More than 600 runners gathered in Brookline, N.H., for the wildly popular Ghost Train Trail Race. Still, Ghost Train wasn’t the only ultra event in New England during the Oct. 14-15 weekend. Runners from the region also gathered at starting lines in Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island and tackled the trails for runs between 11 and 30 hours. Ghost Train will have a standalone recap, and a second roundup will include results for New England ultrarunners at ultras beyond the region, but in this edition we keep it close to home.

Forbidden Forest

Runners got loopy in the Roosevelt Forest at the sixth annual Forbidden Forest 30-hour ultra on Oct. 14-15 in Stratford, Conn. Twenty-four runners took on the 2.23-mile loop course through the forest. Nineteen of those runners surpassed the 50-mile mark, the top 15 ran at least 100K and five runners achieved 100 miles or more.

The men’s and women’s champions finished 1-2 overall and each completed 118.1 miles. David Stawski, 42, of Manchester, Conn., secured the second spot on the men’s record board for his effort while 37-year-old Kate Olson of Studio City, Calif., established a new women’s course record with her winning performance.

Steven Starke, 33, of Jewett City, Conn., was the men’s runner-up with 111.5 miles, followed by 34-year-old Matt Twitchell of Windsor Locks, Conn., and 36-year-old Eric Wester of Glastonbury, Conn., with 100.3 miles apiece.

Jennifer Boshco, 39, of Billerica, Mass., was the women’s runner-up with 100.30, followed by Karen Giroux, 57, of Salem, Mass., with 71.3 miles.

Other top performers were Nicholas Smith, 36, of Monroe, Conn., who was seventh overall with 93.6 miles, and 72-year-old James Gawle of Webster, Mass., who was 10th overall with 71.3 miles.

Devil’s Den

A devilishly difficult challenge greeted runners in Vermont at the second annual Devil’s Den 30-hour and 12-hour ultras on Oct. 14-15 in Bradford, Vt. The challenge was a 6.4-mile loop course with 1,600 feet of climbing per loop on Wright’s Mountain’s Devil’s Den Trail.

Twelve runners took on the 30-hour event, and nobody hammered the course harder than Lee Pellerin. The 45-year-old from East Hardwick, Vt., followed up his 100.7-mile victory at the Notchview Ultra in July by winning Devil’s Den with 15 laps, 96 miles and 24,000 feet of climbing within the 30-hour time limit. One lap behind Pellerin was Scott Benerofe, 28, of Richmond, Vt., with 89.6 miles and 22,400 feet of gain. First-place female Jill Singer, 29, of Columbus, Ohio, was third overall with 12 laps, 76.9 miles and 19,200 feet of gain. SethKutikoff, 35, of South Burlington, Vt., matched her mileage and placed fourth overall – third in the men’s field.

Joining Singer on the women’s podium were Nathalie De Sao Pedro, 41, of Kingsey Falls, Quebec, and Tiffany Woodger, 40, of Granville, Mass. De Sao Pedro logged 10 laps, 64 miles and 16,000 feet of gain, and Woodger completed seven laps and 44.8 miles.

Other top performers were Nicholas Garty, 28, of Burlington, Vt. (64 miles, 10 laps); Calvin Lee, 30, of Bristol, N.H. (64 miles, 10 laps); Eugene Cordwell, 28, of Boscawen, N.H. (51.2 miles, 8 laps); and Dan Mathers, 51, of Stoughton, Mass. (51.2 miles, 8 laps).

Twenty-one runners took part in the 12-hour race and 14 of them surpassed the marathon distance. Emily Breitsprecher, 29, of Enfield, Conn., led all runners with seven laps and 44.8 miles, followed by men’s champion and overall runner-up Vincent Gucciardo, 35, of Barre, Vt., with 38.4 miles. Matching the mileage but finishing after were Stephen Dunnington Jr., 29, of Berkley, Mass.; Marylyn Styles, 56, of Laconia, N.H.; Ashley Lesniak, 31, of Spring Mills, Pa.; Cris Cote, 60, of Essex Junction, Vt.; Elliot Miller, 25, of Cambridge, Mass.; and Matthew Chamberlain, 40, of Burlington, Vt.

Rhode Island Trail Classic

Ultrarunners raced from sunrise to sunset at the second annual Rhode Island Trail Classic 11-hour ultra on Saturday, Oct. 14, in Charlestown, R.I.

A field of 104 runners took on the 7.5-mile mixed-terrain Vin Gormley Trail loop course around Lake Watchaug in Burlingame State Park. Of that group, 80 runners completed at least four loops for 30 miles. The top 10 runners achieved at least seven loops and 52.5 miles while the top two completed eight laps and 60 miles.

Sean Blythe, 27, of Tiverton, R.I., and Jeremy Couto, 34, of Bristol, R.I., finished 1-2 overall as the lone 60-mile finishers. Adam Coogan, 30, of North Providence, R.I., rounded out the men’s podium with 52.5 miles. Six more men also matched that mileage: Kyle Fontain, 39, of Bristol, R.I.; Mark Stoutzenberger, 42, of Cranston, R.I.; Kyle Marshall, 39, of Portsmouth, R.I; Igor Visnepolskiy, 38, of Warwick, R.I; Scott May, 30, of Waterford, Conn.; and Robert Aftosmes-Tobio, 38, of Sharon, Mass.

Kelsey Miller, 38, of Portsmouth, R.I., led the women’s field with 52.5 miles. The second through fifth women all completed six laps and 45 miles. Those runners were Jacqueline Francisco, 53, of Westport, Mass.; Amanda Littlefield, 34, of Swansea, Mass.; Kaitlin Vardaro, 33, of Providence, R.I.; and Katie Bailey, 26, of Osterville, Mass.

*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.