WINDSOR, Mass. – Moments after concluding her 64.6-mile effort at the Notchview Ultra, Kimberly Boisvert walked to the Race Headquarters pop-up tent and chatted away with Race Director Benn Griffin and volunteer Mark Bancroft about her experience during the previous 26 hours.

It was Sunday afternoon and Boisvert was ending her 48-hour race early, but she had loved every moment of her time on the 1.9-mile cross-country ski loop through Notchview Reservation. The event began at noon Friday, July 12, and would conclude at noon Monday, July 15. Boisvert had missed the 12-hour racers who were already finished, but she’d shared some time and miles with her fellow 48-hour racers, as well as some of the runners in the 72-hour, 24-hour and 6-hour races, and a few remaining in the event’s lone distance-specific race, the 100.7-miler. She had run under the stars on a clear night, and endured the heat and humidity of parts of two sun-soaked days. She had logged major miles and shared many stories and laughs with her fellow runners. If the ear-to-ear smile she wore was any indication, she’d loved every second of it.

“This place is magic!” Boisvert exclaimed to Griffin and Bancroft, summing up her experience.

Her assessment seemed spot-on for the Notchview Ultra as a whole. A year after a monsoon during the final 24 hours closed out Notchview in a soggy, sloppy mess, the 2024 edition of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s (BURCS) family reunion event saw runners crank out major miles under blue skies and sun for most of the weekend while amassing more than $5,000 in funds that were donated to the Trustees of Reservations to support the maintenance of Notchview.

Magic moments abounded as runners took advantage of the prime course conditions to turn in big performances in each of the event’s six races. There were redemption stories and comeback stories, and a few course records fell along the way at the ninth edition of the event.

Gaudrault, Mankekar Sizzle, Smash 12-Hour Records

A late-night thunderstorm – the only rain of the weekend – soaked the trail and created a few slick spots as Friday turned into Saturday. By sunrise, most of the water had drained and much of the trail dried. What was left of the dampness would soon be burned off by the sun, but perhaps also from the blazing feet of Lila Gaudrault and Durgesh Mankekar. Both ran the 12-hour race, which began at 7 a.m. Mankekar, 47, of Medford, Mass., had scorched the course in previous years, setting the course record with 62.7 miles in 2021 and matching the mark in 2023 when Eliot Triantos set a new standard with 66.5 miles. Gaudrault, 21, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was making her Notchview debut.

Gaudrault and Mankekar led from the jump. Both pulled out of view of the field within the first mile and only came back into view because of the course’s 1.9-mile loop format. Both rewrote the course record books by the time they were done. Mankekar reclaimed the men’s course record by finishing 36 loops for 68.4 miles. Gaudrault completed two additional loops and smashed both the women’s and overall course records with a remarkable 72.2 miles. Her effort was the fifth-best 12-hour performance in North America by a female runner in 2024, according to UltraRunning Magazine’s records database. Notably, the fourth-best effort of 74.0 miles was run by Gaudrault in May at 3 Days at the Fair in New Jersey.

Gaudrault and Mankekar led a field of 38 finishers in the 12-hour race. Of that group, 20 eclipsed the 40-mile mark. Peter Guza, 43, of North Andover, Mass., finished third overall with 55.1 miles in his return to Notchview after finishing third in the 2019 24-hour race with 81.7 miles. Jim Madden, 32, of Elysburg, Pa., Sungyong Ban, 37, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Todd Baum, 66, of Essex Junction, Vt., followed with 51.3 miles apiece. Sheila Wilson, 44, of Acworth, N.H., and Amanda Sbriscia, 40, of Granby, Mass., joined Gaudrault on the women’s podium with 49.4 and 47.5 miles, respectively.

Bourassa Blazes to Victory in 100.7-Mile

A year ago, Keith Bourassa spent the final hours of the Notchview 100.7-miler trying to track down Lee Pellerin but ultimately finished 15 minutes behind as the runner-up in 22:36:01. Bourassa returned for another crack at the event this year, and this time the 40-year-old from Keene, N.H., was the one being chased – and nobody could catch him. Bourassa zipped through the loop all afternoon Friday, through the overnight thunderstorm, and into the morning hours Saturday before cruising to victory in 20:49:40. His performance was the second-fastest in event history and just 15 minutes off the course record of 20:34:00 set by Samuel Dybdahl in 2022. Ryan Breyer, 38, of Wayne, Pa., was a distant second in 24:39:27, and course record-holder Dybdahl, 36, of Manchester, Conn., was third in 25:59:56. Karen Clark, 36, of Lee, N.H., was fourth overall and first in the women’s field in 30:13:37. It was her second 100-mile finish, and she will try to add two more when she runs Ghost Train and the Hamsterwheel this fall. The foursome were the fastest among a field of 38 starters, 25 which ultimately completed the distance. Johnny Bontemps, 40, of Beckett, Mass., was fifth overall in 30:54:11.

