Hundreds of New England ultrarunners stayed close to home during the Oct. 7-8 weekend to race the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail, Bubba’s Backyard Ultra or the Big Brad Ultras. Those events are highlighted in other coverage on this site. But a number of other runners ventured beyond New England – as close as New York and New Jersey and as far as Illinois, Arkansas, Arizona and Utah, to tackle other events. We’ve caught up on as many of those races as we can in this edition of the roundup.

Hainesport Endurance Festival

A year ago, Barbara Graf raced to a fifth-place finish in the women’s field in the 24-hour race at the Hainesport Endurance Festival, which also offered 48-hour, 12-hour and 100-mile races. On Oct. 7-8, Graf returned to the third annual event and had an even bigger day on the flat, paved loop course through Hainesport Township Park in Hainesport, N.J.

Once again racing in the 24-hour event, Graf, 64, of Leeds, Mass., ran farther and climbed higher on the podium. This time she was the women’s runner-up and fifth overall finisher out of 32 runners with 85.23 miles, one lap behind women’s winner Erin Karara, 35, of Alpharetta, Ga., who completed 86.22 miles and placed fourth overall. Graf’s performance was an 11-mile improvement from 2022. Michael DeGeorge, 25, of Albany, N.Y., led all runners with 137.75 miles. Tonya Caisse, 47, of Milford, Mass., was the only other New England resident in the field. Caisse placed 18th overall and seventh in the women’s field with 55.50 miles.

Twenty-seven runners competed in the 48-hour race, which was won by 43-year-old Pablo Espinosa of St-Polycarpe, Quebec, with 166.49 miles. Miriam Gilbert, 64, of Voorhees, N.J., topped the women’s field and finished fifth overall with 117.93 miles. Two Connecticut men were among the 48-hour finishers with 66-year-old Fred Murolo of Cheshire completing 101.08 miles and 72-year-old Ed Peters of Norwalk finishing 100.09 miles.

An additional 37 runners took part in the 12-hour race, which was won by 25-year-old James Gaffney of New York, N.Y., and 32-year-old Erica Bash of Sewell, N.J., with 71.35 and 63.42 miles apiece. Angela Tuckerman, 44, of Bedford, N.H., was the lone New England resident in that race, finishing tied for 22nd overall and 11th in the women’s field with 39.64 miles.

20 runners finished the 100-miler within the 30-hour time limit; none were New England residents.

Tesla Hertz Ultras

The Long Island Greenbelt Trail is relatively flat with occasional technical spots, but highly runnable overall. But try it for up to 15 laps of the 10.48-mile loop course at the Tesla Hertz Ultras? That was the challenge for some of the runners at the 11th annual event on Oct. 7-9 in Rocky Point, N.Y.

Runners once again had the traditional 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultra distance offerings, and for the second straight year a 150-mile race was also offered. All races took place on the same loop course.

Five runners were up to the challenge of the 150-miler. Three New England residents were among the finishers, with 40-year-old Jason Summerfield, 40, of Dover, N.H., leading the way in 45:21:53. Summerfield has finished several 100-milers previously, including the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail and Quebec Mega-Trail in 2022, but this was his first race beyond 100 miles. Mark Conley, 51, of North Kingstown, R.I., was third in 48:36:20. He finished the Tesla Hertz 100-miler in 2019 and started but failed to finish the 150-miler in 2022 before earning redemption this year. Dawn Ego was fourth overall and the first-place female. Ego, 49, of Benton, Maine, finished the 100-miler a year ago and then was the women’s champion at the Notchview Ultra 100.7-miler earlier this year before finishing the Tesla Hertz 150-miler in 52:43:22.

Two New England residents were among the 35 finishers of the 100-mile race – actually 104.8 miles for exactly four complete marathons. Jeffrey Ray, 40, of New London, N.H., finished 17th overall in 34:20:06 while 52-year-old Shane Northrup of West Gardiner, Maine, rounded out the field in 46:13:41. Alice Baumgartner, 35, of Princeton, N.J., earned the overall win in 20:25:58, followed by men’s champion Henry Ellis, 26, of Hoboken, N.J., in 23:14:09.

A pair of Connecticut women took top honors in the 50K race as 25-year-old Julia Stevenson of New Haven won the race outright in 4:40:42, 18 minutes ahead of runner-up and men’s champion Allen Boggs, 42, of North Bellmore, N.Y. (4:58:44). Amie Petro, 57, of Sandy Hook, Conn., was the women’s runner-up in 6:12:37. Another New England resident – 31-year-old Brittany Ames of Mendon, Mass. – was also among the 46 finishers of the 50K. Ames finished in 7:40:33.

