Racing was hot in the West during the Feb. 23-25 weekend as several New England residents headed cross-country to explore new terrain and tackle new ultramarathons. In part one of this week’s roundup we focused on New Englanders’ ultra adventures in the South. Here in part two we catch up on all things West Coast, starting with Scituate, Mass., resident Matt Dibb’s successful run at the Orcas Island 100-miler in Washington. Then we head down to California where five New Englanders finished the inaugural Big Alta 50K, before closing it out in Utah where Maine’s Effie Drew opened her season on the slickrock trails of Moab.

Orcas Island 100

After a pair of 100-mile finishes on the mostly flat, out-and-back course at Ghost Train in New Hampshire, Matt Dibb’s next 100-mile quest took him to the Pacific Northwest to try to accomplish the distance on a course with forested trails, lots of moss and ferns, massive climbs, steep descents, and rewarding views of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. That race – the Orcas Island 100 – took place Feb. 23-24 in Orcas Island, Wash.

Dibb, 43, of Scituate, Mass., was one of 73 runners who toed the starting line for four 25-mile loops of the course. Just 48 finished within the official 36-hour cutoff while another seven made it within the 4-hour extension that was allowed as long as runners made it to a late checkpoint within a required timeframe. Those who finished amassed around 26,000 feet of climbing.

Dibb had a strong weekend of racing and placed 21st overall in 29:11:25. Just four runners finished in less than 24 hours, led by 41-year-old Jeremy Douglas of North Vancouver, B.C., in 21:32:15, followed by 37-year-old Patrick Haunschmidt, also of North Vancouver, in 22:41:35. Pollee Brookings, 37, of Portland, Ore., was the first-place female and 10th overall finisher in 27:13:02.

The Big Alta 50K

One of the West coast’s newest ultras slammed runners with big climbs, quad-crushing descents, and views for days, and five New England ultrarunners got in on the fun at the inaugural Big Alta 50K on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Marinwood, Calif.

The race started and finished at Marinwood Community Park and took runners on single-loop singletrack trails through the surrounding area, including trips to the summits of Loma Alta and Big Rock Ridge, offering panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay. Runners amassed around 7,500 feet of climbing along the way.

Eli Hemming, 28, of Kremmling, Colo., hammered the trails and set the inaugural course standard with his dominant victory in 3:38:33. Darren Thomas, 30, of Reno, Nev., was a distant second in 3:55:25. Lotti Brinks, 27, of Boise, Idaho, was the inaugural women’s champion in 4:42:57.

Christopher Cameron led the New England contingent as the 37-year-old from Portsmouth, N.H., placed 116th out of 198 finishers in 6:57:44. Dave Dillon, 39, of Tewksbury, Mass., followed in 129th place in 7:04:04. Additional New Englanders among the finishers were Nicola Maronese, 35, of Portsmouth, N.H., in 7:47:34; Jenn Hoadley, 45, of Scituate, Mass., in 8:33:13; and Matt Hoadley, 45, of Scituate, Mass., in 8:40:17.

Moab Red Hot Ultra

Effie Drew escaped the cold Maine winter for a trip to the warmer West where she opened her 2024 ultrarunning season at the 18th annual Moab Red Hot Ultra on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Moab, Utah.

The event took place on slickrock and desert trails near the La Sal Mountains and both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Forty runners completed the event’s 50-mile race; none were New England Residents. Drew was the lone New Englander at the event, and she raced the traditional 55K distance. Of the 169 runners who finished the race, Drew placed 60th overall and 14th in the women’s field in 6:45:04. Jeshurun Small, 25, of Golden, Colo., and Anna Fisher, 31, of Midway, Utah, were the men’s and women’s winners in 3:44:10 and 5:11:51, respectively.

Drew’s performance kicked off a new season following a big year in 2023 when she finished as the fourth female at the Riverlands 100-miler and the women’s runner-up at the Stone Cat Marathon.

*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.