As the summer ultramarathon racing season nears its final weeks, New England runners traveled from coast to coast to take part in a mix of new events and long-time classics. From top-25 finishes at the high-altitude Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, to the Bigfoot 200 in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, to the Mountain Lakes Backyard Ultra in nearby New York, and more, there’s plenty to read in this week’s roundup. Additionally, several local runners also raced the Twisted Branch 100K in New York, though results from that race aren’t yet available. 

The Eastern States 100 and Anchor Down Ultra were just two of the hundreds of ultramarathons nationwide that were forced to cancel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only to make strong returns in 2021. Both events welcomed back runners – including several New England residents – during the Aug. 13-14 weekend, and both saw runners from the region bring home impressive victories. Those races, as well as the 6-Hours on Lover’s Lane Ultra in Vermont, are featured in this week’s roundup.

With the return on in-person racing for the Trail Animals Running Club on Saturday, Aug. 7, the majority of Massachusetts ultrarunners who raced during the Aug. 6-8 weekend did so at the TARC Summer Classic. Several others headed north to New Hampshire, though, and joined a mix of New England and national runners to take part in the solo 50K or the three-day stage race at the Ragged 75. Additionally, a few more New Englanders headed West to Colorado for some high-altitude racing at the Silverton Ultra Dirty endurance races. The Summer Classic will be covered in a separate story, but the Ragged 75 and Silverton races are featured in this week’s roundup.

The final day of July and first day of August featured several big performances from New England ultrarunners as they tackled courses across the country. Some ventured to the Mountain West for high-altitude adventures such as the High Lonesome 100; others stayed closer to home, with several heading to the mountains of Vermont for the Moosalamoo 36-miler. Then there was Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman who road-tripped to New York and delivered a sizzling performance in the 100-mile race at the Beast of Burden – Summer Edition. Hoffman’s victory highlighted a busy weekend of racing and leads off this week’s roundup.