The Sept. 27-29 weekend was jam-packed with ultramarathon racing in New England, from the MetroWest Backyard Ultra in Massachusetts, to the classic Vermont 50, to additional ultras in Maine and Connecticut. We’ll have those events covered in Part 2 of this week’s roundup, but here in Part I we focus on the West where runners from the region raced in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, highlighted by Maine’s Peter Troast successfully finishing the Rocky Mountain Slam.

The Bear 100

It’s tough for anyone to complete the Rocky Mountain Slam, let alone a New Englander who has to travel a significant distance for all four races. Still, Peter Troast was not deterred. The 65-year-old from Freeport, Maine, headed to the West four times this year to tackle 100-mile races, and he returned home successfully each time. In June, Troast completed the Scout Mountain 100 in Idaho. On August 9, he ran the Wyoming Range 100, and then raced the Wasatch Front 100-miler in Utah four weeks later on Sept. 6. Troast returned once more to Utah on Sept. 27-28 for the final leg of his Rocky Mountain Slam – the Bear 100 – where he ran from Logan, Utah, to Fish Haven, Idaho.

Troast and his fellow runners had to climb more than 22,800 feet along their journey to the finish line at Bear Lake during the 26th edition of the race.

Of the 346 runners who started the race, 251 finished within the 36-hour time limit. Jose Cruz, 45, of Bountiful, Utah, earned the victory in 19:45:23, just three weeks after his runner-up finish at Wasatch. Careth Arnold, 34, of Paranoia, Colo., finished third overall and set a new women’s course record in 20:25:49. Troast closed out his Rocky Mountain Slam by finishing 158th in 32:16:01 – a particularly strong showing given how much he has demanded of his legs this year. Troast was one of seven New Englanders who successfully finished.

Tim Finocchio, 46, of Holbrook, Mass., was the top performing New Englander. Finocchio placed 62nd overall in 27:18:47. It was at least the 12th 100-mile finish for Finocchio, and his second time completing the Bear (2015; 26:15:12). Jack Bailey, 45, of Medway, Mass., followed in 74th place in 28:23:18. It was at least the 13th 100-mile finish for Bailey. Eric Martin, 45, of Boston, Mass., was 150th in 32:03:16 in his 100-mile debut. Mark Blakeley, 60, of Norton, Mass., finished 171st in 32:45:57 for at least his 11th 100-mile finish. Blakeley previously finished the Bear in 2015 (24:23:39). Tyson Reid, 35, of Simsbury, Conn., finished 222nd in 34:52:57 in his 100-mile debut, and 60-year-old Whitney Hanschka of Vineyard Haven, Mass., was 225th in 35:01:00. It was Hanschka’s sixth 100-mile finish.

Crested Butte Ultra

Big climbs and thin air challenged runners in the 50-mile and 55K races at the third annual Crested Butte Ultra on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Crested Butte, Colo. New Englanders competed at both distances, where the low point was 8,800 feet above sea level and the high point maxed out at nearly 11,300 feet.

The 50-miler challenged runners to more than 8,300 feet of climbing, and 66 runners completed the distance. Elias Jaynes, 23, of Meriden, N.H., had a strong showing in just his second ultramarathon and first 50-miler, placing 16th overall in 10:30:12. Brian Martin, 31, of Denver, Colo., led all runners in a men’s course record time of 8:28:50, while 26-year-old Emily Demarco of Frisco, Colo., finished eighth overall and first-place female in a new women’s course record time of 9:53:33.

Another 122 runners completed the 55K race, which featured 4,500 feet of climbing. Joshua Dulaney, 37, of Greenwich, Conn., was the lone New Englander competing at that distance. He placed 91st in 8:44:00 for his first ultramarathon finish. Robbie Mason, 37, of Durango, Colo., won in 5:05:40 and Caitlin Standifer, 35, of Boulder, Colo., topped the women’s field and placed second overall in 5:11:59.

Run the Red Desert 50K

After an extended break from running ultramarathons, Adam Pinyoun returned to ultra distances earlier this year. He logged his second ultra of the year at the seventh annual Run the Red Desert 50K on Saturday, Sept. 28, in South Pass City, Wyo., and he delivered a strong performance.

Forty-three runners finished the race within 10 hours, and Pinyoun, 53, of Stratham, N.H., placed 13th overall and eighth in the men’s field in 6:11:11. Diego Lobatos, 19, of Lander, Wyo., was the first-place male and third overall finisher in 5:15:29. The women’s field was dominant, taking three of the top four overall places. Meridyth Moore, 47, of Idaho Falls, Id., led all runners in 4:56:25, followed closely by Aden St. Charles, 41, of Chattanooga, Tenn., in 5:02:34. Agnes Macy, 22, of Lander, Wyo., was fourth overall and rounded out the women’s podium in 5:25:21.

Mt. Taylor 50K

For his first ultra, Patrick Rusk made it a family affair. Rusk, 58, of Arlington, Mass., joined his brother – Gregory Rusk, 60, of Albuquerque, N.M. – on the starting line of the 12th edition of the Mt. Taylor 50K on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Grants, N.M. The scenic course included panoramic views from the summit of Mt. Taylor, as well as plenty of high mountain meadows and lush forests. The Rusk brothers finished together in 11:11:53 for Gregory, and 11:11:54 for Patrick. It was Gregory’s fourth time completing the race.

Joshua Reddish, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., won the race in 5:04:31. Johanna Hamblett, 28, of Santa Fe, N.M., was fifth overall and the first-place female in 5:40:11.

*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.