The last time Ashley Hensel-Browning raced an ultramarathon in Massachusetts, it was back in 2021 when she went beyond the marathon distance for the first time and completed the 50K race at the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra.

Since then, she has completed seven more ultras – all of them in her home state of Vermont, with three top-10 finishes at the Vermont 50 and four podium finishes including a victory at the 2022 Lover’s Lane 6-Hour Ultra.

Click here to view a full photo gallery from the race by Ben Kimball of Ben Kimball Photography.

Hensel-Browning returned to the Bay State for the second annual Free Spirit 50K on Saturday, May 18, in Leyden, and she delivered a dynamite performance. The 38-year-old from Weathersfield, Vt., lined up alongside 40 other runners in front of Leyden Town Hall under overcast skies on a morning where temperatures hovered in the mid- to upper 50s.

Hensel-Browning started fast, quickly pulling away from the field while joined by the speediest men. They raced up and down the rolling – and occasionally steep – dirt country roads as they headed north, crossed the border into Vermont, and wound through nearby towns before heading back into Massachusetts and ultimately to the finish line in Leyden. The 4,200 feet of climbing and the quad-busting downhills made for a punishing race despite the good footing throughout.

Hensel-Browning raced across the finish line in 4:43:53, placing first in the women’s field and fourth overall. Her performance smashed the previous women’s course record (4:58:28 by Jacqueline Johansen in 2023) by about 15 minutes.

The only runners faster than Hensel-Browning were the top three men, though none touched Matt Pacheco’s course-record time of 3:47:33 from 2023.

Ben Whitbeck, 47, of nearby Greenfield, Mass., cruised to the victory by a nearly 20-minute margin, winning in 4:12:56. The strong performance built upon his fifth-place showing at the Mt. Tom 25K last fall and 10th-place finish at the Mt. Toby 24K in April. Whitbeck was followed by 33-year-old Jamison Rudd of Boston, Mass., who completed his ultra debut in 4:32:19. Arne Christensen, 46, of Greenfield, Mass., was third in 4:35:05.

Leyden local Glenn Caffery, 62, finished fourth in the men’s field in 5:01:43; he was also fourth in 2023. Grant Ritter, 40, of South Deerfield, Mass., followed in 5:03:35, with Ryan Clydesdale, 26, of Brookline, Mass. (5:06:31), Wayne Ball, 49, of Feeding Hills, Mass. (5:08:32), and 65-year-old Leyden local Doug Pratt (5:09:14) close behind.

Hensel-Browning was joined on the women’s podium by Sarah Nelson, 48, of Florence, Mass. (5:10:39), and Xin Xie, 26, of Boston, Mass. (5:29:55). Debra Hevey, 65, of Chicopee, Mass., followed less than two minutes later in fourth in 5:31:16, with 32-year-old Maya Mudambi of Holyoke, Mass., fifth in 5:48:53. Julie Corey, 45, of Holyoke, Mass., was sixth in 5:48:53 after placing third in 2023.

Forty runners finished the race within 8 hours.