From mid-September through early November is typically the busiest stretch of the ultrarunning season, and that trend did not let up during the Sept. 8-10 weekend as New Englanders tackled races locally and all across the country. Nearly 500 runners took part in the annual TARC Fall Classic in Carlisle, Mass. (separate recap to follow), but many runners branched out across the region – from Maine and Connecticut – to race. Several others scattered throughout the country to tackle 100-mile races, from New York to Utah, to Arizona, Oregon and Pennsylvania. And that’s just the ultras that have posted their results so far! Collectively, that makes for plenty of reading in this edition of the roundup.

Megunticook 50K

Two weeks ago, Lila Gaudrault hammered the Firebird 50-miler and secured the overall victory and set a course record. On Saturday, Sept. 9, Gaudrault toed the starting line of the Megunticook 50K in Camden, Maine, and had another strong day of racing.

The fourth annual event at Camden Hills State Park tests runners with technical trails and more than 7,600 feet of climbing. A generous 11-hour cutoff is allotted to give runners time to handle the course.

Sixty-nine runners ultimately finished, and Gaudrault ran away with the women’s win in a field that featured some tough competition. Gaudrault, 20, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, finished third overall and first female in 5:43:29. Her performance was the third-fastest by a woman in course history. Gaudrault pulled away from Haley Heinrich and Raina Sciocchetti to earn the victory. Heinrich, 30, of Newbury, N.H., was the runner-up at the 2020 edition and placed second again this year in 6:22:47 while also taking fourth overall. Heinrich entered the race following back-to-back victories at the Black Fly Half Marathon and Moosalamoo 14-miler this season. Sciocchetti, 24, of Newton, Mass., was third female and fifth overall in 6:33:47. Sciocchetti improved her time by more than an hour from the 2022 race when she finished fifth in the women’s field.

Not to be overshadowed, the men’s field also produced some big performances, none bigger than Erik Brooks. The 35-year-old from Lincolnville, Maine, led the way in 5:02:11 and set a men’s course record. Brooks entered the race with plenty of momentum after winning stages 1 and 2 of the Ragged 75 Stage Race in August. Vincent Marot, 37, of Cambridge, Mass., was a distant second in 5:40:13. Grant Haynes, 37, of Portland, Maine, rounded out the men’s podium and was sixth overall in 6:50:00.

Other top performers included Mike Tholen, 51; of Hebron, Conn. (7:04:49); Eleanor Demmons, 27, of Rockport, Maine (7:05:53); Davis Martinec, 27, of Rockport, Maine (7:06:42); Sean James, 46, of Northport, Maine (7:07:25); Ben Lacy, 45, of Camden, Maine (7:07:42); and Dave Brobek, 38, of Phillipston, Mass. (7:09:49).

Macedonia Trail Race 50K

For the sixth straight year, ultrarunners gathered to tackle tough singletrack trails in the forested Litchfield Hills at Macedonia Brook State Park on Sunday, Sept. 10, in Kent, Conn. Twenty-eight runners started the 50K race, and 19 ultimately finished.

Brandon Smart, 34, of Ossing, N.Y., led all runners in 6:22:31, followed by 42-year-old Lee Davis of Hamden, Conn., in 6:28:15, and 29-year-old Ned Wilson of West Hartford, Conn., in 6:53:37.

A pair of Massachusetts men also were among the finishers’ field. Arlington’s Matteo Chiampo, 57, earned his first ultramarathon finish in 9:01:07 and 27-year-old Jayden Cowles of Wilbraham, Mass., completed his first ultra in 9:18:12.

Sarah Laume, 29, of Glastonbury, Conn., was the first-place female in 8:32:28. Charity Orza, 35, of Pekin, Ill., was a distant second in 9:06:04.

Virgil Crest Ultras

Big, runnable climbs and steep, quad-busting descents once again greeted runners at the 11th edition of the Virgil Crest Ultras on Sept. 9-10 in Cortland, N.Y. The small, close-knit event once again offered 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultras on the burly multi-loop course.

The 100-mile race had 18 starters and just seven finishers, led by 43-year-old John Dennis of Silver Spring, Md., in 21:08:44. He was the lone sub-24-hour finisher. No New England residents were among the finishers.

No New England residents were in the 100K field, and six of the seven starters ultimately finished. In the 50-mile race, 16 runners started and 14 finished, led by 53-year-old James Blandford of Hamburg, Pa., in 9:15:52. Timothy Whelsky was the lone New England resident among the finishers as the 50-year-old from Rockport, Mass., placed eighth in 14:21:31. The shortest ultra – the 50K – had the most finishers with 18 within 14 hours. Ian Lillie, 20, of San Diego, Calif., fended off 20-year-old Max Whitton of Buffalo, N.Y., by four seconds for the win in 6:51:45. Maxwell Schweik, 22, of Amherst, Mass., was the lone New England resident to finish, placing seventh in 7:43:47

Wasatch Front 100

A pair of New England men added one of the classic North American 100-milers to their resume by successfully finishing the 43rd edition of the Wasatch Front 100 on Sept. 8-9 in Kaysville, Utah.

