While a few-dozen New Englanders were taking on the tough trails and unmarked course of the Trail Animals Running Club’s “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-mile ultras at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass., several other runners from the region were scattered throughout the country for a variety of other ultras during the April 12-14 weekend. Some stayed in the region for the classic Traprock 50K in Connecticut, where some of the finest performances in the event’s 14-year history were delivered. Others headed to nearby New York for the English’s Ridge Rumble. Several more raced out West, in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah, while a few more headed South to Virginia. We have them all covered in this jam-packed edition of the roundup.

Traprock 50K

It was a record-setting day at the 14th edition of the Traprock 50K on Saturday, April 13, at Penwood State Park in Bloomfield, Conn. Runners once again took on a tough three-loop course amassing nearly 33 miles on the technical singletrack of the Metacomet Trail, as well as some doubletrack trails. The men’s course record fell and the women’s record survived, but not without a strong challenge.

Ben Quatromoni, 36, of Newport, R.I., outdueled James Boeding, 31, of West Hartford, Conn., in the men’s field. Quatromoni won the race in 4:33:19, eclipsing the previous course record of 4:36:59 set by Daniel Grip in 2021. Boeding was second overall in 4:58:31. Boeding’s time was the third-best on the men’s course record board. Steven Young, 29, of Arlington, Mass., was third in 4:58:31, earning the eighth-best men’s time in race history. Brian Rusiecki, 45, of South Deerfield, Mass., and Justin Neuman, 46, of New Haven, Conn., rounded out the overall top five in 5:14:35 and 5:24:02, respectively.

In the women’s race, Kassandra Spitler, 35, of Newport, R.I., earned the victory in a speedy 5:46:03, earning the second-best female finish in event history behind Rachael Whitbeck’s 5:35:40 performance in 2021. It was Spitler’s first ultra victory since winning the grueling Worlds End 100K in Pennsylvania in 2020. Madeline Wolfe, 21, of Grantham, N.H., was a distant second in 6:58:26, capping a strong ultramarathon debut performance. Kelsey Eng, 32, of Wethersfield, Conn., was third in 7:18:10. Sheryl Wheeler, 61, of Earlton, N.Y., finished fourth in 7:24:58, followed by 28-year-old Emma Dixon of Dorchester, Mass., in fifth in 7:40:52. Dixon would follow Traprock by running the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K in Massachusetts a day later.

Eighty-nine runners finished the race within 10 hours. Another 142 completed the event’s 17K race, led by 26-year-old Max Aronow of Bloomfield, Conn., on the men’s side in 1:28:46, and 42-year-old Marie Arnesson Galler of Old Saybrook, Conn., on the women’s side in 1:41:58.

English’s Ridge Rumble

Spencer Evans-Cole enjoyed an explosive ultramarathon debut performance when the 19-year-old from Chelmsford, Mass., headed to New York for the English’s Ridge Rumble 50K on Saturday, April 13, in Fayetteville.

Evans-Cole was one of 37 runners who finished the seventh annual event within the 8-hour time limit on the trails of Green Lakes State Park, and he was also among the fastest. The top three overall runners all finished in less than five hours, and Evans-Cole placed third overall in a speedy 4:57:35. Will Gilmet, 40, of Binbrook, Ontario, earned the victory in 4:43:29, followed by 31-year-old Blake Neumann of Indian Lake, N.Y., in 4:50:43. Polina Lepniakova, 28, of Ottawa, Ontario, was fifth overall and first among the female field in 5:19:32.

Three more New England residents joined Evans-Cole among the finishers. Peter Lawson, 60, of Burlington, Vt., placed 13th overall in 6:14:11; Matt Gilligan, 63, of Topsfield, Mass., was 17th overall in 6:25:33; and 40-year-old Jamie Smith of Keene, N.H., was 19th overall and fourth in the female field in 6:30:28.

Whiskey Basin Trail Runs

Though he still considers his home to be Woburn, Mass., Scott Traer has spent the past couple years living and racing primarily in Arizona. When he races, Traer represents Woburn on the registration page, as well as near – or at – the top of the results sheet.

Traer has set course records and amassed victories while racing in Arizona, and his latest strong performance came at the ninth annual Whiskey Basin Trail Runs 91K and 60K ultras on Saturday, April 13, in Prescott, Ariz. No current New England residents were in the field of either distance, but Traer toed the starting line for the 60K. The 43-year-old hammered the course along with 23-year-old Ethan Koza of Newtown, Pa., as they raced on the Prescott Circle Trail. Ultimately, both Koza and Traer broke the course record of 4:58:15 set by Joe Defeo in 2021. Koza earned the victory with a new record time of 4:16:12 and Traer was the runner-up in 4:35:32. Stephanie Rosenbaugh, 42, of Prescott, Ariz., topped the women’s field and finished seventh overall in 5:38:05. Rosenbaugh ran the third-fastest women’s time in course history.

Whiskey Basin was a strong tune-up race for Traer as he builds up to the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler in Colorado in September.

Another 93 runners took part in the 91K race, led by 36-year-old Nick Coury of Scottsdale, Ariz., who set a new course record in 7:41:32.

Rattler Trail Race 50K

Evan Whitemyer officially became an ultrarunner when he successfully completed the 10th annual Rattler Trail Race 50K on Saturday, April 13, at Palmer Park in Colorado Springs, Colo. Whitemyer, 25, of Rockland, Mass., was the lone New England resident in the field, and he took on a two-loop course with plenty of technical singletrack trails and 3,800 feet of climbing.

