The final miles of 2023 and first miles of 2024 were turned in by hundreds of runners on a 1.05-mile loop in Arizona at the 39th annual Across the Years endurance festival. A handful of New England residents were among those who logged last-minute ultras in 2023 or secured some of the first ultra finishes in the country of the new year. We have them covered in this edition of the roundup.

Across the Years

For the 39th year, runners from throughout North America closed out one year and ushered in the next with oodles of miles at the annual Across the Years endurance festival at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Ariz. The event began on Dec. 28, 2023, and concluded on Jan. 3, 2024. Between those milestone dates, runners tackled a wide assortment of fixed-time and fixed-distance events, as well as a last person standing race, all while running on a 1.05-mile dirt and asphalt loop course.

The event offered several time-based ultra options, including 6-day, 72-hour, 48-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour options, as well as 200-mile and 100-mile fixed-distance options and a last person standing race. No New England residents were among the participants in the 6-day, 72-hour, 48-hour, 12-hour, 6-hour or 200-mile races, but the region had representation in the last person standing race as well as the 100-mile and 24-hour events.

In the last person standing race, Liz Derstine returned for the second year in a row and secured another spot on the podium. Last year she was the first-place female and fourth overall finisher with 108.96 miles. This time, the 38-year-old from Cambridge, Mass., logged a bit less mileage, placing second among the women and sixth overall with 84.519 miles. Michael McKnight, 34, of Smithfield, Utah, was the last person standing with 138.048 miles. The assist went to top female Maia Detmer, 41, of Las Vegas, Nev., who logged 136.639 miles. Twenty-one runners took part in the race.

In the 100-mile race, a new resident of New England – 38-year-old Victor Wang of Middleborough, Mass. – made his debut representing the Bay State by finishing fifth overall and third among the men’s field in 21:15:17. Of the 84 runners who completed the race, just eight finished in less than 24 hours. Ashley Paulson, 42, of St. George, Utah, led the way in 14:37:09, followed by men’s champion Sam Burt, 31, of Phoenix, Ariz., in 17:14:14. A year ago while still a California resident, Wang completed 106.871 miles in the 24-hour race.

The final New Englanders took on the 24-hour option, and one was among the top performers. Of 116 runners who took part, Krista Fasciano was in the overall top 10 and narrowly missed placing on the women’s podium. Fasciano, 25, of Berlin, Conn., placed in a tie for 10th overall and fourth-place female with 100.014 miles. A year ago, Fasciano attended Across the Years for the first time and logged 55 miles in the 12-hour race.

Zachary Bates, 21, of Snowflake, Ariz., and Allyssa Jones, 31, of Chandler, Ariz., were the top men’s and women’s finishers in the 24-hour race with 125.37 miles and 122.552 miles, respectively. Eleven runners completed 11 miles or more.

Additional New Englanders in the 24-hour event included 39-year-old Colleen Kleinschmidt and 39-year-old Tristan Kleinschmidt, both of Boston, Mass. Colleen was tied for 13th overall and sixth female with 81.702 miles while Tristan was tied for 31st overall with 64.798 miles. It was the ultra debut for both runners. Stacia Broderick, 45, of Vineyard Haven, Mass., finished 52.12 miles, and 72-year-old Gordon Smith of East Winthrop Maine logged 35.216 miles – a three-mile improvement from his 2022 performance.

*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.