September ended and October began with another jam-packed weekend of ultramarathon racing for New Englanders. In fact, runners from the region tackled more than a dozen ultras from coast to coast. That’s more than enough ultras to make Sept. 30-Oct. 1 a two-roundup week so we’re splitting it up between ultras in the Northeast and everything else. Here in part one we highlight a half-dozen ultras – most of them in the west, including the 25th edition of The Bear 100. Three others outside the Northeast (Saddle2Surf, Rio Grande 100, and the Stanky Creek 50K) had New England entrants but haven’t yet posted results. Even without them, this made for a looooooong edition of the roundup.

The Bear 100

The Bear 100 celebrated its 25th anniversary by once again taking runners on a 100-mile journey from a sleepy neighborhood in Logan, Utah, through the Bear River Range mountains and Wasatch-Cache National Forest, and on to the finish line at the shore of Bear Lake in Fish Haven, Idaho. The race’s classic features were also there: rugged trails, remote wilderness, and nearly 22,000 feet of climbing.

Of the 356 runners who started the race, 240 ultimately completed the journey within 36 hours. That included three Massachusetts residents, two who were Bear veterans and one who was a 100-mile newbie.

Stephanie Christau, 36, of Williamstown, Mass., picked a brutal race for her first 100-miler, but she was up to the challenge and finished 156th overall in 32:24:57 to secure her first finisher’s buckle. Finishing an hour before her was 59-year old Gregory Lowe of Ipswich, Mass. Lowe knows the event well, having finished it in 2017 and 2018 before taking on other races during recent years. After five years away, Lowe returned to the Bear and finished 138th overall in 31:24:36. Also earning a repeat trip across the finish line was Paul Young. The 58-year-old resident of Andover, Mass., earned his fourth Bear finish. Following finishes in 2017, 2019 and 2022, Young battled hard against the course and finished with 33 minutes to spare in 35:27:18.

The top 24 finishers at this year’s race finished in less than 24 hours. Zachary Garner, 23, of Provo, Utah, led the men’s field in 17:11:51 while Kathryn Graha, 39, of Logan, Utah, was the first-place female in 22:25:35.

Yeti 100

Two New England residents were among the finishers of the ninth annual Yeti 100 on Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Abingdon, Va. Of the 236 runners who took on the multiple out-and-backs of crushed limestone and cinder path with rolling hills and 3,000 feet of elevation gain,146 ultimately finished within 30 hours.

Included among the finishers were Robert Scott and Erika Hamel. Scott, 69, of Woodbury, Conn., has been running ultras since 2000 and finished several 100-milers. He completed this one in 28:14:28. Meanwhile, Hamel ade her 100-mile debut and the 37-year-old from Nashua, N.H., finished in 29:28:59.

The men’s and women’s champions finished 1-2 overall with Barry Thomas, 40, of Hickory, N.C., finishing in 15:12:31 and Marry Cates, 43, of Harrison, Tenn., finishing in 17:06:01. It was Cates’ second Yeti 100 victory, improving on her 2021 victory when she finished in 17:48:33. Thomas was sixth at the 2022 race.

Saddles 100

Brennen Lord made his ultra debut two years ago at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARCkey Trot 6-Hour where he completed 31 miles. On Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Lord ran his first 100-miler when he took part in the inaugural Saddles 100 in Prescott, Ariz.

The single-loop course circled Prescott, starting and finishing in downtown. Runners amassed nearly 13,000 feet of climbing during the course of completing the loop. Lord had a strong day and the 29-year-old from Newmarket, N.H., finished 13th overall in 27:56:36.

Chad Trumbo, 40, of Columbus, Ohio, and Chelsea Kaderavek, 33, of Manhattan, Mont., were the men’s and women’s champions in 21:06:13 and 24:20:36, respectively.

Thirty-four runners completed the race with all but one doing so in less than 33 hours.

In addition to the 100-miler, another 42 runners completed the Saddles 50-mile race. No New England residents competed at that distance.

Mt. Taylor 50K

Dylan Villescas began his trail-running career while living in New Mexico, earning several victories at sub-ultra distances. Now living in Charlestown, Mass., the 31-year-old Villescas opted to return to New Mexico to race his first ultra.

Building upon a fourth-place finish at the Catamount 25K in Vermont in June, Villescas took on the Mt. Taylor 50K on Saturday, Sept. 30 in Grants, N.M. The 11th annual event offered a high-altitude challenge with a course entirely above 9,000 feet above sea level. It featured three substantial climbs, including a 1,400-foot climb to La Mosca Lookout and a 2,000-foot march to the summit of Mt. Taylor. Ultimately, 142 runners finished the race within 11 1/2 hours, including Villescas who placed 15th overall in 5:51:43.

Benjamin Stout, 29, of Los Alamos, N.M., won the race for the second straight year, finishing in 4:16:37. Johanna Hamblett, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., led the women’s field in 5:55:27.

Lady of the Lake

Robert Jeffers has logged several ultramarathon finishes at 8-hour events. His resume includes four ultra finishes of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s Sweltering Summer 8-Hour in Pittsfield, Mass. Jeffers found another 8-hour event – the Lady of the Lake – and earned another ultra finish at the fifth annual event on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Blairsville, Ga.

The event used an approximately 1-mile loop trail around Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park.

Thirty-two runners took part in the race and 29 of them surpassed the marathon distance. Jeffers, 53, of Cohasset, Mass., was among them, finishing 20th with 33 miles.

Christopher Swindell, 27, of Locust Grove, Ga., and Cindy Welsh, 48, of Marietta, Ga., were the men’s and women’s winners with 48.4 miles and 42.9 miles, respectively. 

Perpetua Coast 50K

Michael DeMello’s ultramarathon debut included panoramic views of the Oregon Coast and plenty of flowing singletrack trails. DeMello, 35, of Hyde Park, Mass., took it all in at the ninth running of the Perpetua Coast 50K on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Yachats, Ore.

The race took place in the Cape Perpetua National Scenic Area on a lollipop-loop style course. Dylan Humberger, 23, of Ashland, Ore., won the race with a 12-minute cushion, finishing in 4:07:30. Lindsay Eysenbach, 30, of Seattle, Wash., placed seventh overall and first in the women’s race in 4:38:26. DeMello finished in the middle of the field in 6:56:31. Eighty-five runners completed the race within nine hours.

*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.