After a quiet start to 2024, the Jan. 26-28 weekend saw a flurry of activity from New England ultrarunners as they scattered from coast to coast to take on a variety of trails. In fact, runners from the region were so busy racing that we have the first two-roundup week of the year. We start with races in the West, where several runners took on ultras in Arizona, Utah and California. Krystyna Oszkinis’s ultra debut leads us off with her podium finish at the AZT Oracle Rumble 50K.

AZT Oracle Rumble

Krystyna Oszkinis made quite the splash in her ultrarunning debut. The 31-year-old from Norwich, Vt., had a big-time performance in the 50K race at the eighth annual AZT Oracle Rumble Ultras on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Oracle, Ariz. Sixty-two runners took part in the event – including a fast women’s field that dominated the overall top 10 – and Oszkinis placed second overall while posting the fourth-fastest time by a woman in course history at 5:22:28. The only runner to beat her was first-place female and overall champion Caroline Mosley, 34, of Tucson, Ariz., who logged the second-best women’s time ever at 4:59:05. Third-place female and third overall finisher Alyson Kirk, 41, of Littleton, Colo., finished in 6:05:23.

Women swept the top four overall spots and seven of the top eight. Men’s champion Rob Warnick, 40, of Vail, Ariz., placed fifth overall in 6:14:19.

In addition to the 50K race, another 49 runners finished the event’s 50-mile distance with 35-year-old Jonathan Kuplack of Gallup, N.M., taking the overall win in 7:51:10 and third overall finisher Meghan Macardy, 41, of Marana, Ariz., leading the women’s field in 8:37:18.

The lone New England resident in the 50-mile field was event regular Alex Markle of Burlington, Mass. Markle, 43, placed 32nd overall in 12:48:17. It was Markle’s fifth time racing at AZT Oracle Rumble and third straight year finishing the 50-miler after completing the 50K during his first two visits to the event.

Arches Ultra

The Bay State made its presence felt at the seventh annual Arches Ultra on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Moab, Utah, thanks to a pair of first-time 50-mile runners.

Christian Labeck, 25, of Boston, Mass., and Michael Ragnoni, 25, of Needham, Mass., were among the 66 runners who successfully tackled 50 miles of sand, smooth dirt, and technical slickrock trails, navigated the 4,500 feet of climbing, and took in views of Arches National Park in the distance – but the duo was among the fastest to finish. Tackling the distance for the first time, the pair made up half of the overall top four, with Labeck placing third overall in 7:46:43 and Ragnoni following five minutes later in 7:51:36. Joel Shores, 25, of Denver, Colo., won the race in 6:55:21 while women’s champion Maggie Shafer, 37, of Fort Collins, Colo., was 12th overall in 8:21:20.

In addition to Labeck and Ragnoni, Boston residents Jake Kampner, 26, and Conner Jahn, 23, finished together in 9:23:31, tied for 25th overall. It was the first 50-miler for both runners.

An additional 241 runners finished the event’s 50K race, including five New England residents. Brian Whitfield, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo., led all runners in 3:31:02 while former Boston resident Kyle Pietari, 37, of Golden, Colo., placed fifth in 4:10:15 in his second race back from an injury. Anne Flower, 34, of Colorado Springs, Colo., topped the women’s field in 4:12:10. Kyle Pilachowski, 25, of Westford, Mass., led the New England contingent in 7:40:44. Other finishers included Nathalia Moran, 28, of Boston, Mass., in 8:01:29; Johnny Gisagara, 32, of Boston, Mass., in 8:05:17; Jamie Smith, 40, of Keene, N.H., in 8:26:08; and Taylor Emma, 30, of Walpole, N.H., in 8:56:49.

Fort Ord 50K

Sophia Psyhojos had a strong showing at the 12th annual Fort Ord Trail Run 50K on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Salinas, Calif. Psyhojos, 30, of Lexington, Mass., traveled cross-country to take on the singletrack dirt, carriage roads, dirt roads, and wide paths on the grounds of the Fort Ord National Monument, a former U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay.

Psyhojos was among the faster runners of the 90 who finished, placing 21st overall and sixth in the women’s field in 5:45:54, a minute behind the fifth-place female.

Matt Ledoux, 31, of Monterey, Calif., led all runners in 4:41:44. Emily Flynn, 34, of Norfolk, Va., was fourth overall and the first-place female in 5:00:50.

Sean O’Brien Ultras

Michael Medeiros is no stranger to racing ultramarathons in the West. He has raced several through the years, including the Black Canyon 100K and Javelina Jundred 100-miler in Arizona and the Western States 100 in California in 2023.

Medeiros, 38, of West Hartford, Conn., headed cross-country again to race the 50-mile distance at the Sean O’Brien Ultras on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Calabasas, Calif. The event also offered 100K and 50K ultra distances on the trails of Malibu Beach State Park.

No New Englanders took part in the 100K race, which had 78 finishers led by 31-year-old Max Jolliffe of Costa Mesa, Calif., in 10:00:01. Medeiros was one of 49 runners who finished the 50-miler, and he did so in strong fashion, placing 12th overall in 11:36:40. He was the lone New England resident to race at that distance. Walter Escalante, 42, of Northridge, Calif., won the race in 9:05:10.

Three more New England residents were among the 92 finishers of the event’s 50K race. Justin Johns, 41, of Boston, Mass., finished 43rd overall in 8:18:55; fellow Boston resident Gianna Rebosio, 28, followed moments later in 45th overall and 13th in the women’s field in 8:19:03 for her first ultramarathon finish; and 53-year-old Robert Jeffers of Cohasset, Mass., crossed the finish line in 10:53:14. Jeff Colt, 32, of Carbondale, Colo., and Catherine Leclair, 34, of Los Angeles, Calif., led the men’s and women’s fields in 4:06:02 and 5:29:44, respectively.

*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.