Another nine runners completed the 100K race and 19 more finished the 50-miler. No New England residents competed at those distances.

Hennepin Hundred

A year ago Theodora Textor traveled to Sterling, Ill., to attempt her first 100-miler at the Hennepin Hundred. She ultimately came up short of her goal, but she returned to Massachusetts more determined than ever.

She spent the next year getting stronger. She finished the rugged TARC Fells Winter Ultra in December, and then spent much of 2023 tackling tough trails in Massachusetts and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

On Oct. 7-8, Textor returned to Illinois to take another shot at Hennepin. This time she would not be denied. Textor, 42, of Brookline, Mass., successfully navigated the point-to-point course on the Hennepin Canal State Trail and finished in 28:08:29.

Of the 250 runners who started the race, 185 finished within the 30-hour time limit. Men’s and women’s champions Taggart Venetten and Rachel Ragona went 1-3 overall and set new course records. Vanetten, 27, of Morton, Ill., finished in 12:45:59 while Ragona, 40, of Eau Claire, Wisc., finished in 14:37:05.

The event also included 50-mile and 50K races. No New England residents competed at either distance.

Arkansas Traveller 100

After earning his first four 100-mile finishes on the East Coast, Patrick McEnaney headed south for his fifth finishers’ buckle.

McEnaney, 51, of Mendon, Mass., traveled to Arkansas to race the 32nd edition of the Arkansas Traveller 100-miler on Oct. 7-10. The course amassed around 12,000 feet of climbing on rolling singletrack and occasional steep climbs in the Ouachita National Forest. Of the 182 runners who started the race, 125 finished within the 30-hour time limit. McEnaney was one of 45 who finished in less than 24 hours; he placed 38th overall in 23:27:01. Brendan Connell, 32, of Arkansas and Nicole Laughton, 36, of Oregon, topped the men’s and women’s fields and went 1-3 overall in 15:48:53 and 16:53:05, respectively.

It was McEnaney’s fifth 100-mile finish in four years. His 100-mile journey began with the 2020 Hamsterwheel in New Hampshire, followed by the 2021 Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail, and then the TARCtic Frozen Yeti in Massachusetts and Grindstone 100 in Virginia in 2022.

Flagstaff Sky Peaks

Scott Traer has spent the past few years settling into life as an Arizona-based ultrarunner, but make no mistake: Traer still proudly represents Massachusetts. From his thick Boston accent to his Run Fastah coaching logo emblazoned over the Boston skyline, Traer is Bay State through and through. He also continues to list Woburn, Mass., as his hometown on UltraSignup – just one more way to stay connected to his local roots.

Traer was the lone Bay Stater in the field at the ninth edition of the Flagstaff Sky Peaks 50-miler on Saturday, Oct. 7, and the 42-year-old made his mark on the event in impressive fashion. Traer hammered the forested singletrack trails through the Coconino National Forest and left all other runners in his dust, topping the field of 38 finishers with a 63-minute cushion. Traer’s winning time of 7:18:07 broke the previous course record by 38 minutes. Another 52 runners completed the Sky Peaks 50K race; none were New England residents.

Traer’s victory was just the latest strong performance on his resume. In August, Traer finished third overall at the Leadville Trail 100-miler in Colorado. Earlier in the year he won the Crown King Scramble 50K in Phoenix, and later placed 16th overall (15th male) at the Western States Endurance Run 100-miler in California.

DC Peaks 50

Joseph Kennedy’s ultra journey began two years ago when he headed west and tackled his first two ultramarathons in September 2021, first at the Whitefish Trail Legacy Run 50K in Montana where he placed sixth, and then at the Three Bears 50-miler in Idaho where he finished third.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, Kennedy was again out west for an ultra – his third – and the 26-year-old resident of Byfield, Mass., earned another strong finish on a tough course at the second running of the DC Peaks 50 in Kaysville, Utah.

Kennedy and his fellow runners took on a point-to-point course from East Mountain Wilderness Park in Kaysville to Tunnel Springs Park in North Salt Lake, amassing around 11,000 feet of climbing on a course that took place almost entirely above 5,000 feet. Of the 104 runners who finished, Kennedy placed 46th overall in 12:58:40. Adam Loomis, 31, of Kamas, Utah, earned the victory in 7:41:00.

Another 39 runners completed the DC Peaks 55K; 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.