The June 14-16 weekend included another jam-packed slate of ultramarathons, and New Englanders took to the trails from coast to coast. Runners from the region did so much racing that the weekend merits two roundups. We’ll finish in the East, where results are still coming in from the Brooksvale 12-hour in Connecticut, and runners also raced in West Virginia and Florida, but we start in the West where veterans and first-time ultrarunners alike took on races in Wyoming, Oregon, Arizona and Utah. Additionally, a handful of New Englanders took on the Tahoe 200, but final results were not posted at the time of publication.

Bighorn 100

A handful of New England residents headed west to take on tough terrain and big climbs at the Bighorn Wild & Scenic 100 on June 14-15 in Dayton, Wyo. The rugged out-and-back course challenged runners with more than 20,000 feet of climbing on singletrack trails and jeep and gravel roads through the Wyoming wilderness.

Of the 195 finishers within 35 hours, the top 16 completed the course in less than 24 hours. Anthony Lee, 30, of Boulder, Colo., led the way in 21:36:40. The trio of the women’s podium all went sub-24 and finished within a 22-minute window with Charissa Kenny, 41, of Fort Collins, Colo., earning the win in 23:35:45, followed by 36-year-old Christina Richards of Missoula, Mont., in 23:41:51 and 38-year-old Kallie Smith of Missoula, Mont., in 23:56:58.

Three New England men were also among the finishers. Sam Locke, 28, of Allenstown, N.H., led the way, placing 21st overall in 24:56:25. Michael Klein, 36, of Red Lodge, Mass., was 26th in 25:27:44, and 24-year-old Steve Baiardi of Rowley, Mass., was 167th in 34:09:26.

In addition to the 100-miler, the event included 52-mile and 32-mile ultramarathons.

Christopher Carmody, 45, of Rowley, Mass., was the lone New England resident in the 52-mile race. He finished almost exactly in the middle of the field of 125 finishers, placing 62nd overall in 13:05:28. J.T. Lehman, 39, of White Salmon, Wash., won in 8:06:54.

Another 245 runners finished the 32-mile race, including 22-year-old Noah Pennington of Simsbury, Conn., who was 53rd overall in 6:49:14. Douglas Averill, 50, of Arlington, Mass., also placed in the top half of the field in 7:34:47. David Norris, 33, of Steamboat, Springs, Colo., won the race in 4:04:46.

Bristow Ultras

A current Massachusetts resident and a former Bay Stater were among the top performers at the 11th annual Bristow 24-, 12- and 6-hour ultras on June 15-16 in Dexter, Ore. The event, which took place at Elijah Bristow State Park, challenged runners to complete as many laps of a 1.05-mile loop course as they wanted within the time limit.

Seventy-nine runners completed the 24-hour race, led by 40-year-old Sarah Walcott-Sapp of Portland, Ore., with 109.9 miles for the overall win and top spot in the female field. Nate Lewis, 40, of Vancouver, Wash., was the overall runner-up and top male with 108.44 miles. Nine more runners surpassed the 100-mile mark. Aubri Drake was the lone New England resident in the field, and the 37-year-old from Southampton, Mass., was the top performer in the nonbinary division with 75.43 miles.

No New England residents took part in the 12-hour and 6-hour races, though a former Massachusetts resident was victorious in the 12-hour race. Gretchen Funk, 32, of Portland, Ore., led the field of 39 runners with 70.39 miles and set a new women’s course record. Funk previously lived in Topsfield, Mass., and finished eighth in the women’s field at the 2019 Stone Cat 50K. Another 35 runners took part in the 6-hour race, led by 36-year-old Kevin Brightbill of Coos Bay, Ore., with 42.62 miles.

Hypnosis Night Runs 52K

Tara Allen has a big goal ahead of her as she prepares to take on the Forgotten Florida 100-miler in early 2025. The journey to 100 miles began this year with a finish at the Forgotten Florida 50-miler in February. Allen, 32, of Mount Desert, Maine, followed it up with a hard-earned finish at the inaugural 52K race at the 13th annual Hypnosis Night Runs on Saturday, June 15, in Avondale, Ariz. In addition to the ultra, the event included four sub-ultra distances.

Allen was one of 20 finishers of the 52K, placing 12th overall and fourth in the women’s field in 7:48:50. An Avondale local, Jose Amaya, 37, was the fastest finisher in 5:39:27, and 24-year-old Nikki Criscuolo of South Pasadena, Fla., topped the women’s field in 7:14:12.

Allen will look to build upon her finish by taking on the Back Cove Backyard Ultra in July and the Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest 50K later this year.

Rose Canyon 50K

Nick Gallagher became an ultrarunner when he completed the inaugural Rose Canyon 50K on Saturday, June 15, in Herriman, Utah. Gallagher, 22, of Narragansett, R.I., was the lone New England resident to take part in the event, which featured more than 5,000 feet of climbing on a mix of technical and flowing dirt trails, fire roads and dirt roads. Seventy-one runners finished within 10 1/2 hours, and Gallagher was in the top half of the field. He placed 33rd overall in 7:10:07 for his first ultramarathon. Denver Blatter, 28, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, was the top male finisher in 4:50:35 while Amanda Kimiko, 30, of America Fork, Utah, was the fastest female in 5:59:30.

*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.