In yet another sign that some semblance of normalcy is returning to New England – and the ultrarunning community more specifically, September came to a close with the running of the Vermont 50. Yes, the 2020 race was canceled due to the pandemic, but the popular event and New England classic returned on Sept. 26. More than 250 runners finished either the 50-mile or 50K distance, with winners and podium finishers coming from some of the local runners, so the Vermont 50 leads off this edition of the roundup.

A jam-packed final weekend of summer racing took place in New England during the Sept. 17-19 weekend. While a few runners headed out of the region to race the Grindstone 100 in Virginia and Run Rabbit Run 100 in Colorado (see separate roundup), many stayed closer to home and took on ultras in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine. All of those races are included in this edition of the roundup.

The final weekend of summer racing was a busy one for ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England, with runners tackling races throughout the region and beyond during the Sept. 17-19 weekend. Five out-of-state ultras took place throughout New England; we’ll highlight all of those in the second of two roundups from the weekend. But in this first one, we recap the accomplishments of a pack of New England residents who tackled the 101.85-mile Grindstone 100 in Virginia, as well as a few others who conquered the mountains of Colorado at the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler.

Mid-September presented the busiest weekend of ultramarathon racing this year, with dozens of runners from Massachusetts and greater New England branching out beyond the Bay State to race throughout the country. This second of two roundups aims to recap results from the Sept. 10-12 weekend, with the top highlight coming from Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman who threw down a women’s course record and the third-fastest time of anybody in history at the Pine Creek Challenge 100-miler in Pennsylvania.