New Englanders had an abundance of nearby ultramarathon options to close out September, and they took full advantage. In addition to the massive field that turned out for the MetroWest Backyard Ultra in Needham, Mass. (separate recap article), hundreds more raced in Vermont at a New England classic – the Vermont 50, as well as in Maine at the Farm to Farm Ultra, in Connecticut at the Tunxis Trail Ultra, and in nearby New York at the brand new Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Ultra.

Vermont 50

Lila Gaudrault wrote the latest chapter in her budding ultrarunning career with another dynamite performance at the Vermont 50 on Sunday, Sept. 29, in West Windsor, Vt. Gaudrault, 21, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, made her VT50 debut last year when she won the women’s 50-mile race and finished fourth overall in 7:54:23. She returned this year and successfully defended her title at the 31st edition of this New England classic.

Runners in the 50-mile race once again took on a course consisting mostly of trails, jeep roads, and dirt country roads, amassing around 8,900 feet of climbing along the way. Most of the 105 finishers did so in less than 12 hours, led by 33-year-old Colin Pope of Topsham, Maine, who finished in 7:21:18 in his VT50 debut. Pope entered with momentum, having won the Groton Forest Trail Run 26.5-miler three weeks earlier. Nick Lemon, 32, of Wellesley, Mass., was the runner-up in 7:35:27. Gaudrault improved her overall position, moving up to third overall this year while winning the women’s race in 7:43:24. Her time was the seventh-fastest by a female in event history. Hilary McCloy, 41, of Jackson, N.H., was fourth overall and the women’s runner-up in 8:03:44. It was McCloy’s best run at VT50 since earning a victory in the 50K race in 2016.

Drew Prescott, 29, of Lebanon, N.H., finished fifth overall and secured the final spot on the men’s podium in 8:05:30, followed by 27-year-old Thomas Skipper of Hanover, N.H. (8:18:04); Calvin Dixon, 28, of Stowe, Vt. (8:44:40); Devin Jones, 44, of Vergennes, Vt. (8:50:01); Jason Mazurowski, 36, of East Calais, Vt. (8:50:44); and Christopher Brandi, 41, of Milton, Mass. (8:59:03). Ashley Hensel-Browning, 38, of Perkinsville, Vt., earned the final place on the women’s podium in 9:01:56, followed by 22-year-old Madeline Wolfe of Hanover, N.H. (9:21:53), and 26-year-old Jody Dicicco of Concord, N.H. (9:26:36).

Another 121 runners completed the 50K race, which included around 5,600 feet of climbing. Phil Royer, 33, of Boston, Mass., led all runners in 3:58:53, posting the third-fastest time in course history. Christopher Welker, 28, of Norwich, Vt., was second in 4:49:31, following a pair of top-five finishes in the 50-miler (2021 and 2023). In third and fourth overall were the top two women as Hannah Rowe, 33, of Boston, Mass., held off 30-year-old Britta Clark of Brandon, Vt. Rowe finished in 4:52:13 and Clark followed in 4:59:58. It was Rowe’s VT50 debut, while Clark previously earned a pair of podium finishes in the 50-miler, including a victory in 2021.

Peter Gause, 22, of Essex, Mass., secured the final spot on the men’s podium in 5:08:07, and 31-year-old Maddie Leopold of Woodstock, Vt., was the final women’s podium finisher in 5:18:37.

Farm to Farm Ultra

A strong female field in the 50K race highlighted the competition at the 12th edition of the Farm to Farm Ultra on Sunday, Sept. 29, in Freeport, Maine. The event also included a 50-mile race. Runners once again raced a 25K out-and-back loop course, completing it twice for the 50K or three times for the 50-miler while running on the paved roads and brief trail sections between Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport and Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick.

Nineteen runners completed the 50K race, and five of the top nine finishers were women. Overall winner and first-place female Jean Burr, 45, of North Yarmouth, Maine, led the way in 4:38:20. Top men Daniel Barry, 29, of Dover, Mass., and Nick Long, 32, of Westbrook, Maine, were second and third overall in 5:18:36 and 5:24:07, respectively, followed by women’s runner-up Taylor Cray, 26, of Portland, Maine, in 5:24:10. Rick Gomes, 53, of Litchfield, N.H., rounded out the overall top five and won the nonbinary division in 5:43:41. Janel Goodman, 51, of Scarborough, Maine, earned the final spot on the women’s podium in 5:45:44, placing sixth overall. Kimberly Fischer, 37, of Portland, Maine, followed close behind in 5:45:53. Angela Landry, 48, and Matt Landry, 46, both of Standish, Maine, tied for eighth in 5:54:37, as Matt Landry rounded out the men’s podium.

Seven runners finished the 50-mile race, led by 32-year-old Patrick Kistner of Lisbon, Maine, in 7:32:22. Gregory Ulm, 29, of Northbridge, Mass., was second in 8:05:43, and 47-year-old Rob Fowler of Morrill, Maine, was third in 8:54:37. Rebekah Zellers, 30, of Portland, Maine, was fourth overall and first in the women’s field in 9:11:40. Karen Deyesso, 46, of Scarborough, Maine, followed in 10:02:00. Rodney Kelshaw, 49, of Brunswick, Maine (11:17:40) and April Pandosh, 29, of Northbridge, Mass. (11:21:05 rounded out the field).

Tunxis Trail Ultramarathon

Just how tough is the Tunxis Trail Ultramarathon? Only three runners finished the 60K ultra during the eighth edition of the event on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Burlington, Conn. The course threw a little bit of everything at runners – singletrack and doubletrack trails, a bit of road, some half-track and off-trail segments while passing a slew of local landmarks along the way.

Devin Pray, 48, of West Hartford, Conn., earned the victory in 8:37:45. Jeremy Shafer, 47, of Tolland, Mass., was second in 9:00:46, and Dough Schuch, 56, of Durham, Conn., rounded out the field in 9:48:37.

Another 30 runners completed the event’s 30K race, with 32-year-old Daniel Rogoz of Hamden, Conn., topping the men’s field in 2:47:32, and 38-year-old Emily Kisicki of Montpelier, Vt., leading the women’s field in 3:57:19.

Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Ultra

New York’s newest time-based ultramarathon – the Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Ultra – took place Saturday, Sept. 28, at Dryden Lake Park in Dryden, N.Y. Runners took on a flat 3.45-mile out-and-back course on a rail trail near Dryden Lake, and one New England resident joined in on the fun.

John De Sousa was the lone New Englander among the 48-runner field, and he had a strong day as he tied for eighth overall with 34.5 miles completed within the time limit. William Thierfelder, 24, of Port Crane, N.Y., won with 51.75 miles. Three runners followed with 41.4 miles apiece, including top female finisher Kelly Gillen, 41, of New York, N.Y.

Parallel of Latitude was at least the seventh ultramarathon finish of the year for De Sousa. He entered the race just two weeks removed from a 50K finish at the Free to Run Trail Races in Pittsfield, Mass. De Sousa’s busy ultrarunning season is far from over. He will next race Oct. 12 at the BadgerPalooza 12-hour in New Jersey, followed by the Hamsterwheel 30-hour race Nov. 2 in New Hampshire.

*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.