After several weekends of ultras in Massachusetts, Sept. 22-24 was quiet in the Bay State … but not anywhere else. Runners from the Commonwealth and throughout New England were busy tackling ultras seemingly everywhere else. There were so many races, in fact, that they merit being split into two roundups this week – one for New England races and another for ultras elsewhere. We start beyond the region with a look at how local runners performed in New Jersey, California, Oregon and Arizona. Additionally, we catch up on New Englanders who completed the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler on Sept. 15-17 in Colorado. It’s a jam-packed edition of the roundup – and it’s only part one this week.

Squatchayanda Trail Festival

A year after launching its inaugural event, the Squatchayanda Trail Festival returned bigger and better for year two on Sept. 23-24 in Hewitt, N.J. The event added a 100-miler – the Wild Goose – to the lineup this year in addition to 50-mile, 36-hour, 24-hour and 12-hour ultras. New England residents were among the finishers of the 100-mile and 50-mile races.

The event featured a mix of singletrack and doubletrack trails, boardwalks and pavement at Wawayanda State Park. Runners in the 100-miler amassed 11,275 feet of gain while 50-milers tackled more than 5,000 feet of climbing.

Although the event offered generous cutoffs and a 36-hour time limit, more than half the field didn’t finish. Of the 49 runners who started, just 21 ultimately finished. A pair of New Jersey men – Patrick Fricke, 27, of Chester, and Mike Petrucelli, 41, of Rockaway – tied for the win in 25:23:07. Women’s champion Lee Conner, 50, of Cleveland, Ohio, followed in fifth overall in 29:28:56.

Janet Sanderson was the top New England finisher. Sanderson, 56, of Wakefield, R.I., placed ninth overall and earned the third spot on the women’s podium when she finished in 31:18:48. Close behind her was 10th overall finisher and fourth-place female Cherie Bilbie, 48, of Ellington, Conn., in 31:25:11. Women’s runner-up Karmell Ohlrogge, 38, of Cleveland, Ohio, finished 22 minutes earlier in 30:56:32. 

Jarred Shorr, 34, of Cranson, R.I., joined Sanderson and Bilbie in finishing the race. He placed 20th in 35:26:48.

In addition to the 100-miler, another 31 runners tackled the 50-mile distance with 24 ultimately finishing. Two New Englanders were among the finishers, with 40-year-old Caitlin Rossi of Torrington, Conn., securing the third spot on the women’s podium in 13:11:36. Stephanie Newcomb, 45, of Phoenixville, Pa., won the women’s race and placed 11th overall in 11:44:56. Matteo Chiampo, 57, of Arlington, Mass., cracked the overall top 10, placing ninth in 11:31:31. Jeremy Douglas, 41, of North Vancouver, B.C., was the men’s 50-mile champion in 7:48:20.

Mammoth Trail Festival

A year ago, professional ultrarunner Tim Tollefson ventured into the race directing world with the launch of the Mammoth Trail Festival. Tollefson played host to the second annual event on Sept. 22-24 in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Hundreds of runners flocked to the festival to race along scenic mountain trails, including four New England residents who conquered the event’s main event: the 50K.

The race featured 7,000 feet of climbing, an average elevation of more than 9,000 feet, and a single-loop course around Mammoth Lakes. Nick Handel, 31, of San Francisco, Calif., and Emkay Sullivan, 29, of Reno, Nev., topped the men’s and women’s fields in 4:22:16 and 5:13:19, respectively, in a field of 418 finishers within 12 hours. 

The New England contingent included Tom Frasca, 34, of Wellesley, Mass.; Mike Rozinsky, 47, of Marblehead, Mass.; Simon Rufer, 24, of Cambridge, Mass.; and Mark Shaner, 48, of Wilton, Conn. Trasca led the way for the New Englanders, finishing 159th overall in 7:39:19. Rozinsky followed five runners later in 7:44:08. Rufer also placed in the top half of the field, finishing in 7:56:51. Shaner rounded out the runners from the region in 10:30:04.

