With 100 miles on his mind, Chris Rosol turned to the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s BURCS Race Series to help him prepare.

Rosol, 48, of Somerville, Mass., ran his first 100-miler in 2019 when he hammered the Ghost Train course in New Hampshire and finished sixth overall in 21:31:37. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic shut the sport down for a year and a half, and Rosol resurfaced on the ultra scene in August 2021 with his third-place finish at the TARC Summer Classic 40-miler before winning the Ghost Train 60-miler two months later. After taking 2022 off from ultras, Rosol registered for the 2023 Javelina Jundred 100-miler in Arizona. As part of his build-up for the October race, he signed up for a pair of BURCS events – the Notchview Ultra 6-hour in July and Sweltering Summer 8-hour in August. Rosol had a strong day at Notchview, logging 34.2 miles and placing second overall, just one lap behind the overall winner on the 1.9-mile loop course. He then carried that momentum into Sweltering Summer where he made an impressive debut at the 11th annual event on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass.

Rosol and his fellow runners raced on a .355-mile flat dirt and cinder loop course through the park. Rosol led for much of the day and continued to put distance on the field in the late hours, ultimately earning the overall victory with a nearly 3-mile cushion after amassing 49.34 miles.

Of the 70 runners who took part in the 8-hour race, 48 surpassed the marathon distance, 34 achieved at least a 50K, and 14 eclipsed the 40-mile mark with Rosol leading the way.

While Rosol was a first-timer at Sweltering Summer, he was joined near the top of the field by several event veterans.

Runner-up Ian Stevenson was one of those veterans. Stevenson returned to Sweltering Summer for the first time since 2018 when he finished fifth overall with 49.04 miles. This year, the 53-year-old resident of Hakusan, Japan, completed 46.5 miles. Close behind Stevenson was Pablo Espinosa, 43, of St-Polycarpe, Quebec, who finished third with 45.44 miles. Another Sweltering Summer veteran, Espinosa was seventh at the 2022 race with 44.02 miles, first during the 2022 virtual year with 50.4 miles, second in 2019 with 51.87 miles, fourth in 2018 with 41.17 miles, and second in 2017 with 51.885 miles. Interestingly, in addition to his third-place finish this year, Espinosa also took part in the virtual 8-hour race, winning it with 44.37 miles.

Close behind Espinosa was Johnny Bontemps. New to ultrarunning in 2023, Bontemps made Sweltering Summer his fifth ultra and he turned in his second-biggest mileage effort ever, logging 44.73 miles and finishing fourth. Matching the mileage but finishing a little after Bontemps was 41-year-old Padraig Mullins of Norton, Mass., who was fifth among the men and sixth overall in his first race back since recovering from a hamstring injury. Mullins was second at the 2016 Sweltering Summer with 52.595 miles, which remains one of the best performances in course history. Additionally, Bill Odendahl, 58, of Trumbull, Conn., finished sixth in the men’s field with 44.02 miles. Odendahl has completed every Sweltering Summer since 2015.

In the women’s 8-hour field, it was a dominant day for Melissa Perkins-Banas in her latest impressive showing since returning to ultras. After winning the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug 50K in 2017, Perkins-Banas took an extended break from ultras before returning to Lake Waramaug and winning the 50-miler in 2022. She ran the event again this year and was the runner-up. In her Sweltering Summer debut, the 52-year-old resident of Brooklyn, Conn., led for most of the day and ultimately finished fifth overall while topping the women’s field with 44.37 miles.

A few loops behind Perkins-Banas, 44-year-old Anastasia Eleftheriadis of Marblehead, Mass., followed as the runner-up with 42.6 miles. Rounding out the women’s podium was longtime BURCS and Sweltering Summer regular Lindsay Croshier, 40, of Medford, Mass., who cranked out 37.27 miles in her ninth appearance at the event. Jennifer Braun, 44, of Stone Ridge, N.Y., was fourth with 35.85 miles, followed by Christine Da Silva, 36, of Everett, Mass., with 33.37 miles.

Vella, Fitzroy Victorious in 5K Race

Young runners have made their mark on BURCS races through the years, and Ben Vella was the latest to do so when he made his BURCS debut in the 50K race at Sweltering Summer. Vella, 15, of Monterey, Mass., pushed the pace from the start on the short loop course at Sweltering Summer, quickly lapping some of the competition as he pulled away. Though the outcome was in doubt until the final minute, Vella held on and closed out his victory in 20:46. His time was the second-fastest in course history behind Joshua Wessler’s 2021 win in 20:04.

Vella’s win came following a stiff challenge from 31-year-old Tyler Sloan of Medford, Mass., who finished second in 20:59. Garrett Ryan, 16, of Woodside, N.Y., rounded out the men’s podium in 21:43, followed by John Byrne, 60, of Millbrook, N.Y., in 23:35.

In the women’s race, Bethany Fitzroy earned her fourth victory in five years with a winning time of 27:59. Fitzroy, 38, of Plainville, Mass., previously won the event in 2019 (24:22), the virtual year of 2020 (23:30), and 2021 (25:17). She also was the runner-up in 2018 (26:12) and 2022 (28:02). Joining Fitzroy on the women’s podium were 45-year-old Amy Schuttig of Central Bridge, N.Y. who was the runner-up in 33:50, as well as 13-year-old Nova Leinbaugh-Chelukova of Williamstown, Mass., who was third in 36:37.

Nineteen runners took part in this year’s 5K race.