WINDSOR, Mass. – When Taylor Verville hobbled to her car after finishing the Notchview Ultra and braced herself for the three-hour ride home to Kingston, her body felt like it couldn’t give much more. She’d just run 216.6 miles in the 72-hour race and broke the previous overall course record by 15 miles.

Verville’s legs felt like concrete and her brain was fried from the lack of sleep. To say she was exhausted would’ve been the understatement of the year. It was July 11, 2022, and though her mind and body both needed rest, within just a few days Verville was already beginning to plot her Notchview sequel.

“My wife and I started to plan Notchview 2023 right after Notchview 2022,” Verville said. “She said to break my record of 216.6 and shoot for 220 miles. I ended up hiring a coach around the start of the year, Andrew Miller, and made our goal between 220-230, between the two of us.”

Verville’s collaboration with Miller – the 2016 Western States champion – included everything from training plans to developing a sleeping plan for Notchview 2023. She put in plenty of big mileage runs at the Blue Hills Reservation, dialed-in her nutrition plans, and used a virtual 50K and the Infinitus marathon in Vermont as training days in the months leading up to Notchview 2023.

When Verville arrived at Notchview Reservation on Friday, July 7, she was prepared, focused, and determined to make more history. She lined up alongside 60 other 72-hour runners, already sweating from the humidity, sun and 80-degree temperatures. In the days that followed, the weather would pivot from sun, to cloud-covered to nearly 20 straight hours of rain. Verville persevered through it all.

Though the plan she and Miller initially crafted called for taking a long nap after 40 miles, Verville pivoted in response to the weather conditions. She pushed hard for the first 27 hours, pausing only for short breaks to fuel and change clothes. She completed the 1.9-mile loop course 55 times for 104.5 miles before laying down for the first time for a 2-hour and 12-minute rest a little after 3 p.m. Saturday.

“The original sleep plan recommended by my coach was to try to go down for a 2- to 4-hour nap at 40 miles, and after that, 15- to 30-minute naps as needed to the end,” Verville recounted. “I actually had three naps: Saturday afternoon during the heat, and not according to plan, due to the heat and starting to see the ground as shiney. I went down for about 2 1/2 hours during peak heat Saturday, and felt like I regained some mental clarity.”

Verville returned to the course just after 6 p.m., and proceeded to push for 19 hours straight. At 1 p.m., about an hour after the 24-hour and 6-hour runners began their race, Verville laid down for a 1-hour power nap to recharge again. She had completed 93 laps and 176.7 miles in 49 hours.

By 2 p.m. she was up and running again. Rain was on the way, and the radar indicated that once it started it would not stop. Verville took advantage of the good footing for the next two hours and clicked away a few more loops.

The rain began in earnest during Verville’s 98th loop. By then, the 32-year-old had 186.2 miles on her legs and around 20 hours remaining on the clock. Her goal was in sight, but she’d have to endure miserable conditions to achieve it. Many of the 72-hour runners stopped once the conditions turned, opting to avoid a potential injury on weary legs in sloppy conditions.

“The rain was a blessing at first, helping to cool us all down, and even wash away some of the salt on our bodies,” Verville noted. “I took advantage of the rain during the day, just running in my sports bra to cool off and get some salt off, and hopefully reduce some further chafing, as it was everywhere, bra lines (front and back) and between the legs. At night it became too cool and I needed at least a shirt but was too hot for the initial raincoat/windbreaker.

“It got to the point I was a little scared to go out alone and buddy up with one to two people for a couple loops before my nap, and I was getting really cold. It was hard to see in the headlamp, and the rain made it almost tunnel vision with the rolling in-and-out fog. Footing-wise, it was definitely a lot more slippery, and harder to move with purpose, but I kept pushing forward while out there.”

Verville ran and hiked onward until just before midnight late Sunday night when, after 59 1/2 hours, she laid down for her final 2-hour nap. She had 109 laps and 207.1 miles under her belt. 

“My final nap was either late Sunday night or early Monday morning for about 2 hours,” Verville recalled. “I was starting to fall over myself after coming into base camp. Rain was pouring buckets, and I was shivering in the tent.”

The much-needed rest would fuel one final record-setting push.

Around 2 a.m. Monday, Verville put on her headlamp and rain jacket, grabbed her trekking poles, and stepped out of her tent and back into the rain. For the next 10 hours she marched forward with purpose, splashing through puddles and squishing the mud beneath her feet, lap after lap.

“After my 2-ish-hour nap, I did have a clearer head, and was able to move fairly steady,” she recalled. “I was trying to move more with purpose and power hike vs. run, worried that I’d injure something this far in, but also seeing some [opportunities to] run and doing ok.”