Notchview regular Tek Ung, 42, of Cranston, R.I., was the women’s runner-up in 32:05:35, and 62-year-old Kim Hooper-Stanley of Bethel, Conn., was third in 32:17:22. Hooper-Stanley was also third in 2023 (29:19:04).

While fast performances and familiar faces highlighted the top of the 100.7-mile field, a few other storylines also played out. Ed Ettinghausen is pursuing the world record for most 100-milers completed in a year, and the 61-year-old from Murrieta, Calif., stayed on track with his finish in 32:03:06. He also entered the 48-hour race, but he had a late start following completion of the 100.7 miler and ultimately finished 81.7 miles in his attempt at a second 100-mile finish during the weekend. Another 100-mile veteran, CULTRA Podcast host Art Byram, celebrated his Notchview debut as the 60-year-old from Glastonbury, Conn., finished in 37:39:23. BURCS Free to Run Race Director Jay Durand, 48, of Adams, Mass., battled to his first 100-mile finish in 35:08:48, following a 70.3-mile performance in the 2022 24-hour race. Finally, a pair of runners who DNFd the 2023 100.7-mile race – Chris Wristen, 44, of Norwood, Mass., and Christopher Cullen, 64, of Salisbury, Md. – returned for redemption. Both runners finished, Wristen in 39:28:23 and Cullen in 49:44:38.

Papay Pushes to Men’s Course Record, Peak Leads Women in 72-Hour

The overall 72-hour course record went untouched after Taylor Verville set an extremely high bar with her 237.5-mile performance in 2023, but the men’s course record was toppled by 43-year-old Brian Papay of Valley City, Ohio. In his Notchview debut, Papay marched to 226.1 miles, eclipsing Jeremy Shafer’s record of 212.8 from 2023. Papay is no stranger to 200-mile efforts. He placed fifth at the 2023 Tahoe 200 and then earned a top-20 finish at the 2024 Cocodona 250.

Shafer returned this year and had another 200-plus performance. His runner-up tally of 201.4 miles was the third-best men’s mileage total in event history. Michael Martinez, 45, of Manchester, N.H., was third with 191.9 miles, the fifth-best men’s performance ever. Two more runners – 32-year-old Caleb Duran of Wallkill, N.Y., and 30-year-old Julian Casola of Revere, Mass. – also cracked the men’s all-time top 10, with 188.1-mile and 174.8 mile efforts that rank eighth- and ninth-best. 

Verville, the overall record-holder, returned this year and the 33-year-old from Kingston, Mass., turned in a 138.7-mile weekend after back-to-back 200-plus-mile years at Notchview. A new women’s champion was crowned as 49-year-old Deborah Peak of Grafton, Mass., won with 169.1 miles, good for the seventh-best performance in event history. Peak completed 104.5 miles in the 72-hour race in 2023 and 106.50 miles in the 2022 race.

Other top performers included Robert Breckenridge, 43, of Keene, N.H., with 167.2 miles; women’s runner-up Jessie Makela, 40, of Stafford Springs, Conn., with 157.1 miles; women’s third-place finisher Erin Deberardinis, 40, of Monroe, N.C., with 155.8 miles; and David Drebsky, 43, of Plainview, N.Y., Kent Walker, 44, of Acton, Mass., and fourth-place woman Karen Giroux, 58, of Salem, Mass., with 152.0 miles apiece.

Six more runners eclipsed the 150-mile mark with 150.1-mile efforts. They were Jeff Mikesell, 63, of Alum Bridge, W.V.; Amanda Paul, 48, of Swanzey, N.H.; Markus Pointer, 47, of Peabody, Mass.; Mike Goff, 47, of Huntington, Mass.; Nina Smith, 55, of Stratford, Conn.; and Tiffany Fischer, 40, of South Grafton, Mass.

Of the 70 runners who competed in the 72-hour race, the top 18 surpassed the 150.1-mile mark, and 48 finished 100.7 miles or more. Those 100.7-mile finishers included the event’s youngest buckler, 15-year-old Joseph Devino of Williston, Vt., who ran 100 miles or more for the third time at Notchview.

