saturday, April 13, in Stratford, Conn.

Ciocca, 41, of Northampton, Mass., was one of 64 runners to take part in the race. Runners tackled a 3.5-mile loop course in the Roosevelt Forest and received credit for laps completed within the time limit. Twenty-five ran more than a marathon distance, and 13 completed at least nine laps for 31.5 miles and a solid 50K. Only one went beyond that distance: Ciocca.

Ciocca matched his 2018 mileage, completing 38.50 miles to tie himself for second on the course-record board while bringing home the win.
Unlike 2018 when he cranked out one final loop to top the remainder of the field, Ciocca won by a two-lap, seven-mile advantage.

The 12 runners who completed 31.5 miles were: Simon Edgett, 43, of Milford, Conn.; Thomas Reilly, 26, of Boston, Mass.; first-place woman Tiffany Sivco, 38, of Wappingers Falls, N.Y.; Bernie Prat, 33, of Fairfield, Conn.; Jonathan Kaptcianos, 32, of Greenwich, Conn.; Chris Graham, 54, of Wilton, Conn.; Justin Kousky, 38, of Westport, Mass.; Pascal Fuchs, 49, of Fairfield, Conn.; Beth-Ann Grant, 47, of Hamden, Conn.; John Gregson, 39, of Wilton, Conn.; and Brendan Gallagher, 38, of Stratford, Conn.

Runners completing eight laps for 28.0 miles were: Jeannine Fagan, 49, of Bethel, CT; Kevin Mogerley, 33, of St. George, VT; Thomas Shors, 49, of Malden, MA; Sharon Czako, 32, of Plainville, CT; Fiona Cosham, 52, of Southbury, CT; Toni Canora, 49, of Stamford, CT; Noelle Colbert, 42, of West Springfield, MA; Anne Moreno, 41, of Trumbull, CT; and David Carruthers, 50, of Stratford, CT.

Click here for full results.

Traprock 50K

Rachel Bainbridge didn’t quite take down the women’s course record at the tenth annual Traprock 50K on Saturday, April 13, in Bloomfield, Conn., but she made a mighty effort.
Bainbridge, 32, of Arlington, Mass., was racing just her second 50K, but she performed like a seasoned veteran on the three-loop course that adds up to nearly 33 miles in distance on the Metacomet Trail.

Bainbridge was the fifth overall finisher of the race and the first-place woman in 5:57:12. It was a personal-best at the distance (she ran a 6:16:20 while placing seventh at the Ragged 50K last year in New Hampshire) and it landed her second all-time on the women’s course-record board behind Kristina Folcik’s winning mark of 5:48:16 in 2018.

Joining Bainbridge on the women’s podium were Debbie Livingston, 44, of Bolton, Conn. (6:35:05), and Melody Mallozzi, 27, of Brighton, Mass. (6:45:54). Molly Karp, 37, of Natick, Mass., was the fourth-place woman in 6:53:07.

Joffrey Peters, 34, of Lebanon, N.H., was the men’s winner in 5:35:17, followed by two men from Vermont. Canaan resident David Herr, 53, finished second in 5:41:17, followed by 48-year-old South Burlington resident David Ricklefs in 5:46:41.

Seventy-nine runners finished the race in nine hours. Others from Massachusetts who finished were Jack Bailey, 40, of Medway (6:28:15); Jimmy MacDonald, 30, of Boston (6:40:45); Matthew George, 41, of Worcester (7:13:05); Steven Snook, 59, of Shelburne Falls (7:29:20); Sam Farnsworth, 58, of Stow (7:33:11); Seth Brewer, 36 of Canton (7:39:31); Wayne Ball, 44, of Feeding Hills, MA (7:42:38); Christopher Havens, 27, of Marblehead (7:48:48); Justin Chauvin, 27, of Sturbridge (7:48:49); Kevin Mullen, 61, of Fairhaven (8:36:37); Scott Burch, 47, of Belchertown (8:38:13); and Katya Divari, 57, of Ashland (8:56:59).

Click here for full results.

*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.