The final multi-ultra week of the year in Massachusetts was on tap during the Nov. 10-12 weekend as runners tackled the 6-hour timed TARCkey Trot at Wright-Locke Farm and Whipple Hill in Winchester and an undetermined time-length event at the Race for DFL last person standing ultra in Winchendon. Those races will have their own separate recap writeups. Beyond those local ultras, a few other runners conquered courses in the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday. A Few tackled the inaugural 50K ultra as part of the Roxbury Marathon in Connecticut. Others traveled to Illinois and turned in fast performances while witnessing even faster ones – including a world record – at Tunnel Hill. Another Massachusetts man made a strong ultra debut at a first-year ultra in Kentucky. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Tunnel Hill

World records and course records were aplenty at the 10th annual Tunnel Hill Ultras on Nov. 11-12 at Tunnel Hill State Park in Vienna, Ill.

The men’s 100-mile course record was smashed, the men’s 50-mile world record fell, the women’s 50-mile course record was crushed, and the fifth-fastest women’s 100-mile time in course history was turned in on a course that is known for producing fast times. It all made for a wild weekend on the Tunnel Hill State Trail where runners completed multiple out-and-backs on the smooth surface.

The 100-mile race was highlighted by a pair of historic performances as 34-year-old Elov Olsson of Galve, Sweden, won by a 61-minute margin in 11:26:19 and crushed the course record by 42 minutes, and 40-year-old Micah Morgan of Vestavia, Ala., topped the women’s field with the fifth-best time in course history at 15:14:14. The two Massachusetts men who were among the 179 finishers in 30 hours also had big-time performances on the fast course.

Both Durgesh Mankekar and Grant Rice cruised to sub-20-hour finishes. Mankekar, 46, of Medford, placed 31st overall in 19:14:00. It was his fourth 100-mile finish and second fastest, trailing only his victory at the 2022 Ghost Train Trail Race in 18:21:42. Meanwhile, Rice, 31, of Cambridge, sizzled in his 100-mile debut as he finished 35th overall in 19:30:11.

No New England residents were among the 344 finishers of the 50-mile race, but crew members for New Englanders in the 100-miler got to witness history at the shorter ultra distance. Charlie Lawrence, 28, of Boulder, Colo., earned the overall win with a world record performance in 4:48:21. In the women’s field, 36-year-old Polina Hodnette of Chicago, Ill., placed sixth overall, set a new women’s course record and clocked the fifth-fastest 50-mile time ever by an American woman in 5:54:14.

Roxbury Marathon

After 10 years as a marathon, the Roxbury Marathon expanded to include a 50K in its 11th year on Saturday, Nov. 11, in Roxbury, Conn.

Twenty-three runners finished the first edition of the 50K offering, which took place on dirt and paved roads through the Hurlburt Recreation Area. Justin Kousky capped a big year of racing by winning in 3:48:37, followed by 62-year-old Todd Sears of Burlington, Conn., in 4:27:23. Michael Racca, 34, of Shirley, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 4:47:42, followed shortly by 59-year-old Richard Camerik of Ridgefield, Conn., in 4:53:36. The top four overall runners were the lone sub-5-hour finishers.

The most exciting race was for the victory in the women’s field where the podium positions were decided by just 48 seconds. Lauren Edelman, 43, of Bridgeport, Conn., secured the victory in 5:18:11 after outkicking 32-year-old Jocelyn Ryan-Small of New Haven, Conn., who followed just eight seconds later in 5:18:19. Amy Daveluy, 48, of Southbury, Conn., was a very close third in 5:18:59. Fourth-place Angela Scarinci, 41, of North Haven, Conn., finished in 5:24:18.

Cantuckee Y’all 50K

A Massachusetts man ran his inaugural ultramarathon at an inaugural ultra event. Cory Grant, 40, of Beverly, took on the first edition of the Cantuckee Y’all 50K on Saturday, Nov. 11, in Slade, Ky. The first-time ultramarathoner overcame a scenic multi-loop course through the Red River Gorge that measured in at 32.5 miles with 6,200 feet of climbing.

Garrett Bowers, 49, of Lawrenceburg, Ky., and Rachel Schack, 28, of Morehead, Ky., set the initial men’s and women’s course records with their victories in 5:14:57 and 6:04:02, respectively. Grant also had a very strong day, running among the frontrunners in the field of 92 finishers. Grant placed 10th overall, in 6:45:41.

*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.