In another of the rare in-person ultramarathons to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Massachusetts resident made his ultra debut and turned in a top-10 finish at the inaugural White Pine 50-Mile Backcountry Run in Utah. That performance by Boston’s Jack Murrel is featured in this week’s roundup.

White Pine 50 Backcountry Run

Jack Murrel didn’t pick an easy first ultramarathon when he selected the inaugural White Pine 50 Backcountry Run.

The 50-mile race, which took place Saturday, Aug. 29, in Garden City, Utah, was a challenging loop course that started and finished at the Beaver Mountain Ski Area, covered some of the trails from the grueling Bear 100 course, and amassed more than 9,000 feet of elevation gain. For Murrel, 26, of Boston, Mass., the challenge wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Competing in a small field due to COVID-19 restrictions – the race was capped at 50 participants, though just 35 started the race – Murrel held his own in the field and turned in a top-10 overall finish.

Paul Bradford, 20, of Logan, Utah, took home the win with a 64-minute cushion in 9:09:30. Rachel Dockendorf, 38, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was the fourth overall finisher and first female in 10:47:32. Murrel placed eighth overall and sixth among the men in 11:45:36.

Thirty-one runners completed the race within 18 hours.

*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.