Rozinsky was also one of 43 runners to complete the Mammoth Triple, finishing 29th in 13:35:59. The Triple included the 50K, as well as the trail festival’s 26K and Dragon’s Back Ascent races.

Three Sisters Skyline

The last time Daniel McCarthy stepped to the starting line at an ultramarathon was the 2022 Vermont 50. That day, McCarthy pushed hard and raced to a second-place overall finish at the New England classic event.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, McCarthy returned to an ultra starting line, this time in Sisters, Ore., at the fifth annual Three Sisters Skyline 50K. Racing on a course through the Three Sisters Wilderness with 3,700 feet of climbing, McCarthy pushed hard and had another big day. In a field of 184 finishers within 9 1/2 hours, McCarthy finished third overall and second-place male in 4:15:48. Todd Simpson, 38, of Bend, Ore., earned the overall win in 4:08:23 after a stiff challenge from women’s champion and overall runner-up Heather Jackson, 39, of Bend, Ore., who followed moments later in 4:10:20.

Javelina Jangover

Just a few short weeks ago Paul Johnson was running on the trails of France, Italy and Switzerland in one of the most iconic ultras in the world – the 106-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. On Saturday, Sept. 23, Johnson shook out his legs with a strong showing at the Javelina Jangover night race in Scottsdale, Ariz. Out of 25 starters and 19 finishers in the 75K race, Johnson, 27, of Newport, R.I., finished third overall in 6:49:26. Only Preston Cates, 26, of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Rob Arend, 30, of Phoenix, Ariz., ran faster, finishing 1-2 in 5:46:44 and 6:13:53.

An additional 80 runners completed the 50K race, led by 38-year-old Michael Versteeg of Prescott, Ariz., and 30-year-old Nicole Hanson of Flagstaff, Ariz., in 3:38:38 and 3:56:51, respectively. None of the finishers at that distance were New England residents.

Run Rabbit Run

Mountains, altitude 100-miles of trail were the challenge that lured hundreds of ultrarunners to the 16th annual Run Rabbit Run 100-miler on Sept. 16-17 in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Four New England residents were among the runners that successfully completed a course that tested runners with 22,000 feet of climbing and plenty of altitude, including a trip over 10,300-foot Buffalo Pass.

Run Rabbit Run has two divisions for the 100-miler: hares and tortoises.

No New England residents were among the 51 finishers in the Hares division, which was won by Dave Stevens, 40, of Slocan Park, B.C., and Tara Dower, 30, of Virginia Beach, Va., in 17:22:34 and 20:32:22, respectively.

Another 355 runners started in the Tortoise division, and 252 ultimately finished within the 36-hour time limit. Bo Shelby, 27, of Denver, Colo., topped the men’s field in 21:33:56, while 31-year-old Stephanie Rose of Lakewood, Colo., won the women’s race in 25:37:21. New Englanders Kaitlyn Mac Guthrie, Graham Simon, Tammy Volock and Jodie Davis all joined them at the finish line in the hours that followed. Mac Guthrie, 24, of Ashby, Mass., finished 18th in the women’s field and 125th overall in 31:28:45. It was a strong showing following her 100-mile debut at the 2021 Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100-miler. Simon, 29, of Boston, Mass., finished 13 minutes later in 31:41:05. It was Simon’s fourth 100-mile finish, adding to a resume that includes the 2021 Devil Dog 100 and 2022 Infinitus and Midstate Massive 100s. Volock, 49, of Portland, Maine, is a finisher of several 100-milers, but she DNF’d the 2022 Run Rabbit Run and returned this year seeking redemption. She got it, finishing 170th overall, 33rd female, in 33:36:39. Davis, 31, of Boston, Mass., followed shortly after in 33:54:14, earning her fifth 100-mile finish and second of the year. Davis finished the Bighorn 100 in June in Wyoming.

*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.