It was a strong start to December for ultrarunners from New England. Runners took part in at least 10 ultra events, most in the United States but one all the way in Taiwan. Massachusetts resident Jenny Hoffman – fresh off of her transcontinental world record run – represented Team USA at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships, as did Bay State native Scott Traer. We lead off with their efforts before returning closer to home at the Krampuslauf 9-Hour Ultra in New Hampshire, and then head to Virginia, North Carolina and New York for more results from the Dec. 1-2 weekend. Additionally, several runners from the region headed west to California and took part in a trio of ultras. We’ll have those captured in a separate roundup tomorrow.

IAU 24-Hour World Championships

Massachusetts was represented on the world stage by two runners at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships on Dec. 1-2 in Taipei, Taiwan. Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman represented Team USA in the women’s race while Woburn native Scott Traer competed for the American men.

Miho Nakata of Japan won the women’s race and set a new world record with 270.363 kilometers (167.996 miles), eclipsing the previous record set by Camille Herron by just 246 meters – slightly more than half a loop on a standard track. Meanwhile, defending men’s world champion Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania defended his title in the men’s race, winning with 301.790 kilometers (187.524 miles).

Just a few weeks removed from her world record-setting transcontinental run, Hoffman was one of the top performers for the American women. She turned in the second-most kilometers on the team of six. The top three runners from each team contribute to the team score. Allison Allen led the American women with 238.204 kilometers of running, good for 10th place in the women’s race. Hoffman was the second-best American woman in the field and finished 23rd overall with 223.249 kilometers. Jian Springer was the third American woman with 216.902 kilometers. Joining them on Team USA were Mandie Holmes (148.205 km), Camille Herron (142.000 km), and Marisa Lizak (5.684 km).

Poland earned the women’s team victory with 726.552 kilometers, followed by Japan (702.911) and the Czech Republic (697.275). The American women finished fifth as a team with 678.355 kilometers, slightly behind fourth-place Denmark (678.460).

In the men’s competition, Sorokin’s big day led to a first-place finish for Lithuania’s men with 813.368 kilometers, followed by Poland (787.964) and Great Britain (771.794). The United States (679.123) finished 10th in the men’s team standings.

Traer’s day ended early after 136.000 kilometers of running. He was fifth among the American men. Point-scorers for the American men were Chad Lasater (250.785 km), Chris Roberts (232.749 km), and Nick Coury (195.589 km). Also competing were Jeff Urbanski (173.684 km) and Jacob Jackson (134.393 km).

Krampuslauf 9-Hour

The Christmas season kicked off ultrarunning-style with the Krampuslauf 9-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Dartmouth Skyway in Lyme, N.H. The course consisted of two separate 5K loops on either side of Winslow Ledge, and runners had to complete each loop five times to earn an ultramarathon finish.

Thirty-two runners took part in the 9-hour race; seven of them earned ultra finishes.

Will Peterson, 25, of Naples, Maine, was the first to do so, followed by 19-year-old Jack Buffington of Enfield, N.H., and 35-year-old Matt Ouellette of Newton, Mass. Bill Tidd, 61, of Alton Bay, N.H., was fourth, followed by 27-year-old Liesel Robbins of Hanover, N.H., who was fifth overall and first in the women’s field. Additional 50K finishers were Noah Huizenga, 28, of Hanover, N.H., and Heidi Edmonds, 24, of Lebanon, N.H.

Freight Train 100K/50K

Matt Sicotte’s ultrarunning debut performance was a smashing success. Sicotte, 44, of Georgia, Vt., raced to a top-10 finish in the 50K race at the fourth running of the Freight Train 100K and 50K ultras on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Farmville, Va.

There were no New England residents among the 40 finishers of the 100K race, and Sicotte was the lone New Englander in the 50K field. He finished 10th overall in 4:53:20.

Another 95 runners finished the 50K, led by men’s and women’s champions Thomas Adam, 37, and Grace Gray, 22, both of Charlottesville, Va., who finished in 3:02:16 and 4:12:12 while placing first and fourth overall. Adam set a new men’s course record while Gray missed the women’s course record by 68 seconds.

Lake Norman 50K

Jeff McSweeney earned his first ultramarathon finish at the sixth annual Lake Norman 50K on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Lake Norman State Park in Troutman, N.C. McSweeney, 32, of Watertown, Mass., took on a course that consisted of five separate trail loops in the state park and amassed around 1,800 feet of gain.

Sixty-six runners finished within nine hours, led by 33-year-old Kevin Groves of Charlotte, N.C., who won by a seven-minute cushion in 4:36:35. McSweeney had a strong day and finished 28th overall in 6:22:23.

PPTC Endurance Fest

Seven New England residents were among the finishers of the third edition of the PPTC Endurance Fest on Sunday, Dec. 3, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The road ultra event offered 50-mile and 50K distances and required runners to complete 15 or nine loops of the 3.33-mile loop course in Prospect Park.

Four New Englanders completed the 50-miler. Angela Scarcini, 41, of North Haven, Conn., and Joseph Laskey, 59, of Southington, Conn., ran together and finished 25th and 26th overall in 9:35:11 and 9:35:14, respectively. Scarcini was also the fifth-place female finisher. Other New Englanders who finished were Callum Cobb, 29, of Dracut, Mass., who was 34th overall in 10:16:44, and Alycia Fecteau, 39, of Colchester, Conn., who finished in 12:17:11. Benjamin Kuykendall, 27, and Mulan Xia, 25, both of Brooklyn, led the men’s and women’s fields in 6:41:08 and 7:52:56, respectively. Seventy runners finished the 50-miler within 14 hours.

Another 58 runners completed the 50K, led by Brooklyn residents Austin Lo, 33, and Inna Barylchenko, 37, who led the men’s and women’s fields and finished 1-2 overall in 3:53:27 and 4:13:52, respectively. Derek Bertollini, 31, of Stamford, Conn., was the top New England finisher, placing 14th overall in 5:42:26. It was his first ultramarathon finish. Jonathan Crowe, 36, of Fall River, Mass., was 33rd overall in 6:23:08. Mirna Valerio, 48, of Winooski, Vt., also was among the finishers from New England, completing the course in 10:56:09.

*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.