The jam-packed Jan. 26-28 weekend saw New England ultrarunners taking on races from coast to coast. In part one of the week’s roundup we focused on the events in the West, including the AZT Oracle Rumble in Arizona, the Arches Ultra in Utah, and the Fort Ord 50K and Sean O’Brien Ultras in California. Here in part two we turn to the East, where New Englanders raced in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and New Jersey, and we lead it off with a pair of runners from the region who earned podium finishes at the Clearwater Running Festival 50K – a rare paved ultra – in sunny Florida.

Clearwater Running Festival 50K

The scenic views and comfortable temperatures of the Gulf of Mexico lured eight New England residents to warm and sunny Clearwater, Fla., to take on a fast road 50K at the Clearwater Running Festival on Sunday, Jan. 28, starting and finishing at Sand Key Park.

Ninety-six runners finished the hard-surface ultra, and two of the podium-placers hailed from New England. Sophie Emond of Berkley, Mass., was the women’s champion and third overall finisher in a speedy 3:56:00. The only two faster runners were the top two men, with Jon Lindenauer of Ballston Lake, N.Y., securing the overall win in 3:11:47 and Chris Taylor of East Greenwich, R.I., earning the runner-up spot in 3:47:32. Lindenauer, Taylor and Emond were the only sub-4-hour finishers. Alison Huppert of Waukesha, Wisc., finished fourth overall and was the women’s runner-up in 4:17:31.

Other strong showings from the New England contingent included Tao Yang of Methuen, Mass., who placed 13th overall, and Jacqueline Francisco of Westport, Mass., who was the sixth-place female and 25th overall in 5:03:38. Other New Englanders who finished included Melissa Andersen of Framingham, Mass. (5:37:07); Jason Johnson of Manchester, N.H. (5:48:12); Alex Mode of Buzzards Bay, Mass. (6:21:19); and Dan King of Manchester, N.H. (6:52:40).

Mountain Mist 50K

A sloppy, soggy day awaited runners at the 30th edition of the Mountain Mist 50K on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Huntsville, Ala., but that didn’t stop three New England residents from finishing the classic southern race.

Brian Connelly, 35, of Boston, Mass., ran strong all day and placed 34th out of 390 finishers in 5:50:41. It was Connelly’s second ultra, his first being the 2022 Big A 50K in Maine. Two more New Englanders – Maine residents Jodi Badershall, 46, of Freeman Township, and Nathan Townsend, 36, of Saco – also finished in 8:34:24 and 8:52:03, respectively.

Jeffrey Stern, 36, of Mill Valley, Calif., and Deanna Doane, 25, of Jacksonville, Fla., handled the wet and muddy trails of Monte Sano State Park the fastest and topped the men’s and women’s fields in 4:13:58 and 5:52:02.

Southern Freeze

A year after bringing home a victory in the 50-mile race at the Southern Freeze 50/50, Michael Pereiro earned another place on the podium at the 2024 event.

Pereiro, 28, of Shelton, Conn., was one of 13 runners to finish the 50-miler at the fourth annual event on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Columbus, Ga. This time he placed third overall. Ross Alvaro, 24, of Savannah, Ga., led all runners in 8:02:42, followed by 31-year-old Diego Troy of West Point, Ga., in 8:50:35. Pereiro followed in 9:06:21. Robin Powers, 38, of Warner Robins, Ga., was the first-place woman in 9:43:30.

Another 22 runners completed the event’s 50K race, including one New England resident. Emily Brigham, 24, of Tiverton, R.I., placed 10th overall and third in the women’s field in 5:42:20. Alex Rivera, 46, of Phenix City, Ala., and Erin Karara, 35, of Alpharetta, Ga., went 1-2 overall and topped the men’s and women’s fields in 4:21:45 and 4:22:29, respectively.

Frosty Fat Sass 6-Hour

Only one New England resident took on the Frosty Fat Sass 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Jan. 27, in West Orange, N.J., but he made the laps on the 3.1-mile loop course worthwhile. Seventy-three runners took part in the event, but the lone New Englander – Tyler Movsessian – represented strong for the region and turned in one of the top performances of the day.

Movsessian, 26, of Norwalk, Conn., finished fifth overall with 34.1 miles within the time limit. He was one of six runners to achieve that mileage mark, though three others – Matthew Vogios, 39, of Seaside Park, NJ; Daniel Kelly, 36, of Ballston Lake, NY; and Benjamin Emmett, 37, of Randolph, NJ – did so faster. Chris Marrone, 31, of South Plainfield, Ala., was the only runner to go farther, completing 40.3 miles and earning the overall victory. Kaitlyn Kacsuta, 35, of Brooklyn, NY, was the top female finisher with 31.2 miles.

The Itch 50K

Since its founding in 2019, the Itch 50K has been a small collection of runners – almost all Floridians – who’ve gathered yearly to tackle the point-to-point course on the Florida National Scenic Trail. For three years straight, a New Englander has joined them.

Andy Novis first traveled to the race in 2022 and was one of its 11 finishers. In 2023, he returned and was one of 13 runners to complete the race. On Saturday, Jan. 27, Novis returned to Ocala, Fla., for the third straight year and the 59-year-old resident of Medford, Mass., once again was among the finishers. Running alongside 11 Floridians, two Canadians, and a single runner from Pennsylvania, Novis was seventh out of 15 finishers in 7:05:17.

*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.