Labor Day weekend was light on ultramarathons throughout the United States, though it was a surprisingly busy Sept. 1-3 weekend for racing here in New England. In Massachusetts, the seventh edition of The Village Ultra took place in New Salem (separate recap in the works), but dozens of ultrarunners also took on regional races in Vermont and Maine. The Jay Peak Ultra tested runners on tough Vermont trails with more than 9,000 feet of climbing, while the inaugural Cherry Hill Farm Ultra in Maine ditched the vert for flat, fast, non-technical terrain that allowed more runners to push the pace. Both of those events are included in this edition of the roundup.

Jay Peak Ultra

Few 50K ultras in the United States pack 9,000 feet of climbing into the distance. The Jay Peak Ultra pulls it off, albeit with a slightly longer distance. The Jay Peak Ultra, a 53.1K race that is the longest distance at the Jay Peak Trail Festival, held its latest running on Sunday, Sept. 3, in Jay, Vt. Thirty-seven runners took on three 11-mile loops of steep and challenging terrain, amassing more than 3,000 feet of gain per loop for 9,000+ feet in total. Of those who started, 23 ultimately finished within the 11-hour time limit.

Brandon Donahue amassed a 5-minute lead after the first loop and continued to pull away, ultimately leading wire to wire. Donahue, 23, of Charlotte, Vt., closed out the win in 6:53:12, the ninth-fastest time in the 10-year history of the event. Benoit Beaupre, 53, of Prevost, Quebec, was the men’s runner-up in 7:09:09, followed by 33-year-old Alden Blease of Freeport, Maine, in 7:25:58.

While Donahue had a big day, so did the top two women. Taylor Miller and Megan Dolan raced in close contact throughout the day, and both logged two of the five fastest women’s times in course history by the time they were done. Miller, 33, of Northfield, N.H., held a 2-minute lead on Dolan after 11 miles, but the pair were neck and neck after 22 miles as Dolan, 37, of Stowe, Vt., closed the gap. Miller pulled away during the final loop and won in 7:44:05, the second-best women’s performance in race history and 20 minutes off the course record. Dolan finished second in 8:03:58, the fifth-best time on the women’s course record board. In addition to leading the women’s field, Miller and Dolan finished fifth and sixth overall. Stephanie Christau, 36, of Williamstown, Mass., rounded out the women’s podium and placed ninth overall in 8:24:25.

Ten more New England residents were among the finishers. That group included Dean Havelock, 23, of Stowe, Vt. ( 8:30:33); Charlie Carpenter, 23, of Thornton, N.H. (8:43:29); Carly Loy, 26, of Somerville, Mass. (8:44:50); Adam Frontierro, 38, of Gloucester, Mass. (8:49:39); Lily Weinstein Terry, 17, of Norwich, Vt. (8:51:48); Mark Szeliga, 37, of Gilead, Maine (9:04:43); Catie Markesich, 38, of Milton, Vt. (9:45:58); William Copeland, 47, of Stowe, Vt. (9:55:10); Marie Davis, 45, of Gilmanton, N.H. (10:28:08); and Jason Kaplan, 40, of Boston, Mass. (10:43:10).

Cherry Hill Farm Ultra

With a fast, flat, nontechnical course, the inaugural Cherry Hill Farm Ultra presented an enticing opportunity for runners to pursue their first ultra or a personal-best time at the 50K distance on Saturday, Sept. 2, in Gorham, Maine.

Sixteen runners successfully navigated 12 2.6-mile laps of the course through Cherry Hill Farm and earned fast finishes, all in less than seven hours. Jeffrey Lindy, 44, of Brookline, Mass., finished the fastest, winning in 4:01. Jeff Beaudoin, 41, of York, Maine, followed in 4:18, and 28-year-old Fergus Scott of Wellington, New Zealand, was a close third in 4:21. Also finishing in less than 5 hours were Austin Klavins, 24, of Portland, Maine (4:27); Chuck Fogg, 42, of Saco, Maine (4:50); and Frank Fybicki, 25, of Sudbury, Mass. (4:52).

Erika Hamel, 37, of Nashua, N.H., won the women’s race in 5:37 in her build-up to the Yeti 100-miler on Sept. 29. Vicky Sullivan, 48, of Wilmington, Del., was second in 5:47, followed by 19-year-old Mackenna Homa of Westbrook, Maine, in 6:18. It was Homa’s second ultra and first 50K. She was fourth in the women’s field in her ultra debut at the Pineland Farms 100K in May.

*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.