The pandemic-abbreviated in-person ultrarunning season is winding down in New England, but two ultras took place during the Oct. 24-25 weekend. Two Massachusetts residents – Lori Mitchener and Adam Ribeiro – brought home wins at the 24-Hour Trail Ultra Survival of the F.I.T.test in Rhode Island, while several runners from the region tackled tough Connecticut trails at the Pachaug 50K.

24-Hour Trail Ultra Survival of the F.I.T.test

Lori Mitchener is no stranger to leading the pack. The resident of Lynnfield, Mass., has done plenty of winning during the past few years, including victories at the Keys 100-miler, Daytona 100-miler and Pine Creek 100-miler in 2019.

Her pandemic-shortened 2020 has included virtual 100-mile performances at the Vernal Equinox 24-Hour Ultra and the Canal Corridor 100.

Mitchener returned to racing in person on Oct. 24-25 at the 24-Hour Trail Ultra Survival of the F.I.T.test at Cumberland Monastery in Cumberland, R.I., and she once again was the front-runner.

Fifty-two runners took part in the 24-hour race on a 4.2-mile loop course with 290 feet of gain per loop. Of those who started, 51 completed at least a 50K and the top 22 ran 100K or beyond. The top three runners all completed 24 laps for 100.8 miles, and Mitchener got it done first for the overall win.

Mitchener, 44, was joined at 100.8 miles by men’s winner Adam Ribeiro, 29, of Marlborough, Mass., and women’s runner-up Anastasia Eleftheriadis, 42, of Marblehead, Mass.

Melissa Roper, 44, of Sherborn, Mass., rounded out the women’s podium and finished fourth overall with 82 miles. The women’s field was particularly strong as it produced seven of the top 11 overall finishers.

William Leonard, 54, of Brookfield, N.H., was the second-place male and fifth overall finisher with 77.9 miles. Lee Pellerin, 42, of East Hardwick, Vt., completed the men’s podium with 69.7 miles.

Pachaug 50K

The second annual Pachaug Trail Runs and inaugural 50K race took place Saturday, Oct. 24, at Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown, Conn.

In its first year, the event played host to a 50-miler, but that distance was replaced with a “heavy” 50K for 2020. Runners covered around 33 miles on the two-loop course and amassed around 3,200 feet of gain along the way.

A competitive race in the men’s field saw the top four runners all finish in less than five hours. John Snow, 29, of Cheshire, Conn., emerged victorious in 4:32:38, followed by 36-year-old Dan Bates of Newington, Conn., in 4:41:02. Jack Ruske, 25, of Boston, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 4:46:49, followed by 26-year-old Steven Young of Fabius, N.Y., in 4:51:26.

In the women’s field, 39-year-old Stacey Clark of Fort Collins, Colo., dominated with a winning time of 5:27:44. Her closest competitor, 41-year-old Erin-Kate Aleksak of Waterford, Conn., was a distant second in 6:07:34, followed by 38-year-old Molly Karp of Natick, Mass., in 6:24:46.

Eighty runners finished the race within nine 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.