The Sept. 20-22 weekend saw New Englanders toe the starting line of no fewer than 18 ultramarathons throughout the United States. There was so much racing going on that it merits two roundups this week to catch up on the action. We’ll finish in the East with Part II of this week’s roundup focused on events closer to home. We start in the Upper Midwest and the West, where several runners earned their first ultramarathon finishes and first 100-mile finishes. First-timers and veterans alike took on a wide range of terrain including smooth, rolling trails and rugged, high alpine mountain trails, on courses in Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California. Runners from the region also took part in the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach 100 in Arizona, and the Mile Madness Ultras in California, though results from those events were unavailable at the time of publication.

O’Brien Trail Races

Jesse Schwartz became New Hampshire’s newest ultrarunner when he completed the O’Brien Trail Races 50K on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Marine on St. Croix, Minn. The seventh annual event challenged runners to complete two 25K loops on the trails of William O’Brien State Park. Forty-three runners finished within 8 1/2 hours, and Schwartz was among the faster folks in the field. Schwartz, 30, of Dover, N.H., placed 11th overall in 5:40:41. Andrew Richardson, 34, of Wyoming, Minn., led all runners in 3:40:45, while women’s champion Rachel Ragona, 41, of Lake Elmo, Minn., was the runner-up in 4:15:12.

IMTUF 100

Technical terrain is nothing new for New England mountain runners, but the high altitude added a special challenge for seven runners from the region at the 13th annual Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival 100-miler on Sept. 21-22 in McCall, Id.

The rugged event included more than 22,000 feet of climbing and plenty of it on high alpine trails on the trails of Jug Mountain Ranch. Of the 190 runners who started the race, 126 finished within the 36-hour time limit. The top five finishers went sub-24, led by 42-year-old David Ayala of Bozeman, Mont., in 22:17:57. Madison Liechty, 26, also of Bozeman, topped the women’s field and placed ninth overall in 24:22:28. Liechty posted the second-fastest time by a female in event history.

Jason Baker led the New England contingent with a big performance. The 26-year-old from Carver, Mass., placed 20th overall in 26:50:22. Danny Hartman, 39, of Easthampton, Mass., followed a few hours later in 48th place in 30:09:12.

Matthew Cadieux, 43, of Westfield, Mass., and Anthony Bauer, 29, of Somerville, Mass., finished close together with Cadieux 71st in 33:00:41 and Bauer 75th in 33:14:14. The trio of Jeff Davis, Jamie Pelletier and Greg Rooke finished 88th, 89th and 90th. Davis, 42, of Amherst, Mass., crossed the finish line in 33:36:40. The other two followed six minutes later with Pelletier, 52, of East Longmeadow, Mass., in 33:43:18, and Rooke, 38, of Springfield, Mass., in 33:43:19.

Ultra Fest

Rafael Ribeiro earned his first 100-mile finish at the sixth annual Ultra Fest on Sept. 21-22 in Easton, Wash. The event used a mostly flat out-and-back course with around 3,000 feet of gain, but plenty of views of the Central Cascade Mountains. Ribeiro, 24, of Stowe, Vt., placed 16th out of 29 finishers in 26:23:18. Chris Andrews, 24, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., won in 12:55:58.

In addition to the 100-miler, another 20 runners completed the event’s 100K race, 80 finished the 50-miler and 76 completed the 50K. No New Englanders competed at those distances.

Mountain Lakes 100

A pair of 100-mile veterans from New England earned their first buckles from a West Coast ultra at the Mountain Lakes 100. Patrick McEnaney and Aubri Drake were among the 158 runners who toed the starting line for the 10th edition of the event on Sept. 21-22 in Olallie Lake, Ore. They took on a scenic course that included 60 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. By the time the 30-hour time limit expired, just 93 runners successfully completed the journey. McEnaney and Drake were among those finishers.

McEnaney, 52, of Mendon, Mass., placed 38th overall in 26:23:18. It was McEnaney’s sixth 100-mile finish and added to a resume that included a victory at the 2022 TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-hour. Drake, 37, of Southampton, Mass., placed 58th in 28:21:51. It was Drake’s second 100-mile finish, following a top-10 performance at the 2022 Riverlands 100 in Maine.

Will Guzick, 36, of Mill Valley, Calif., was the top male finisher in 17:15:18, while Julija Soryte, 40, of Portland, Ore., was eighth overall and the first female finisher in 19:45:37.

Three Sisters Skyline

For her first ultramarathon, Katrina Sliwka headed cross-county to take on a tough and scenic course at the Three Sisters Skyline 50K on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Sisters, Ore. Sliwka and her fellow runners took on a challenging course near the Three Sisters Wilderness with views of the Cascade Mountains and 3,700 feet of climbing at the sixth annual event.

Sliwka, 45, of Essex Junction, Vt., earned her first ultra finish in 7:58:19. Sliwka was one of 148 finishers within 9 1/2 hours. Mario Mendoza, 38, of Bend Ore., led all runners in 3:47:44, and 26-year-old Carmen Bango of Portland, Ore., topped the women’s field and finished fifth overall in 4:28:08.

Mammoth TrailFest

Cindy Bradeen picked a massive race with big climbs and big views for her first ultra. Bradeen, 50, of Portsmouth, N.H., was the lone New England resident in the 50K field at the third annual Mammoth TrailFest on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. She took on a single-loop course with high altitude and 7,000 feet of climbing and ultimately finished in 10:32:20. There were 539 finishers within 12 hours, led by top male and female finishers Chad Hall, 36, of San Diego, Calif., in 4:12:47 and Sylvie Abel, 33, of Los Gatos, Calif., in 5:23:14.

*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.