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.

Ragged 75

David Sinclair didn’t quite manage to eclipse his course record at the Ragged 75 50K on Sunday, Aug. 8, in Danbury, N.H., but the 29-year-old former Vermont resident and current resident of Truckee, Calif., did manage to clock the second-fastest time in course history and secure his third straight victory, winning in 4:26:25. Sinclair set the course record of 4:17:36 with his 2018 victory, and then ran 4:40:51 while winning in 2019. The 2020 individual race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though the event’s stage race was held as scheduled.

Sinclair’s closest competitor was the same as in 2019; 27-year-old Ben Robinson of Tunkhannock, Pa., was the runner-up in 4:41:11, followed by 30-year-old Pier Pennoyer of Bartlett, N.H., in 4:54:45. Philip Royer, 30, of Boston, Mass., was the first runner off the podium, placing fourth overall out of 178 finishers 5:08:15.

Kimber Mattox, 32, of Bend, Ore., finished eighth overall and dominated the women’s field, winning in 5:19:47. Mattox’s time was the second-fastest by a female in course history. Britta Clark, 27, of Goshen, Vt., had a strong race and placed second in 5:47:01, followed by Abigail Levene, 30, of Boulder, Colo., in 5:52:03.

In addition to Royer, notable performances by Massachusetts residents included a 10th-place overall finish from Brian Amaral, 27, of Tewksbury in 5:31:24; a 20th-place finish by Paulo Amaral, 40, of Lowell in 5:59:13; a 28th-place overall finish by Colleen Chase, 25, of Princeton in 6:25:58; and a 29th-place overall finish by Rebecca Barney, 28, of Arlington in 6:29:32.

The 50K race was a bit heavy on distance, measuring 33 miles while challenging runners with 6,300 feet of vertical gain. For runners who only took on that race, it was difficult enough. For those who entered the three-day stage race, it was a brutal finish that followed a 22-mile effort on Friday that involved summiting Mt. Ragged and Mt. Kearsarge, and then a 25-mile effort Saturday that included a trip to the top of Mt. Sunapee. Collectively, stage racers amassed more than 15,000 feet of climbing.

Justin Neuman, 44, of New Haven, Conn., led the men’s field in the stage race – but just barely. His collective time of 14:39:18 edged runner-up Oliver Mednick, 30, of Fayston, Vt., by just two seconds. David Hathaway, 50, of Elyria, Ohio, rounded out the men’s podium in 16:52:35. James Coletta, 37, of Wilbraham, Mass., was the first runner off the podium, finishing fourth in the stage race in 17:35:18, four minutes ahead of 51-year-old David Ricklefs of Middlebury, Vt., who finished fifth (17:39:12) and seven minutes ahead of sixth-place finisher Eric Hollis, 36, of Holden, Mass. (17:42:37).

Leading the way in the women’s field was 45-year-old Katie Kretschmer of Bow, N.H., who won the stage race in 19:40:18. Lisa Rising, 30, of Cambridge, Mass., put up a strong fight and finished second just 10 minutes back in 19:50:31, followed by 34-year-old Allie Bartak of Sunapee, N.H., in 20:22:09.

Of the 65 runners who started the stage race, 52 ultimately finished.

Silverton Ultra Dirty

A pair of Massachusetts men took on a grueling high-altitude 60K race at the Silverton Ultra Dirty trail races Aug. 6-8 in Silverton, Colo., and celebrated hard-earned finishes.

Pat Kantlehner, 35, of Newton, and Chris Kantlehner, 38, of Wrentham, were among the 92 runners to successfully complete the mountain race – much of it at more than 11,000 feet above sea level or higher – within 18 ½ hours.

Pat Kantlehner finished 19th overall in 9:50:05, while Chris Kantlehner finished in 1025:53 and placed 31st. Justin Grunewald, 35, of Boulder, Colo., earned the overall victory by 61 minutes, winning in 6:08:42.

The 60K race was the shortest of three distances offered at the endurance festival. Runners also took on 100-mile and 100K races. No New England residents competed in the 100K, though 34-year-old Nicholas Cardwell of Durham, N.H., secured a spot on the podium in the 100-miler, placing third in 28:30:37. Dustin Johnson, 37, of Breckenridge, Colo., won the 100-miler in 27:07:01.

*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.