Sixty-seven runners finished the race within 9 1/2 hours, and Whitemyer was in the top half of the field, placing 27th overall in 6:52:45. Colorado Springs resident Mark Gaudet, 38, was victorious on his local trails in 4:26:46.

Gorge Waterfalls Ultras

A half-dozen New England residents headed to the Pacific Northwest to take on 100K and 50K ultramarathons at the eighth edition of the Gorge Waterfalls Ultras on April 12-14 in Cascade Locks, Ore. Both distances took runners on a journey through the trails of the Columbia River Gorge.

The 100K was the second ultra – and first since 2019 – for Shoko Okabe. The 31-year-old from Waltham, Mass., finished first in the women’s field and eighth overall in her ultra debut at the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug 50-miler in Connecticut five years ago. At Gorge Waterfalls, she ran her first 100K and had a solid day, placing 27th in the women’s field and 122nd overall in 14:11:49. Fellow New Englander Robert Struck, 45, of Taunton, Mass., also finished the race in 15:57:43.

Adam Loomis, 32, of Kamas, Utah, and Lotti Brinks, 28, of Boise, Idaho, were the male and female winners in 8:44:12 and 9:53:56, respectively, and led a field of 296 finishers within 18 hours.

Four more New England residents were among the 292 finishers of the 50K race. Jason Baker, 25, of Carver, Mass., led the way with a 23rd-place overall finish in 5:06:54. It was Carver’s first race since finishing third overall at the Coldwater Rumble 100-miler in January in Arizona. Other finishers included Zachary Miller, 33, of Nashua, N.H. (131st, 6:49:01); Erik Martin, 44, of Boston, Mass. (151st, 6:59:29); and Shannon Corliss, 42, of Deer Isle, Maine (167th, 7:11:21). Chris Myers, 27, of Nederland, Colo., and Sarah Biehl, 30, of Boulder, Colo., were the top male and female finishers in 3:51:01 and 4:26:20, respectively.

Zion Ultras

Seventeen New England ultrarunners savored the panoramic views of the Southern Utah Desert near Zion National Park while taking on steep climbs and exposure to the elements during the 100-mile, 100K and 50K races at the Zion Ultras on April 13-14 in Apple Valley, Utah.

Runners in the 100-mile race took on a course with big climbs and 10,700 feet of elevation gain. There were 104 finishers within the 36-hour time limit, including four New Englanders. Michael Obara, 47, of North Kingstown, R.I., led the way with a 20th-place overall finish in 27:25:57. Additional finishers were Austin Lacey, 52, of Boston, Mass. (58th, 31:56:54); Lou Ruvolo, 59, of Turners Falls, Mass. (86th, 34:43:42); and Breck Mcnab, 60, of Hartford, Conn. (90th, 34:51:45). Jonathan Kuplack, 35, of Gallup, N.M., and Nicole Thomas, 36, of North Vancouver, V.C., topped the men’s and women’s fields in 18:42:28 and 22:29:44, respectively.

Another 181 runners overcame 6,000 feet of climbing in the 100K and finished that race within 23 hours. William Baker, 23, of Needham Heights, Mass., led a field of five New Englanders in the race, placing 38th overall in 14:12:56. Other finishers were Brian Haley, 54, of South Deerfield, Mass. (64th, 15:17:13); Katherine Moore, 33, of Amherst, Mass. (111th, 17:17:53); Jessica DaSilva, 43, of Middlefield, Conn. (137th, 18:40:55); and Jamie Miller, 41, of North Haven, Conn. (145th, 18:52:43). Brady Goreski, 29, of Victoria, B.C., and Joanna Brewer, 46, of Kamloops, B.C., led the men’s and women’s fields in 10:40:37 and 12:12:32, respectively.

The largest crop of New Englanders – eight – were among the 443 finishers of the 50K within the 12-hour time limit. That race had 2,350 feet of climbing. Elise Lambert, 24, of Somerville, Mass., led the local contingent, finishing 17th overall and sixth in the female field in 5:14:44. Olivia MaMarche, 26, of Lynnfield, Mass., followed in 33rd place overall (12th female) in 5:25:48. Carl Hubbard, 25, of Newbury, N.H., was the top male New Englander, placing 41st overall in 5:44:36. Ben Steckler, 33, of Ashland, Mass., followed in 5:59:44, good for 55th place. Additional New England finishers were Christian Celic, 51, of Old Lyme, Conn. (188th, 7:12:26); Gregory DePatris, 49, of Guilford, Conn. (189th, 7:12:27); Gouthamraj Marimuthu, 32, of Cambridge, Mass. (289th, 8:05:21); and MyLan Sarner, 37, of Old Lyme, Conn. (324th, 8:20:22)

Kyle Curtin, 37, of Durango, Colo., and Emily Paradis, 32, of Spokane, Wash., were the men’s and women’s champions in 3:51:42 and 4:41:14, respectively.

New River Trail Race 50K

Greg Wolodkin has a big year ahead of him with a pair of tough ultras in the South – the Strolling Jim 40-miler in Tennessee in May, followed by the Last Annual Heart of the South Road Race 351-miler in Georgia in June. In advance of those efforts, Wolodkin took on a tune-up ultra at the New River Trail Race 50K on Saturday, April 13, in Fries, Va.

The 14th annual race offered a flat dirt course along the New River and Chestnut Creek in New River Trail State Park. Forty-eight runners finished within nine hours, including Wolodkin, 57, of Sutton, Mass., who completed the race in 6:16:15. Mike Darling, 44, of Sawmills, N.C., earned the victory in a speedy 4:04:58.

*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.