The New England presence was strong at ultramarathons in the West during the Aug. 16-18 weekend. Here in Part II of this week’s roundup, we catch up on how New Englanders did at seven races out West, from Colorado to California, Oregon and Washington, to Wisconsin and Alberta. Plenty of reading awaits in this edition of the roundup.

Leadville Trail 100

It was a head-spinning year at the annual Leadville Trail 100 on Aug. 17-18 in Leadville, Colo., as professional runner and coach David Roche, 36, of Boulder, Colo., toppled what had been a seemingly insurmountable men’s course record. Matt Carpenter – a mountain running legend known mostly for his remarkable dominance on Pikes Peak – set the course record of 15:42:59 in 2005, and the mark hadn’t been seriously threatened until Roche arrived for his 100-mile debut this year. Roche set a new course standard, winning in 15:26:34. Previous champion Adrian Macdonald, 36, of Fort Collins, Colo., followed in 15:56:34. Ryan Montgomery, 30, of Wanship, Utah, was third overall and the first nonbinary finisher in 16:09:40. Mary Denholm, 37, of Erie, Colo., topped the women’s field and placed ninth overall in 18:23:51.

While Roche’s record-smashing run stole the spotlight, nine New England residents also had memorable runs at the event dubbed “The Race Across the Sky” on a course that is almost entirely above 10,000 feet. Most notably, 38-year-old Mark Gaudet of Bingham, Maine, had a strong day of racing and finished eighth overall in 18:23:48.

Of the 399 finishers within 30 hours, the top 61 finished in less than 24 hours. Nathan Lalonde, 27, of Richmond, Vt., didn’t go sub-24, but his 24:31:05 finish earned him a big buckle for a sub-25-hour finish at Leadville. Additional New Englanders who battled to hard-earned finishes were Peter Smith, 44, of Portsmouth, N.H. (142nd, 27:01:10); Jay Inzenga, 29, of Exeter, N.H. (184th, 28:10:39); Alan Rosa, 61, of Washington, Conn. (223rd, 28:39:51); Will Manuel, 51, of Greenwich, Conn. (241st, 28:49:16); Jeffrey Schleppy, 47, of Stamford, Conn. (310th, 29:24:26); Jason Kaplan, 42, of Boston, Mass. (329th, 29:31:31); and Ryan Garrett, 35, of Boston, Mass. (340th, 29:35:53).

Tamalpa Headlands 50K

Seven New England residents headed West to explore some of northern California’s iconic trail systems at the 22nd edition of the Tamalpa Headlands 50K on Saturday, Aug. 17, in Sausalito, Calif. The single-loop course started and finished at Santos Meadow and challenged runners with 6,500 feet of climbing on singletrack dirt trails and fire roads with views of downtown San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

Cole Campbell, 25, of Cascade, Idaho, led the pack of 215 finishers within 11 hours, recording the second-fastest time in event history in 3:40:14. Lindsay Allison, 28, of Telluride, Colo., finished 10th overall and first in the women’s field in 4:30:34.

Jared Dybas, 24, of Groton, Conn., led the New Englanders with a 27th place finish in 5:08:05. David Cowles, 29, of Bolton, Conn., also had a big day and placed 45th in 5:33:52. Other top finishers from the region were Paul Flannery, 50, of Somerville, Mass., who was 108th in 6:39:28, and Steven Ockerbloom, 49, of Granby, Conn., who was 110th in 6:40:36.

Additional New Englanders who finished were Stephanie Sibille, 38, of Granby, Conn. (152nd, 7:21:05); Elizabeth Dougherty, 56, of Marlborough, Mass. (173rd, 8:04:15); and Kristin Woody, 55, of Bow, N.H. (174th, 8:04:16).

Backcountry Rise 50K

Big climbs and even bigger views attracted five New Englanders to travel cross-country to run the seventh edition of the Backcountry Rise 50K on Saturday, Aug. 17, in Toutle, Wash. The event offered a difficult course with several big climbs, remote singletrack trails, panoramic views, and 7,600 feet of climbing on the trails near Mount St. Helens.

There were 125 finishers within 11 1/2 hours, led by Mino Giunta, 29, of Hood River, Ore., who outdistanced the field by 25 minutes, winning in 5:05:32. Elisabeth Phillips-Jones, 34, of Grants Pass, Ore., topped the women’s field and placed 14th overall in 6:34:47.

