Mid-July meant lots of big mountain races for New England residents. That’s what this edition of the roundup is all about. Tahoe, Hardrock and Mt. Hood. Runners from the region threw down at all of them. Read on to learn how they did.

Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs

A year ago, James Jylkka made his ultrarunning debut in the 50-mile race at the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs, battling to the finish line in 13:27:41. On July 15-16, Jylkka was back in Carson City, Nev., to once again run the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs, only this time he wasn’t in the 50-mile starting field or the shorter 55K field. No, the 39-year-old from Weatogue, Conn., was there for the 100-miler.

It was just Jylkka’s second ultra, and it was a particularly challenging one as the course measured in at around 102 miles with 22,000 feet of climbing. Still, Jylkka was up to the challenge and he finished in the top half of the field of 115 finishers within 36 hours, placing 57th overall in 31:55:16.

Jylkka wasn’t the lone New England resident among the finishers. Ultra veteran Karen Benway, 51, of Williston, Vt., has finished several 100-mile races. She had a solid day at Tahoe, placing 30th overall and fifth in the women’s field in 29:04:51. Nickademus de la Rosa, 33, of Sedona, Ariz., led all runners in 20:35:08 and 39-year-old Claire Walton of Wirral, U.K., led the women’s field and placed ninth overall in 25:17:49.

In the 50-mile race, ultra veteran Sue Dodge was the lone New England resident among the 90 finishers. Dodge, 63, of Williston, Vt., finished 47th overall in 16:45:45. Brady Poskin, 38, of Kansas City, Mo., and Sydney Lambert, 36, of Austin, Texas, topped the men’s and women’s fields in 10:03:12 and 11:42:28, respectively.

In the 55K race, 31-year-old Allison Drain of Watertown, Mass., made her ultra debut with a strong performance, finishing 14th overall and sixth in the women’s field in 9:00:02. Jade Belzbert, 31, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., led all 110 finishers in 6:42:28, followed by men’s champion and overall runner-up Zac Marion, 37, of Morrison, Colo, in 7:13:25.

Hardrock 100

New England has typically been lightly represented at the Hardrock 100. At the 28th running of the event on July 14-16 in Silverton, Colo., the region had a stronger presence thanks to the inclusion of several runners who’ve moved on to other places.

One current New England resident and at least four former New Englanders were among the 146 starters and 111 finishers within the 48-hour time limit on the high-altitude loop course with more than 33,000 feet of climbing in the San Juan Mountains.

Aurelien Dunand-Pallaz, 30, of France, led the men’s field in 23:00:30, followed by 42-year-old Benat Marmissolle of France in 23:50:14. Javier Dominguez, 48, of Spain rounded out the podium in 26:12:01.

Hot on Dominguez’s heels was first-place female and defending women’s champion Courtney Dauwalter, 38, of Leadville, Colo., set a new women’s course record of 26:14:12 while placing fourth overall. Dauwalter successfully completed the Western States-Hardrock double with her performance.

The lone current New England resident in the field was 49-year-old Mike Weigand of Middlebury, Vt. Weigand is a longtime Hardrock veteran with five prior finishes under his belt (2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2021). Weigand added a sixth finish to his resume when he finished 90th overall in 46:15:12.

Four former New England residents among the finishers were Charles Hornbaker, 41, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; David Huss, 39, of Seattle, Wash.; Matt Elam, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; and John Fegyveresi, 46, of Flagstaff, Ariz. All but Elam had attempted and finished Hardrock previously. Hornbaker earned his first finish in 2018 and added a second this year when he placed 65th overall in 41:46:42. Huss – a finisher in 2017 and 2022 – followed less than two minutes later in 66th place in 41:48:07 for his third finish. Elam kissed the rock for the first time with a 70th-place finish in 42:39:27. Fegyveresi, a 2018 finisher, joined Dauwalter in completing the Western States-Hardrock double this year with his 85th-place finish in 44:55:34.

Mt. Hood 50

Quang Le has run ultras from coast to coast since taking on his first ultra in 2009. For Le, 48, of Dorchester, Mass., that includes two trips to the Pacific Northwest where he completed the Chuckanut 50K in 2014 and the Volcanic 50K in 2022, both in Washington state. Le returned to the region to tackle a longer distance – 50 miles – at the 24th running of the Mt. Hood 50 on July 15-16 in Clackamas Lake, Ore.

The event offered both 50-mile and 50K distances, with the 50-mile taking place Saturday and the 50K on Sunday. Le toed the starting line on Saturday and had a solid day of running on the out-and-back course on the Pacific Crest Trail. He ultimately finished in the top half of the field of 126 finishers, placing 53rd overall in 10:58:24. Zach Johnson, 23, of Seattle, Wash., dominated the race and won by 35 minutes in 6:37:41. Brooke Deans, 28, of Portland, Ore., placed sixth overall and first female in 8:00:09.

Another 128 runners finished the 50K race, including two New England women who made their ultrarunning debuts. Hillary Li, 30, of Medford, Mass., earned her first ultra finish, placing 69th overall in 6:23:30. Additionally, 52-year-old Gwen Henry of Westerly, R.I., placed 86th overall and finished her first ultra in 6:39:32. Dustin Franta, 34, and Brooke, Carmen, 34, both of Portland, Ore., were the top male and female finishers in 3:34:09 and 4:12:31, respectively.

*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.