A big day of ultramarathon racing in Connecticut was the top regional highlight during the June 14-16 weekend as Mike Davis hammered out 58.8 miles at the inaugural Brooksvale 12-Hour Ultra. That event, as well as the Highlands Sky 40-miler in West Virginia and the Groundhog Ultra in Florida, are our featured East Coast races in the second half of this week’s roundup.

Brooksvale 12-Hour

Big miles were turned in at the newest Connecticut ultramarathon when 33 runners raced the inaugural Brooksvale 12-Hour Ultra on Saturday, June 15, in Hamden, Conn. Twenty-six runners surpassed the marathon distance, 14 eclipsed the 40-mile mark, and the top four achieved 50 miles or more on a 4.2-mile loop course with around 500 feet of climbing per loop.

Hamden local Mike Davis, 43, was victorious with a 14-loop, 58.8-mile performance. One lap behind, 50-year-old Jason DeJoannis of Waltham, Mass., was the runner-up with 54.6 miles. Chris Rosol, 49, of Somerville, Mass., and Ryan Hanna, 25, of West Hatfield, Mass., followed with 12 laps and 50.4 miles apiece. Travis McCalla, 44, of Fitchburg, Mass., was the fifth-place male with 11 laps and 46.2 miles.

The top three women all completed 11 laps and 46.2 miles with Jennifer Bernard, 37, of Hyde Park, N.Y., Jennifer Kanaitis, 48, of Andover, Conn., and Catherine Walsh, 47, of Bethany, Conn., all posting the same mileage. Yana Beranek, 52, of Bronx, N.Y., was fourth with 10 laps and 42.0 miles.

Highlands Sky 40M

Three New England men headed south to West Virginia and took on a beast of a course at the 20th annual Highlands Sky 40-miler on Saturday, June 15, in Davis, W.V. The event took runners on a journey through the Monongahela National Forest, as well as on trails of Timberline Ski Resort, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and Canaan Valley State Park with extensive climbing on rugged trails and forest roads while amassing around 5,500 feet of gain.

Dan Green, 27, of Huntington, W.V., earned the overall win in 5:55:30, the sixth-fastest time in course history, while 34-year-old Sarah Grant of Washington, D.C., led the women’s field in 7:55:54. Jason Gray was the fastest New Englander to finish. Gray, 44, of Northbridge, Mass., placed 30th in 8:38:24. Josh Caldwell, 26, of Portland, Maine, was 52nd in 9:10:44, and 51-year-old Patrick McEnaney of Mendon, Mass., finished 81st in 9:59:35. There were 170 finishers within 13 1/2 hours.

The Groundhog Ultra

Preston Holt’s first ultramarathon encountered a unique format when the 29-year-old from Somerville, Mass., took part in the second edition of the Groundhog Ultra on Saturday, June 15, in Englewood, Fla. The event lasted for 10 hours, with runners racing a 5K per hour, every hour, with their 10 5K times added up for a final result.

Thirty-five runners completed all 10 5Ks, with 34-year-old Nick Baxter of Abingdon, Md., leading the field with a 50K in 3:28:53. Holt placed 19th in 6:15:02.

*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.