Just after 4:30 a.m. she closed out her 114th lap and tied her course record. From that point forward she broke new ground with every single step. During the next several hours she shared loops with some 24-hour runners, as well as her brother and her wife as her mileage tally continued to climb. She surpassed the 220-mile mark a few minutes before 6 a.m. A few hours later she eclipsed 230 miles. Verville closed out lap 124 for 235.6 miles with 71:17:56 on the clock – enough time for one final loop. Without pausing, she headed out again knowing this would be the 125th and final time.

Emotions overwhelmed her as she made the climb out of base camp.

“I was thinking about my wife and how hard a year we have both had, and how she is going through post concussion syndrome,” Verville recounted. “I was hoping I ran out of sight and she stayed at camp and didn’t follow me for the final loop, 1. for her health, and 2. so I could just run right into her arms and be done.”

Just shy of 27 minutes after departing base camp, that’s exactly what happened. Wearing a neon yellow running jacket and still holding her trekking poles for support on the sloppy footing, Verville ran through the field, splashed across the finish line and directly into the arms of her wife, Ashley, for a long embrace and some support to be held upright.

After 71:44:52 of running, Verville could finally stop.

“Congratulations Taylor Verville,” the announcer exclaimed. “A new course record 237.5 miles.”

Verville rewrote not just the women’s course record board with her performance, but the overall record board for Notchview. Prior to 2023, only two people had surpassed the 200-mile mark at Notchview: Verville in 2022, and Ann Alessandrini in both 2019 and 2022. Alessandrini was the first to achieve the feat with her 201.4-mile performance for the overall win in 2019. In 2022, she became the first runner to break the 200-mile mark twice, amassing 203.3 miles while finishing second to Verville.

Alessandrini was among the 72-hour field again in 2023. The 63-year-old from Johnsonville, N.Y., opted to avoid the nasty weather conditions and stopped after 51 1/2 hours. By that point she’d already amassed 155.8 miles, a tally that earned her third place in the women’s field and fifth overall. It also was the 10th-best women’s time in event history 

Verville and Alessandrini weren’t the only Notchview veterans to turn in big-time performances in the 72-hour race. Like Verville, Claire Robinson-White stayed on the course until the final hour and pushed herself into new mileage territory despite the deteriorating conditions. Robinson-White, 43, of Milton, Vt., spent most of the race power-hiking with poles and paused for only a few naps. Her longest break began around 9 p.m. Sunday night when she laid down for around 5 hours. She already had 138.7 miles on her legs. Around 2 a.m., she returned to the course and pushed straight through for 14 more loops, ultimately finishing second in the women’s field and fourth overall with 87 laps and 165.3 miles in 71:06:01. It was the eighth-best performance by a woman in course history and surpassed her 161.5-mile effort from 2022 when she placed fourth.

Other top women’s performances came from 51-year-old Yuki Chorney of Mont Vernon, N.H., who made her Notchview debut as well as multi-day race debut and completed 79 laps for 150.1 miles in 52:49:32. Matching Chorney’s mileage but doing it in 70:23:53 was 54-year-old Nina Smith of Stratford, Conn. Smith finished the 100.7-mile race at Notchview in 2022.

Shafer, Breckenridge Give Chart-Topping Efforts in Men’s 72-Hour

The two finest performances by men in Notchview 72-hour history were turned in by Jeremy Shafer and Robert Breckenridge. Both men stayed on the course into the final hour, splashing and slogging their way through the loop and both became the first men to eclipse the 200-mile mark. Shafer, 46, of New Hartford, Conn., topped the men’s field with a record 212.8 miles in 71:42:49 and finished second overall behind Verville. Breckenridge, 52, of Keene, N.H., finished third overall and second among the men, surpassing the 200-mile mark with his last lap to finish with 201.4 miles in 71:24:48. Fred Pinero, 44, of Broad Brook, Conn., was the third-place male with 150.1 miles in 70:27:33, followed by 64-year-old George Alexion of Waterboro, Maine, with 133.0 miles. Alex Cabrera, 39 of Brookline, N.H., and Jeffrey Stauch, 39, of New York, N.Y., both finished with 129.2 miles, Cabrera in 51:01:12 and Stauch in 52:50:18.