One of the event’s most notable performers, Notchview regular Eugene Bruckert, turned in his biggest performance in seven appearances. Bruckert, 89, of Arlington Heights, Ill., posted 51.3 miles in the 24-hour race in his Notchview debut back in 2017. In 2018, he returned to the 24-hour race and logged 32.3 miles. In 2019, Bruckert bumped up to the 72-hour event for the first time. He posted 62.7 miles that year, and matched it in 2021 and 2023. This year, Bruckert enjoyed his highest mileage tally ever at Notchview with 79.8 miles on the 1.9-mile loop.

Cherns, Brandt Post Big Numbers in 48-Hour Race

Trishul Cherns is no stranger to Notchview. He has been a force at the event since his debut in 2019 when he cranked out 190 miles in the 72-hour race, topping the men’s field and finishing second overall. In 2022, he returned in the 48-hour event and hammered out 144.40 miles, good for a runner-up finish; Jim Logan needed to set a course record to beat Cherns. In 2023, Cherns tallied 142.5 miles and secured a victory in the 48-hour race. The 67-year-old from Kingston, N.Y., returned again in 2024, and defended his title with a 134.9-mile effort that was the fifth-best men’s mark in course history. Women’s champion and overall runner-up Sarah Brandt, 42, of Salem, Mass., followed with 110.2 miles, good for the seventh-best women’s mark in course history a year after winning the women’s 12-hour race.

Cherns and Brandt led a field of 34 runners, 11 of which completed 100 miles or more. Mike Martino, 33, of Montague, N.J., was third overall with 108.3 miles, and Chirstopher Naimie, 61, of Wilmot, N.H., followed with 106.4 miles to complete the men’s podium. Jennifer Toti, 47, of Norwich, N.Y., was fifth overall and the women’s runner-up with 102.6 miles. 

Six more runners finished 53 loops for 100.7-mile finishes. They were Gary Thompson, 55, of Lockport, N.Y; Eric Dziedzinski, 38, of Bondsville, Mass.; third-place female Jennifer Napillanutter, 49, of Lunenburg, Mass.; fourth-place female Alyssa Freeze, 38, of Holden, Mass.; Bob Keating, of Nashua, N.H.; and fifth-place female Cassie Zick, 20, of Alexandria, N.H.

At age 77, Keating was the oldest 100-mile finisher among any of the ultra distance options. The top sub-100-mile performer was JC Cabrera, 36, of Danbury, Conn., who tallied 83.6 miles in his ultramarathon debut.

Burke Victorious Again in 24-Hour Ultra

Rebecca Burke remains unbeaten in seven appearances at the Notchview Ultra. Burke, 48, of Portland, Conn., won her first two races at Notchview when she ran the 12-hour in 2017 and 2018. Since then, she has raced the 24-hour ultra each year and topped the women’s field each time with four straight 100.7-mile performances prior to this year. She earned her seventh Notchview victory and fifth in the 24-hour race when she completed 64.6 miles, good for first in the women’s field and sixth overall. Mary Buckley, 52, of Greenfield, Mass., was second with 49.4 miles, and Heather Wiatrowski, 48, of Auburn, Mass., was third with 47.5 miles.

In the men’s field, 33-year-old Adam Coyle of Tilton, N.H., earned the win with 81.7 miles, followed by 22-year-old Brennan Bower of Woodscot, Ga., and John Schiavo, 30, of Pine Bush, N.Y., with 76.0 miles apiece. 

Breitsprecher Ties Female 6-Hour Course Record

The record boards in the 6-hour ultra received considerable updating as five runners among the 33 competitors posted tallies that landed them among the three best women’s and men’s performances ever at Notchview. Emily Breitsprecher, 29, of Enfield, Conn., tied the women’s course record set by Diane Keenan in 2016 with a 34.2-mile effort, good for fourth overall. Women’s runner-up and fifth overall finisher Mari Engelhardt, 45, of Marshfield, Mass., also had a big day, posting 32.3 miles for the third-best female performance ever. Meanwhile, the top three overall runners – Mark Howard, 41, of Cranston, R.I., Ryan Carroll, 46, of Plymouth, Mass., and Jeffrey Uzzel, 38, of Easthampton, Mass. – swept the men’s podium while completing 36.1 miles apiece. The trio tied for the second-most miles ever by a male in the 6-hour race, one loop behind the record.

Other top performers included Jeffrey Ray, 40, of New London, N.H., who was sixth overall with 30.4 miles; Daniel Wheeler, 34, of Lanesborough, Mass., who was seventh overall with 28.5 miles; and the trio of Sarah Brenner, 28, of Boston, Mass., Lauren Edelman, 44, of Bridgeport, Conn., and Nicole Zarba, 37, of South Hadley, Mass., who were third, fourth and fifth in the women’s field with 28.5 miles apiece.