Ultrarunners from New England feasted on trails one final time before Thanksgiving during the Nov. 17-18 weekend with runners taking on ultra events from Connecticut to Nevada and points in between. Some gathered in Southington, Conn., for the seventh annual CT Trailmixers Fall Fling 400, while many more headed south to Maryland for the latest edition of the JFK 50. Other ultras where New Englanders toed the starting line included the Swamp Fox Ultra in South Carolina, Dead Horse in Utah, and Fire Fest in Nevada. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

CT Trailmixers Fall Fling 400

The CT Trailmixers closed out their 2023 racing season by playing host to the seventh edition of the Fall Fling 400 on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Southington, Conn. Runners had six hours – or 400 minutes – to complete as many laps around a 2-mile course as they wanted. Runners needed to finish at least 14 laps on the rolling singletrack, and dirt/gravel road course to be credited with an ultramarathon finish. Seventeen runners ultimately earned ultra mileage, with 33-year-old Jacques Saarbach of New Haven, Conn., leading all runners with 18 laps and 36 miles within the time limit. Lee Davis, 42, of Hamden, Conn., was second with 34 miles, followed by 38-year-old Justin Curreri of Glastonbury, Conn., who secured the final spot on the men’s podium with 32 miles.

Five more runners joined Curreri with 32 miles, including fourth overall finisher and first-place female Jamie Miller, 41, of North Haven, Conn. Other 32-mile finishers were Christian Dockum, 47, of Fairfield, Conn.; Daniel Brehant, 37, of Willimantic, Conn.; Robert Amatruda, 38, of South Windsor, Conn.; and Tony Didomizio, 38, of Rocky Hill, Conn. Josh Gaetjen, 53, of Hamden, Conn., logged 15 laps and 30 miles.

Joining Miller on the women’s podium were Kate Kacsuta, 35, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Marisa Debboli-Cop, 36, of Southington, Conn., with 14 laps and 28 miles apiece.

Dead Horse Ultra

Slickrock trails, steep climbs, and views for miles lured runners from across the country to the ninth annual Dead Horse Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Moab, Utah, to tackle 50-mile and 50K distances near Arches National Park and the La Sal Mountains.

More than 200 runners took on the 50-mile race and its nearly 5,000 feet of climbing, including five New England residents who were among the finishers.

Steve Maloney led the runners from the region as the 34-year-old from Boston, Mass., finished 48th overall in 9:23:53. It was Maloney’s third ultra ever – and third this year. It was also his first 50-miler. Joining him among the finishers were Massachusetts resident Henry McCausland, 21, who earned his first ultra finish in 10:45:19; 33-year-old Boston, Mass., resident Jerry O’Shea who followed in 10:47:35; as well as four-time Dead Horse finisher John Collmer, 47, of Hingham, Mass., who finished in 11:49:54; and 33-year-old Dylan Williams of Durham, Maine, who earned his first ultra finish in 12:12:00.

Koltin Hammer, 28, of Erie, Pa., led the men’s field in 6:38:53 while Hannah Jochem, 32, of Lander, Wyo., was the first-place female in 8:10:15.

An additional 423 runners completed the 50K race with 2,800 feet of climbing. Five New England residents were among the finishers, led by 26-year-old Dylan Jones of Natick, Mass., who battled to a top-10 finish and placed ninth overall in 3:41:38. Anthony Bellabona, 20, of Madbury, N.H., finished in 6:41:40; Owen Muller, 20, of Durham, N.H., followed in 6:48:02; Heather McKernan, 59, of Peterborough, N.H., finished in 6:50:26; and Jason Lin, 38, of Boston, Mass., rounded out the New Englanders in 6:54:22. Cole Campbell, 24, of Gunnison, Colo., and Anne Flower, 34, of Colorado Springs, Colo., were the first-place male and female in 3:04:45 and 3:49:07, respectively.

Fire Fest Ultra

As winter nears and cold temperatures descend on New England, a trio of runners from the region fled to warmer temperatures and brought some heat of their own to the Fire Fest Ultra on Nov. 18-19 in Logandale, Nev.

The eighth annual event, which takes place an hour north of Las Vegas in Valley of Fire State Park, treated runners to plenty of wide open views on desert trails. Runners had 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultra options, and all three New Englanders took on the 50-mile distance. By the time they were done, all three finished in the overall top 10, and all earned podium finishes.

James Ramaley, 32, of Stamford, Conn., earned the overall victory in 8:54:32 and set a new men’s course record in his ultra debut. He was joined on the men’s podium by Peter Rentzepis, 28, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., who was third in 11:36:10.

Erin Tiernan, 44, of Oak Bluffs, Mass., was the final New Englander to finish, and she placed eighth overall and second in the women’s field in 12:57:29. Cynthia Moreno, 28, of Henderson, Nev., was the women’s champion in 12:45:06.