Sixty-one runners participated in the 72-hour race. Of that group, 52 achieved at least 100K mileage (33 laps – 62.7 miles); and 43 ran 100 miles or more (53 laps – 100.7 miles). Eight completed at least 150 miles (79 laps – 150.1 miles), and three eclipsed the 200-mile mark (106 laps – 201.4 miles). The 72-hour event also saw many generations of runners participate, with runners as young as 3 years old (Aurelia Alessandrini – 1.9 miles), 12 years old (Abigail Gilley of North Waterboro, Maine – 100.7 miles); 14 (Joseph Devino of Williston, Vt. – 108.3 miles) and as experienced as 88 (Eugene Bruckert of Arlington Heights, Il. – 62.7 miles).

Pellerin Tops Bourassa in Close 100.7-Mile Race

The 100.7-mile race began at noon Friday alongside the 72-hour race, but it wasn’t until the late-night hours between Friday night and Saturday morning that it became clear just how close a race was unfolding between Lee Pellerin and Keith Bourassa in the men’s field. By that point – around 2-3 a.m. – many of the runners had laid down to rest and there were just a handful of runners on the course, none running nearly as fast as Pellerin and Bourassa.

Running perhaps 10 minutes apart, they’d periodically zip past other runners by the glow of headlamps and quickly disappear into the distance. In the aid station area, they’d make quick work and head right back out, wasting no time. Ultimately Pellerin held on for the victory, but not by much. The 45-year-old from East Hardwick, Vt., closed out the win in 22:21:28. Shortly after, he was joined at the finish line by Bourassa, 39, of Keene, N.H., in 22:36:01, and the competitors quickly shared an embrace, pats on the back and congratulations for the spirited competition. Jeff Mikesell, 62, of Alum Bridge, W.V., was the third-place male in 29:47:11, followed by 43-year-old Kent Walker of Acton, Mass., in 30:38:33.

Less than an hour separated the top three women in the 100.7-mile race. Dawn Ego, 48, of Benton, Maine, gradually built a 2- to 3-loop advantage through the first 24 hours and closed out her victory in 28:21:55. The race for second came down to the wire between Lena Wood, 20, of South Portland, Maine, and Kim Hooper-Stanley, 51, of Bethel, Conn., as the pair traded spots during the late loops. Hooper-Stanley led by less than two minutes after 52 loops, but Wood moved ahead during the 53rd and final loop to place second in 29:13:10. Hooper-Stanley followed minutes later in 29:19:04. Fresh off of her sub-24-hour 100-mile victory at the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra in June, 49-year-old Judy Proteau of Marlborough, Mass., finished fourth in 30:30:15.

Of the 36 runners who started the 100.7-mile race, 23 ultimately finished.

12-Hour Runners Capitalize on Good Conditions

No runners enjoyed better running conditions than those in the 12-hour race. They avoided the thick humidity of the Friday start and the rain and mud of Sunday afternoon and Monday and instead had a warm, dry day to circle the course.

Twenty-eight runners took part with 24 surpassing marathon mileage, 13 going beyond 40 miles and six eclipsing the 50-mile mark.

A speedy trio of men dueled throughout the day for the win, and their efforts pushed the victor to a course-record performance. Eliot Triantos, 37, of Frederick, Md., amassed 35 loops of the course and broke the previous course record by one loop with his 66.5-mile performance in 11:34:08. Israel Agront, 28, of Medford, Mass., finished one lap behind and tied the previous course record, placing second with 64.60 miles in 11:39:45. Durgesh Mankekar, 46, of Medford, Mass., finished third with 62.7 miles in 11:48:07, matching his output from his 2021 victory. Johnny Bontemps, 39, of Becket, Mass., finished fourth with 55.1 miles, and Thomas Vondervellen, 23, of Westborough, Mass., and Andrew Pelton, 33, of Rome, N.Y., followed with 51.3 miles apiece.

The top trio of women in the 12-hour also raced in close contact throughout the day. All finished with the same mileage and were separated by 18 minutes after their half-day efforts. Daria Cunningham, 47, of Lunenburg, Mass., earned the women’s victory with 25 laps and 47.5 miles in 11:33:46. Alexandra Richardson, 32, of Marlboro, N.J., finished her 25th lap eight minutes later in 11:41:15 to place second. Amanda Sbriscia, 39, of Granby, Mass., closed out her 47.5-mile effort in 11:53:19 to finish third. One loop behind, 48-year-old Wendy Zunitch of Williamstown, Mass., placed fourth with 45.6 miles in 11:45:06.

Cherns Makes Valiant Effort at 48-Hour Record in the Rain

Trishul Cherns was among the first 48-hour runners to arrive at Notchview. He got there a day early to help out, cheer on friends in the 72-hour race, and set up his camp. The 66-year-old from Kingston, N.Y., had big plans in mind. A year ago, he broke the 48-hour course record with his 144.4-mile performance, but another runner – Jim Logan of Philadelphia, Pa. – also surpassed the record and completed two more loops than Cherns, winning with 148.2 miles. Cherns had his sights on Logan’s mark, and appeared relaxed and ready to race.

