The May ultrarunning calendar came to a close with a handful of New England events that attracted hundreds of runners for ultra and sub-ultra distances. That included the CT Trailmixers’ Spring Fling 600 in Connecticut, a 10-hour endurance challenge, as well as the popular Pineland Farms Trail Festival in Maine. Additionally, Infinitus offered an assortment of ultra-distance and multi-day options in Vermont. All three of these regional events are featured in this edition of the roundup.

Infinitus

The Endurance Society played host to the eighth edition of the Infinitus Ultras – and second year at its new home at Silver Towers after relocating from the Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen – as runners convened for 11 days of endurance joy and pain May 18-28 in Ripton, Vt. Runners once again had the option of racing a variety of distances and multi-day challenges ranging from 8 miles to 888K (551 miles), with the ultras taking place on a course consisting of two loops with a combined 4,850 feet of climbing over 26.3 miles.

Ten runners attempted the 888K (551 miles). None finished, but Tim Barbee, 43, of Columbia, Ill., lasted the longest as he completed 378 miles before dropping.

Three runners took on and finished the Deca-Marathon, completing 10 marathons in 10 days. Gary Shaw, 38, of Half Way, Mo., got it done first in 70:40. Jeremy Greenwood, 44, of Richmond, Va., was a distant second in 84:17, and 76-year-old John Spelko of Monson, Mass., rounded out the field in 87:57.

Eleven runners opted for the Penta-Marathon, racing five marathons in five days. Nine of those competitors ultimately finished. Peter Notarnicola, 28, of Amityville, N.Y., led all runners in 24:12, followed by 40-year-old Ben Zeigler of Walla Walla, Wash., in 26:41. A pair of women tied for third overall and first in the women’s field as Christina Hall, 42, of Plymouth, Mass., and Crystal Ross, 42, of Carver, Mass., crossed the finish line together in 30:36.

Seven runners attempted the Infinitus 250-mile race, and just two finished. Jim Ploof, 54, of Salisbury, Vt., earned the victory in 79:02. Shaun Daylor, 44, of Lakeville, Mass., joined him at the finish line 3 1/2 hours later in 82:32.

In the 100-mile race, 26 runners started and 17 ultimately finished. Patrick Hallahan, 35, of Syracuse, N.Y., led all runners in 21:46, followed by 28-year-old Lance Parker of Moretown, Vt., in 23:43. Sam Locke, 27, of Allenstown, N.H., secured the third spot on the men’s podium in 25:28, followed by 31-year-old Owen Rechampbell of East Montpelier, Vt., in 25:56. Women’s champion and lone female finisher Nichole Diedrick, 43, of Delafield, Wisc., finished fifth overall in 26:57. Other New England residents among the 100-mile finishers were Wyatt Shattuck, 22, of Middlebury, Vt. (28:52); Ryan Adams, 38, of Tyngsboro, Mass., (31:27); Ryan Carroll, 46, of Sagamore, Mass. (31:27); Brian Ladeau, 52, of Bristol, Vt. (32:43); and James McCormick, 39, of Amherst, N.H. (34:06).

Infinitus’s shortest ultra – the 88K – saw 41 runners start the race and just 17 19 ultimately finish. A close battle for the men’s win unfolded between 41-year-old Josh Fiore of West Lebanon, N.H., and Dylan Steven, 27, of Boston, Mass. A strong push by Fiore during the second half of the race allowed him to take the lead and win in 10:14:27. Steven followed 11 minutes later in 10:25:00. Richi Rodriguez, 30, of Lowell, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 12:41:00, just 10 minutes ahead of Pierre Millette, 60, of Repentigny, Quebec (12:51:12). Robert Struck, 44, of Taunton, Mass., rounded out the overall top five in 14:20:00. In the women’s field, Barbara Sorrell, 66, of Delmar, N.Y., was the 88K champion in 17:57:22. Sabrina Abislaiman, 40, of Miami, Fla. was the runner-up in 21:13:51.

CT Trailmixers Spring Fling 600

The sixth edition of the CT Trailmixers’ Spring Fling 600 took place on Saturday, May 27, at YMCA Camp Slooper, in Southington, Conn. Runners once again had 10 hours – 600 minutes – to complete as many laps as they wanted on a three-mile loop course. The mixed-terrain course was both beginner- and veteran-friendly, and 107 runners of all abilities and interests took part.