Runners journeyed southbound on the point-to-point course from East Mountain Wilderness Park in Kaysville to Soldier Hollow in Wasatch Mountain State Park, climbing around 24,000 feet along their way through the Wasatch Mountains. Runners had 36 hours to complete the journey, and 202 ultimately did so with 44-year-old Jose Cruz of Bountiful, Utah, leading the way in 20:51:12. Philip Keffer and Robert Lynch were among the finishers. Keffer, 44, of Woodstock, Vt., ran his first 100-miler in 2022 at the Vermont 100. Wasatch was his second, and he placed 67th overall in 31:33:43. Lynch finished the Leadville Trail 100 in 2021 and Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100 in 2022. The 48-year-old from Sharon, Mass., was 149th at Wasatch in 32:42:09.

Mogollon Monster 100

 A pair of New England men secured hard-earned finishes at the rugged and remote Mogollon Monster 100-miler on Sept. 9-10 in Pine, Ariz. Runners battled steep, technical trails and altitude at the 11th annual event, amassing more than 18,000 feet of climbing on a course that was completely above 5,000 feet above sea level.

Of the 134 runners who started the race, only half finished within the 38-hour time limit. Peter Mortimer, 42, of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Megan Eckert, 37, of Santa Fe, N.M., were the men’s and women’s winners in 22:31:59 and 24:42:24, respectively. Eckert set a new women’s course record with her effort. Joining them among the finishers were 30-year-olds Michael Kelleher of Burlington, Vt., and Ryan Fecteau of Framingham, Mass. Kelleher earned his second 100-mile finish, placing 14th overall in 29:16:45. Fecteau followed about an hour later in 30:11:11, placing 17th overall. It was Fecteau’s 11th time finishing a race of 100 miles or more. His first 100-mile finish came at the 2016 TARC 100. Since then, he has added numerous notable finishes to his resume including the Badwater 135, Cruel Jewel, and two 200-mile finishes.

Pine to Palm 100

Kristiana Fasciano has done some of her strongest running in the past few years since running her first 100-miler in 2019. Her efforts include a second 100-mile finish at the Badger Mountain Challenge in Washington in 2022, as well as a victory in the 12-hour race at Across the Years in Arizona to ring in the new year.

Fasciano added another impressive performance to her ultra resume at the 11th running of the Pine to Palm 100-miler on Sept. 9-10 in Williams, Ore. Runners had 34 hours to complete the course through the Siskiyou Mountains from Williams to Ashland, Ore., amassing more than 20,000 feet of climbing along the way.

Fasciano, 25, of Berlin, Conn., was the lone New England resident in the race and finished right in the middle of the field of 41 finishers, placing 21st overall and fourth in the women’s field in 29:03:05. She was five minutes off of earning a spot on the women’s podium. Erica Jennison, 38, of Sebastopol, Calif., was 10th overall and first female in 25:38:00. Dew Cawthorn, 52, of Strasburg, Va., and Karen Weintraub, 39, of Chico, Calif., were the second- and third-place women in 28:55:51 and 28:58:08, respectively. Bret Jorgensen, 33, of Seattle, Wash., topped the men’s field in 20:59:46.

Pine Creek Challenge

Flat and fast, the Pine Creek Challenge tempts first-time ultrarunners as well as veterans seeking fast times or distance records. The 13th edition of the event lured several New Englanders to tackle out-and-backs on the Pine Creek Rail Trail on Sept. 9-10 in Wellsboro, Pa.

The 100-mile race was led by a pair of runners from Williamsport, Pa., as 41-year-old Steve Schall topped the men’s field in 19:02:00 and 37-year-old Kristen Cantor was the first-place female in 20:30:42. Two New England residents were among the 36 finishers within 30 hours. Sarah Zarnowski, 36, of Concord, N.H., finished fifth among the women and 17th overall in 25:24:34, and 35-year-old Michael Condella of Revere, Mass., placed 22nd overall in 26:52:44.

Another 22 runners finished the 100K race, including two from New England. Javier Perrone, 50, of Bristol, Conn., placed 10th in 13:10:07, and Michael Rosenthal, 80, of Arlington, Vt., placed 21st in 16:42:51. An additional 31 runners finished the 50-mile race, including 59-year-old Richard Camerik of Ridgefield, Conn., who was fourth overall and third in the men’s field in 9:28:45, and 31-year-old Thomas Kramer of Milford, Mass., who placed 15th in 10:48:50.

*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.