A busy April came to a close with a typically busy final weekend courtesy of the historic Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras in Connecticut which saw several runners from the region tackle 100K, 50-mile and 50K distances, and two women in the 100K turned in some of the finest performances in the event’s 48-year history. Plus, Vermont’s Arlee Hiskey picked up her first ultra victory at the Falling Water 100K in West Virginia, and two New England women secured spots on the podium at the Ultra Race of Champions in Virginia. We also have local results from the O24 24-hour race in Ohio and the Troublesome Hollow 50K in Virginia. Additionally, a handful of New England residents took on the C&O Canal 100-miler in Maryland, though official results aren’t yet available so we’ll catch up on that race next week.

Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras

It’s not often that historic performances pop up at the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras. As Connecticut’s oldest ultra and one of the oldest 100Ks in the United States, there have been many great performances in the event’s storied history beginning in the 1970s. That made the women’s field particularly impressive at the 48th edition of the Jack Bristol Ultras on Sunday, April 30, in New Preston, Conn.

Two of the five fastest women’s 100K times in event history were turned in this year on the paved loop course. Colleen Eren, 41, of Huntington, N.Y., and Jenny Hoffman, 45, of Cambridge, Mass., left the field far behind and ran into the record books. Erens secured the overall win and fourth spot on the record board in 9:32:20 while Hoffman was the runner-up and lodged the fifth-fastest time in event history in 10:00:39. Claire Gadrow, 54, of South Kingstown, R.I., was third among the women and seventh overall in 11:28:57.

Jonathan Heideman, 27, of Norwich, Conn., finished third overall and first in the men’s field in 10:36:39, followed by 37-year-old Eric Dziedzinski of Bondsville, Mass., in 10:47:32.

Eleven runners finished the 100K within the 13-hour time limit. Other New England residents among the finishers were Nick Scachetti, 40, of Arlington, Mass., who was eighth overall in 11:45:51; Andrew Orefice, 45, of New Haven, Conn., who was ninth in 11:53:25; Franklyn Gandiaga, 35, of Derby, Conn., who placed 10th in 12:28:52; and Lauren Edelman, 42, of Bridgeport, Conn., who was 11th in 12:34:13.

The Jack Bristol Ultras also included 50-mile and 50K races.

The 50-mile field saw 35 runners complete the distance with 14 doing so in less than 10 hours. Jenny Metzler, 29, of Carthage, N.Y., led all runners in 7:19:29 and posted the 10th-fastest women’s time in event history. Melissa Perkins-Banas, 52, of Brooklyn, Conn., was the second woman and fourth overall finisher in 8:36:02, and 61-year-old Kathleen Sanders of Manheim, Pa., was the third woman and 10th overall finisher in 9:20:47. Tony Bonanno, 57, of Ellington, Conn., placed second overall and first among the men in 7:56:41, followed by 42-year-old Mike Davis of Hamden, Conn., in 8:22:29, and 46-year-old Sandrock Tate of Nobleboro, Maine, in 8:54:41. Chris Merrifield, 41, of Niantic, Conn., also broke the 9-hour mark, finishing in 8:56:08.

Another 49 runners completed the 50K race, with the top 15 all finishing in less than five hours. David Martin, 34, of Hartford, Conn., and Jonathan Davis, 25, of Halfmoon, N.Y., led the way with speedy sub-4-hour finishes of 3:21:00 and 3:29:09, respectively. Michael Bielik, 43, of Pleasantville, N.Y., rounded out the men’s podium in 4:09:34. Salena Chatman, 45, of Middletown, Conn., placed fourth overall and first in the women’s field in 4:16:33. Liz Derstine, 37, of Cambridge, Mass., was seventh overall and the women’s runner-up in 4:28:32 and 42-year-old Anna Pluta of Weston, Conn. finished third in 4:37:27.

Falling Water 100K

Arlee Hiskey ran her first ultra less than two years ago, but on Saturday, April 29, the 29-year-old from South Burlington, Vt., secured her first ultra victory when she topped the women’s field at the inaugural Falling Water 100K in New River Gorge National Park, W.V.

The event used a 15.5-mile loop course with around 2,400 feet of climbing per loop including several miles from the Rim to River 100-mile course route. Hiskey built upon the lessons she learned during her second-place, 101-mile finish at the 2022 RUTFest by piecing together a dominant performance and became the first women’s champion at Falling Water in 13:30:02. Her closest competitor was more than 2 ½ hours behind, and Hiskey also secured fifth place overall.

Walt Barnett, 32, of Charlottesville, Va., topped the men’s field by a 65-minute cushion in 11:37:27.

Hiskey was one of two New England residents among the finishers. Claudia Kraut, 57, of Ridgefield, Conn., finished 41st overall in 18:19:59.

Of the 77 runners who started the race, 63 finished within the 22-hour time limit.

UROC

A pair of New England women secured spots on the podium at the 12th running of the Ultra Race of Champions on Saturday, April 29, at the George Washington National Forest in Skylark, Va.

Ashley Rancourt, 32, of Manchester, N.H., dominated the women’s field and won by a 46-minute margin in 13:42:24 while finishing sixth overall. Samantha Laabs, 31, of Manchester, Conn., joined her on the podium, finishing third in the women’s field in 14:47:52. Olivia Dalton, 31, of Lebanon, Pa., nabbed the second spot in 14:28:38.

Nathaniel Orders, 45, of Charleston, W.V., topped the men’s field by a 23-minute margin in 11:43:20.

Beyond the podium finishes, two more New England residents also finished the race. Tyler Gagnon, 32, of Manchester, Conn., placed 12th overall in 14:47:52, and 45-year-old Robert Gagnon of Tolland, Conn., was 21st in 16:00:24.

Twenty-nine runners finished the 100K race.

The event also had a 50K race but none of the 56 finishers were New England residents.

O24

Dan Cable is something of a regular at the O24 24-hour endurance festival – he has taken part in the 11th annual event six straight years.

Cable, a 43-year-old resident of Charlestown, N.H., made his sixth trip to the event on Saturday, April 29, in Kirtland, Ohio, and the former Ohio resident had another solid performance on the 1.00244-mile crushed limestone and dirt loop course at the Lake Metroparks Chapin Forest Reservation. Cable finished in the middle of the field of 163 runners by completing 45.1098 miles. The top 10 finishers all surpassed the 100-mile mark with 40-year-old Rick Hohman of Hudson, Ohio, completing 121.2952 miles, 13 miles more than the runner-up.

Troublesome Hollow 50K

Benjamin Dio picked a first-time event for his first ultramarathon.

Dio, 24, of Putnam, Conn., took on the inaugural Troublesome Hollow 50K on Saturday, April 29, in Bristol, Va. The course was mostly flat with the early miles following the North Fork Holston River and Abrams Creek with a few swinging bridge crossings.

Dio finished in the middle of the field in 7:54:36. There were 167 finishers, most within 10 hours. Amy Hamilton, 46, of Abington, Va., led all runners in 4:23:38. Men’s champion Garry Conner, 49, of Kingsport, Tenn., finished second overall in 4:40:22.

*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.