Fresh off of a top-five finish at the Wapack and Back 43-miler in May, 25-year-old Austin Frank of Bolton, Conn., led the New England contingent by placing 12th in 6:28:07. The other four New Englanders stuck together. Maria Chevalier, 49, of Cumberland, R.I., and Carolyn Stocker, 31, of Whitinsville, Mass., ran together and finished together in 8:32:16. The same was the case for Jennessa Bissonnette, 47, of Allenstown, N.H., and Loralyn Labombard, 49, of Concord, N.H., who both finished in 9:51:02.

Olympic Mountains Trail Races

The 50K race at the Olympic Mountains Trail Races bills itself “a graduate level 50K,” but that description appealed to a pair of New England women who made the race their inaugural ultramarathon when they took part in the fifth edition of the event on Aug. 17-18 in Quilcene, Wash.

Chloe Wingerter and Camille Stubbe took on a loop course through the Olympic National Forest with several big climbs, 8,600 feet of gain, and extensive singletrack dirt. Both Wingerter, 31, of Providence, R.I., and Stubbe, 28, of Somerville, Mass., were among the 41 finishers within 12 hours. Wingerter placed ninth in the women’s field and 19th overall in 7:51:54. Stubbe was 14th in the women’s field and 32nd overall in 9:28:38.

Nathaniel Bate, 35, of Silverdale, Wash., led all runners in 6:02:02 while Lara Rix-Hodkinson, 25, of Port Orchard, Wash., was third overall and the first-place female in 6:34:22.

The event also offered a 100K race that challenged runners with 14,200 feet of climbing. No New England residents were among the 27 finishers of that distance. Jeff Lampert, 45, of Snohomish, Wash., and Julija Soryte, 40, of Portland, Ore., were the winners and both set new men’s and women’s course records in 11:23:32 and 14:20:31, respectively.

Lean Horse Ultras

After earning a few podium finishes at New England ultramarathons, Benjamin Jones headed West to take on his first ultra outside of the Northeast when he raced at the 19th edition of the Lean Horse Ultras on Aug. 16-17 in Custer, S.D. The event challenged runners with 100-mile, 50-mile and 30-mile races on the rolling hills and crushed limestone of the Mickelson Rail Trail.

No New England residents took part in the 100-mile or 30-mile races, but Jones represented the region in the 50-miler. Fifty-three runners finished within 14 1/2 hours, and Jones battled to a top-10 finish. The 26-year-old from Boston, Mass., placed ninth overall and sixth in the men’s field in 9:47:27. The top 10 finishers all completed the race in less than 10 hours.

Tim Fryer, 45, of Hendricks, Minn., and Karlee Hepp, 32, of Colorado Springs, Colo, were the men’s and women’s champions in 7:18:32 and 8:08:04, respectively.

Marquette Trail 50

After knocking out a pair of ultramarathons in 2023 as a new ultrarunner, Maria Dibella added another finish to her resume at the 15th edition of the Marquette 50 on Aug. 16-17 in Marquette, Mich. The event offered 50-mile and 50K ultras on singletrack trails with several big climbs culminating with views of Lake Superior. No New England residents were among the 63 finishers of the 50-miler, but Dibella raced the 50K. The 27-year-old from West Hartford, Conn., had a strong day of running and finished in the top half of the field. Of the 274 finishers within 12 hours, Dibella placed 122nd in 8:01:38.

Tyler Kobilarcsik, 27, of Duluth, Minn., and Kate Dohnal, 32, of Marquette, Mich., were the men’s and women’s winners in 4:22:11 and 5:32:24, respectively.

Iron Legs Mountain Races

For his second ultramarathon, Benny Freeland opted for an international adventure when he traveled to the 16th annual Iron Legs Mountain Races on Saturday, Aug. 17, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Freeland, 27, of Boston, Mass., took on the 50-mile distance on a course that ran on the trails of Moose Mountain with plenty of singletrack, a few fire roads, and several big climbs.

Of the 13 finishers within 18 hours, Freeland placed 11th in 16:30:02. It was his longest race ever; his first ultra was the Bryce Canyon 60K in Utah in May.

Alex Petrosky, 39, of Edmonton, Alberta, dominated the race and won by nearly 2 1/2 hours, finishing in 10:47:31.

The event also included 100K and 60K ultras. No New Englanders took part in those distances.

*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.