Swamp Fox Ultra

Dylan Cuddy didn’t pick an easy place to run his first 50-miler. The 31-year-old from Providence, R.I., opted for the seventh annual Swamp Fox Ultra on Nov. 18-19 in McClellanville, S.C.

The largely self-supported event offered 105-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultramarathon distances while challenging runners with the flat but frequently highly technical Awendaw and Swamp Fox Passage segments of the Palmetto Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest.

Just one runner finished the 105-miler, nobody completed the 100K and eight runners finished the 50K. Cuddy was the lone New Englander at the event, and he opted for the 50-miler. He was one of just 13 runners to finish – the largest finisher tally of any ultra at the event. Cuddy placed sixth overall in 12:37:20. Lev Tanner, 24, of Monk’s Corner, S.C., won in 9:41:07, a full 85 minutes faster than the runner-up.

JFK 50

The oldest ultramarathon in the United States – the JFK 50 – celebrated its 61st year on Saturday, Nov. 18, and once again took runners on a mix of roads and trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the C&O Canal Towpath from Boonsboro to Williamsport, Md.

Seth Ruhling, 29, of Boulcer, Colo., and Jennifer Lichter, 27, of Missoula, Mont., were the men’s and women’s champions in 5:28:38 and 6:23:30, respectively, leading a field of 1,020 starters and 933 finishers within 13 hours. Forty-two New England residents were among those who crossed the finish line, including five who were among the top 100 overall.

Alyssa Dnerson, 47, of Claremont, N.H., was the top New England finisher, placing eighth in the women’s field and 50th overall in 7:27:11. Michael Yanchuk, 37, of Chepachet, R.I., was 55th overall in 7:30:35. Others in the top 100 were Forrest Hangen, 27, of Bridgeport, Conn. (65th, 7:40:28); Emily Ullman, 31, of Brookline, Mass. (68th, 7:43:14); and Ashley Rancourt, 32, of Manchester, Conn. (7:56:47).

Other New Englanders who finished in the top half of the field were: Genevieve Rochefort, 45, of Natick, Mass. (107th, 8:05:26); Brad Reed, 40, of Pelham, Mass. (133rd, 8:22:30); Sarah Mensinger, 27, of Orono, Maine (140th, 8:26:31); Kelly Wei, 33, of Woodbury, Conn. (149th, 8:32:21); Eric Paine, 20, of Auburn, Mass. (177th, 8:47:30); Will Manuel, 50, of Greenwich, Conn. (190th, 8:54:44); Joseph D’Alessio, 47, of Cambridge, Mass. (193rd, 8:55:05); James Ricciardelli, 24, of Hull, Mass. (194th, 8:55:15); Opeyemi Jegede, 34, of Upton, Mass. (229th, 9:07:55); Robert Struck, 44, of Taunton, Mass. (230th, 9:07:55); Nathan Ramesh, 22, of Lexington, Mass. (245th, 9:14:27); John Bassette, 36, of Hartland, Vt. (278th, 9:26:46); Thomas O’Shea, 49, of Wilmington, Mass. (289th, 9:30:18); Greg Leger, 53, of Biddeford, Maine (321st, 9:41:51); Alex April, 32, of Manchester, N.H. (337th, 9:46:33); Nathan Caddell, 34, of Medford, Mass. (349th, 9:50:10); Michael Scheer, 28, of Hingham, Mass. (352nd, 9:50:40); Sophia Costes, 28, of Somerville, Mass. (10:09:26); Katie Baldyga, 30, of Boston, Mass. (479th, 10:28:07); and Adam Pressel, 28, of Cambridge, Mass. (491st, 10:31:40).

Additional finishers from New England included: Frank Wang, 61, of Lexington, Mass. (543rd, 10:46:03); Robin Belton, 29, of Northampton, Mass. (544th, 10:46:06); Jeffrey Ray, 40, of New London, N.H. (559th, 10:48:10); Jason Haley, 50, of South Hamilton, Mass. (571st, 10:51:35); Chris Payant, 49, of Westborough, Mass. (591st, 10:57:26); David Sutherland, 61, of Coventry, Conn. (655th, 11:22:38); Steve Robinson, 58, of Warren, Vt. (667th, 11:25:32); Marziah Hashimi, 36, of Jamaica Plain, Mass. (686th, 11:30:01); Laurie McDonough, 47, of Cambridge, Mass. (709th, 11:40:15); Joe Lawson, 29, of Wilton, Maine (716th, 11:41:56); Sarah Holden Mount, 47, of Madbury, N.H. (784th, 12:04:16); Kristen Lomastro, 49, of Dover, N.H. (787th, 12:05:06); Karyn Rimas, 52, of Somersworth, N.H. (831st, 12:21:24); Steven Suon, 24, of Bristol, Conn. (846th, 12:26:12); Victor McKenna, 51, of Coventry, R.I. (861st, 12:31:21); and George Robinson, 65, of Warren, Vt. (926th, 12:55:30).

*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.