Cherns was one of 32 runners who started the 48-hour race at noon Saturday, July 8. All would eventually run ultramarathon mileage and 13 would achieve at least 100 miles, but nearly half of the starters departed the course after less than 30 hours once the rain started and course conditions deteriorated.

Cherns wasn’t among those to stop early. He had a record to pursue, and if not for the weather and daunting course conditions he just might have pulled it off. Cherns had a dandy of a first day racing. He rolled through the 24-hour mark on record pace with 81.7 miles under his belt and was around the 95-mile mark and 28 hours in when the rain began. Cherns never left the course, even in the late hours when a victory seemed assured and the record slipped away in the ankle-deep puddles and squishy mud. He concluded his 75th and final loop in 47:22:49 for a winning tally of 142.5 miles. It was a few laps shy of the record, but it was the third-best performance in course history behind his and Logan’s efforts the year before.

Cherns wasn’t the lone runner to have a huge performance. Jared Norwood, 40, of Buzzards Bay, Mass., was a lap behind Cherns at the 24-hour mark and ultimately finished second overall with 69 laps and 131.1 miles in 47:07:24. Tyler Sloan, 30, of Medford, Mass., was third with 64 laps and 121.6 miles in 46:17:34.

The top three women in the 48-hour race all finished with 53 laps and 100.7 miles. Danielle Hunold, 42, of West Monroe, N.Y., got it done first in 28:40:23, avoiding most of the nasty weather. Jami Landry, 40, of Dryden, N.Y., followed a few hours later in 31:57:07, while 48-year-old Jennifer Kelley of East Hampton, Conn., endured lots of rain and mud before earning her buckle in 44:26:19.

Rain, Mud Take Toll on 24-Hour, 6-Hour Runners

The latest starters – the 24-hour and 6-hour runners – spent the highest percentage of race time battling slick and soggy conditions thanks to their noon Sunday start.

After a few hours of dry weather, the rain began in mid-afternoon. Though it fluctuated in intensity for the remainder of the weekend, it never really ceased. For the 23 runners in the 6-hour race, that meant a few hours battling the rain and the deteriorating conditions. Seven runners still managed to surpass the marathon distance, with Jamal Vazquez, 25, of Johnstown, N.Y., and Chris Rosol, 48, of Somerville, Mass., topping the men’s field with 36.1 and 34.2 miles, respectively. Saah Irwin, 35, of Brunswick, Maine, was third overall and first female with 30.4 miles, followed by runner-up Megan Geschwind, 24, of West Haven, Conn., with 28.5 miles. Other 6-hour runners eclipsing the marathon mark were Brian Teason, 62, of Manchester, Vt., with 28.5 miles; and both Erin Wilkie, 34, of Clinton, Mass., and Conor Carignan, 24, of Lowell, Mass., with 26.6 miles apiece.

As the rain continued to fall – at times a heavy downpour – trail conditions continued to deteriorate. Nearly half of the 24-hour runners stopped by midnight, opting not to continue slipping and sliding through the mud. Of the 30 runners in the field, 11 eclipsed the 40-mile mark and seven surpassed 50 miles. No 24-hour runner used more of the allotted time than Rebecca Burke, and it paid off big-time. Burke, 47, of Portland, Conn., finished 100.7 miles in the 24-hour race for the fourth time in four tries and won the event outright for the second year in a row. The mud had her hundred-mile accomplishment in doubt as the final hours approached and the course grew ever more treacherous. Still, Burke pushed through it and crossed the finish line in 23:54:32, less than six minutes before the cutoff. She was the lone 100-mile finisher in the 24-hour race. Tek Ung, 41, of Cranston, R.I., spent 23 1/2 hours on the course and was the women’s runner-up with 66.5 miles. Both Cassie Zick, 19, of Alexandria, N.H., and Kimberly Wrate, 27, of New Hartford, N.Y., followed with 62.70 miles, Zick doing so in 19:25:39 and Wrate in 23:33:08. Austin Lacey finished second overall and first in the men’s field as the 34-year-old resident of South Boston, Mass., logged 81.7 miles in 23:40:36. Ken Fawcett, 43, of Pittsfield, Mass., was the men’s runner-up with 64.6 miles in 22:50:38, and Giovanni Leone, 18, of Stoneham, Mass., was third with 43.70 miles in 19:16:50.