After a jam-packed month of summer racing, the Aug. 25-27 weekend was relatively quiet for ultrarunners in New England – but not completely quiet. A few runners headed west to Oregon and tackled the tough Scenic Beach ultras, while several stayed close to home and gathered in Maine for the annual Firebird Trail Races. It was there that the biggest performance of the weekend was turned in by Lila Gaudrault as the rising star cranked out a course record effort while winning the 50-mile race outright. It’s that big performance that leads off this edition of the roundup.

Firebird Trail Races

After four successful years, the race organizers at the Firebird Trail Races rang in year number five by adding a new distance – a 50-miler – to the lineup on Saturday, Aug. 26, in Windham, Maine. The new offering, in addition to the event’s original 50K ultra distance, created an opportunity that Lila Gaudrault couldn’t pass up.

Gaudrault, 20, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, has been a force on the New England ultrarunning scene since her debut a little more than two years ago at the Big A 50K. Gaudrault signed up for the 50-miler and was one of six runners who ultimately completed the course which consisted of five 10-mile loops and 6,000 feet of climbing on muddy, technical trails in the Lowell Preserve and North Falmouth Community Forest. Gaudrault took control of the race and built a sizable lead during the first three loops before going on to win in 9:23:40, setting an overall course record and winning by 1 hour and 40 minutes.

It was Gaudrault’s latest ultra victory, following her win at the Pineland Farms 50K in May, and trio of wins in three months in late 2022 at the TARC Fall Classic 50K, Farm to Farm 50-miler, and Stone Cat 50K. She has now won at least eight ultras, including three as the overall champion.

Blake Furman, 27, of Johnstown, Pa., led the men’s field and finished second overall in 11:03:52, followed by 39-year-old Chris Parker of North Andover, Mass., in 11:55:36. Eric Dziedzinski, 37, of Bondsville, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium and placed fourth overall in 12:33:25. Kyle Hakes, 29, of Cambridge, Mass. (12:34:26) and Angelo Del Giudice, 29, of Somersworth, N.H. (12:43:18) were the final finishers.

The 50K race came in a bit heavy on distance – a little more than 33 miles – as runners completed three 10-mile loops and then an additional 5K loop in the Lowell Preserve to round out the distance. Twenty runners finished the race within 11 1/2 hours, starting with a close battle for the overall win between the men’s and women’s champions. Raynor Large, 35, of Cumberland, Maine, fended off a tough challenge from Brigid Smith-Franey, 43, of South Portland, Maine, with Large taking the overall win in 5:43:56, followed closely by overall runner-up and women’s champion Smith-Franey in 5:45:17. The second- and third-place men followed with Ansel Mallonnee, 33, of Portland, Maine, finishing in 5:52:01 and John Carlin, 32, of Surry, Maine, in 6:35:23. Women’s runner-up Elizabeth Atwater, 44, of Sudbury, Mass., was fifth overall in 6:55:44. Tara Allen, 31, of Mount Desert, Maine, rounded out the women’s podium in 7:53:55.

Secret Beach Ultras

A pair of Massachusetts men earned hard-fought finishes on a challenging course at the Secret Beach Ultras on Saturday, Aug. 26, in Gold Beach, Ore. Joe Zarrella, Stephen Viola and their fellow runners in the 50K took on a point-to-point course from House Rock Viewpoint to Gold Beach, amassing around 6,000 feet of climbing along the way while navigating singletrack trails and sandy beaches. Of the 22 runners who started the race, 20 ultimately finished. Zarrella, 32, of Braintree, Mass., finished ninth overall in 7:16:57 for his second ultra finish while Viola, 33, of Marlborough, Mass., completed his first ultra in 11:15:20. Thomas Nolan, 29, of McKinleyville, Calif., won the race in 4:56:40.

In addition to the 50K, another 12 runners started the 100K race on an out-and-back course with six finishing within 17 hours. None were New England residents.

*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.