While a large crop of New England ultrarunners were gathering at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass., for the Trail Animals Running Club’s seventh edition of the To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra, numerous other runners from the region scattered throughout the country for the busiest weekend of ultra racing so far in 2024. In fact, the March 22-24 weekend was so busy that New Englanders were drawn to at least a dozen ultras across the country – and results are still coming in. In fact, there were so many runners competing throughout the country that this will be our first three-roundup week to try to include everyone. We start in the South, where a Massachusetts man and former Bay State resident were among the competitors during a historic weekend at the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee. We also visit North Carolina, where runners from the region competed at Badwater Cape Fear and the Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker, before closing out this edition in Virginia where runners took on the Hone Quarry 40-miler and the Dogwood Ultras.

The Barkley Marathons

A pair of ultrarunners with New England ties were in the field for a historic weekend at the 38th  Barkley Marathons at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Tenn.

Former Boston College track standout Joe McConaughy, now living in Seattle, Wash., made his second attempt at the Barkley while Jay Doubman of Winchester, Mass., took his first crack at the notorious course following successful finishes of the Barkley Fall Classic 50K.

McConaughy’s race ended with an ankle sprain on his second loop while Doubman completed one loop of the course before running out of time.

While those with local ties had their races end early, runners benefitted from some of the best conditions in Barkley history and a record five runners finished the race. No finish was more noteworthy than that of Jasmin Paris of the U.K. who became the first woman to finish the Barkley, completing her five loops in 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds, with less than two minutes to spare. Ihor Verys of Ukraine capped his Barkley debut with a victory in 58:44:59.

American John Kelly earned his third Barkley finish and placed second overall in 59:15:38. American Jared Campbell was third in 59:30:32 and earned his record fourth Barkley finish. New Zealand’s Greig Hamilton was fourth and earned his first Barkley finish in 59:38:42.

Badwater Cape Fear

Badwater presented its 10th edition of its beach challenge when it played host to its annual Cape Fear 51.4-mile and 50K ultras on Saturday, March 23, in Bald Head Island, N.C. Runners once again took on the roads, dirt trails and sandy beaches of Bald Head Island.

Two Connecticut men were among the 90 finishers of the 51.4-mile race within the 14-hour time limit. Jack Small, 35, of Durham, and Jared Buchanan, 34, of Ellington, both finished among the top third of the field. Small placed 23rd overall in 10:03:50 and Buchanan was 29th in 10:23:00. Chase Price, 30 of Charlotte, N.C., topped the field in 6:44:24 while Kaylee Frederick, 19, of Johnstown, Pa., was fourth overall and the first-place female in 8:12:38.

Two more New England residents were among the 77 runners who finished the 50K race within the 9-hour time limit. Stephen Barrett, 68, of Canterbury, N.H., placed 30th overall in 6:36:00 while Jennifer Nappilanutter, 49, of Lunenburg, Mass., finished in 7:54:45. Cassidy Harding, 25, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was the overall winner and first-place female in 4:24:00. Anthony Brungard, 38, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., placed second overall and was the top male finisher in 4:57:00.

Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker

Scot Dedeo and Peter Smith have massive goals for 2024. For Dedeo, the Tahoe 200 looms in June. For Smith, the prestigious Grand Slam of Ultrarunning will occupy his summer. Both runners kicked their training into high gear by taking part in the second edition of the Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50-mile and 55K ultras on Saturday, March 23, in Old Fort, N.C.

The event includes plenty of up and down on the steep trails of Western North Carolina at Camp Grier, with 50-mile runners summiting three peaks above 6,000 feet, including 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, and amassing around 12,000 feet of climbing. Ninety-seven runners completed the 50-miler within its 16 1/2-hour time limit. Both Dedeo, 43, of Belmont, Mass., and Smith, 43, of Portsmouth, N.H., had strong days of racing. Dedeo finished 16th overall in 11:53:51 while Smith was 24th in 12:23:30. Tim Nooney, 30 of Arden, N.C., led all runners in 8:43:53 while Katti Jackson, 32, of Sylva, N.C., placed third overall and first-place female in 10:27:23.

Another 118 runners completed the 55K race and its 7,500 feet of climbing, including 23-year-old Rosa Koehnlein of Burlington, Vt., who had a strong ultra debut performance. Koehnlein finished 34th overall and 11th in the women’s field in 8:20:30. Cory Keehn, 31, of Vilas, N.C., and Tara Jordan, 46, of Mills River, N.C., were the men’s and women’s winners in 5:03:21 and 6:59:59, respectively.

Hone Quarry 40

A pair of Maine residents headed south to Virginia to race at the second annual Hone Quarry 40-miler and returned home with hard-earned finishes on the rugged course.

Kevin Stewart, 36, and Cassandra Stewart, 34, of Carmel, Maine, were among 72 runners to complete the race within its 13 1/2-hour time limit. The event took place on a single-loop course on the trails of the Shenandoah Valley, the George Washington National Forest and the Hone Quarry Recreational Area, starting and finishing at Briery Branch. Runners navigated technical trails along the way and amassed 8,000 feet of climbing by the time they were done.

Kevin Stewart placed 17th overall in 9:05:00 while Cassandra Stewart finished 50th in 11:08:25. David Yoder, 32, of Harrisonburg, Va., and Amy Stulman, 39, of Falls Church, Va., were the men’s and women’s winners in 6:45:10 and 8:20:02, respectively.

Dogwood Ultras

Thirty-five runners took part in the ninth edition of the Dogwood Ultra Marathons on March 22-24 in Green Bay, Va. The event offered 48-hour, 24-hour, and 12-hour ultras on a 3.35-mile loop course at Twin Lakes State Park.

Scott Snell, 44, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., dominated the field with a 154.29-mile performance. Two New England residents also were among the field, with 51-year-old Brandon Manzo of Milton, Vt., placing 14th with 78.96 miles and 72-year-old Ed Peters completing 33.52 miles.

*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.