Ultimately, 35 runners completed at least nine loops for 27 miles, surpassing the marathon distance. Some opted to go much farther.

Tony Bonanno, 57, of Ellington, Conn., led all runners with 15 laps for 45 miles in 9:26:25, followed by 49-year-old Steven Labranche of Oakdale, Conn., with 14 laps for 42 miles in 9:13:06. Derek Rosner, 48, of Farmington, Conn., rounded out the men’s top three with 13 laps for 39 miles in 9:17:58. Three more men also completed 39 miles: Matt Lepine, 39, of Easthampton, Mass. (9:44:23); Daniel Brehant, 37, of Willimantic, Conn. (9:50:08); and Devin Pray, 47, of West Hartford, Conn. (9:56:42).

Tara Rosner topped the women’s field as the 50-year-old from Farmington, Conn., finished 12 laps for 36 miles in 9:26:13. The second- and third-place women each completed 11 laps for 33 miles, 41-year-old Naomi Appel of Windsor, Conn., and Julia Appel, 35, of Boston, Mass., finishing together in 9:47:49. Catherine Walsh, 46, of Bethany, Conn., matched their mileage and finished two minutes later in 9:49:46.

Pineland Farms

If it’s Memorial Day weekend in New England, then it’s also Pineland Farms Trail Festival weekend. The original organizers moved the event to New Hampshire a few years ago, but the third edition of the under new leadership once again took place May 27-28 at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. This year’s event expanded from offering 50-mile and 50K ultras in addition to a series of sub-ultra distances by offering for the first time both 24-hour and 100K events.

Twenty-eight runners took part in the 24-hour race, split evenly between the men’s and women’s fields. All runners surpassed the marathon distance. In the men’s 24-hour race, 56-year-old John Eddy Blouin of Bristol, Maine, topped the field with 102 miles in 23:56:32. He was followed by Ben Lehman, 31, of Meredith, N.H., who also tallied 102 miles with a bit of bonus time, finishing in 24:44:52. David Souza, 47, of Winchester, Mass., rounded out the podium with 74.8 miles. Jacob Kelly, 30, of Berwick, Maine, and Etienne Renaud, 50, of Saint-Flavien, Quebec, followed with 68 miles apiece. In the women’s 24-hour race, Bobi-jo Thomas,43, of Jefferson, Maine, led the way with 81.6 miles. She was followed by Erin Abraham, 38, of Portland, Maine; France Garon, 47, of Saint-Narcisse-De-Beaurivage, Quebec; and Tanya Holbrook, 41, of Portland, Maine, with 68 miles apiece.

Nineteen runners took part in the 100K race. Taylor Saucier, 29, of Dorchester, Mass.,led the way in 11:37:47 and topped the men’s field. Adam Morales, 33, of Somerset, Mass., followed in 11:51:31, and David Andrade, 38, of Fall River, Mass., was a close third in 12:00:39. In the women’s field, 38-year-old Ying Tao of Maynard, Mass., earned the victory while placing fourth overall in 12:11:43. She was joined on the podium by 31-year-old Emily Cousens of Sharon, Vt.,  in 12:29:48 and 42-year-old Danielle Sterling of Durham, Maine, in 16:52:49. MacKenna Homa, 19, of Westbrook, Maine, rounded out the women’s field in 18:53:31.

The 50K race saw 99 runners complete the distance, with plenty of fast performances from the front-of-the-packers. The top 12 men all finished sub-5 with 29-year-old Bryan Sadowski of Rollinsford, N.H., outdistancing the field for the win in 4:11:42. Peter Koch, 41, of Delmar, N.Y., followed seven minutes later in 4:18:36 to secure second place. Jonathan Plummer, 36, of New Gloucester, Maine, was third in 4:21:43. The women’s field also featured plenty of speed at the front with 20-year-old Lila Gaudrault of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, taking the victory in 4:25:24. She was joined on the podium by Naomi Ferrell, 25, of Mill Valley, Calif.,  in 4:42:14 and Anna Piotti, 28, of Belfast, Maine, in 4:55:11.

*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.