The ever-popular Ghost Train Rail Trail Race looms next weekend, and the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail saw a huge field of runners during the Oct. 11-13 weekend in New England. Still, that didn’t mean it was a light weekend of ultramarathon racing at other venues for runners from the region. In fact, the scene was hot in the Northeast, with runners racing in at the Big Brad Ultras in Maine and Devil’s Den in Vermont, as well as at the Tesla Hertz Ultras on Long Island in New York. We have those events covered here in Part I of this week’s roundup. In Part II, we’ll head to the Midwest and West.

Big Brad Ultras

Trail Monster Running played host to its annual punishing fall classic – the Big Brad Ultras – at Bradbury Mountain State Park on Sunday, Oct. 13, in Pownal, Maine. The 13th edition of the event once again offered 50-mile and 50K ultras on a challenging 16.5-mile loop course that featured a mix of everything that Bradbury Mountain had to offer: rocks, roots, winding singletrack trails, and plenty of climbing, including a trip to the top of Tryon Mountain.

Runners in the 50-miler had to complete three loops of the course, and 13 ultimately did so within 13 hours. The two who did so the fastest knew exactly what they were getting themselves into; both Barry Howe, 38, of Rockport, Maine, and Scott Eugley, 32, of Saco, Maine, were former podium finishers at the event, with Howe finishing third in 2019 and Eugley first in 2022. The pair weren’t separated by much throughout the day, and they had company from first-time ultrarunner Mykel Henry, 24, of Falmouth, Maine. Howe ultimately pulled away for the win in 9:23:32, followed by Eugley and Henry who finished together with Eugley in 9:34:55 and Henry a second behind in 9:34:56 to complete the men’s podium. Michael Nicklasson, 49, of South Portland, Maine, was the final sub-10-hour finisher, placing fourth in 9:45:43.

In the women’s 50-mile field, 23-year-old Adeline Casali of Harrison, Maine, made her Big Brad Ultras debut following strong performances at other area ultras in recent years. Casali won the Bold Coast Bash 50K in Cutler, Maine, in 2022, and followed it up with victories in 2023 at the Big A 50K in York, Maine, and the Jigger Johnson 100K in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Casali ran strong at Big Brad and finished first in the women’s field in 11:14:04. Alyssa Lamontagne, 39, of Lebanon, Maine, was second in 11:34:52, and Barb Dagged, 54, of Thomaston, Maine, rounded out the podium in 12:39:07.

Twenty runners completed two loops of the tough course for 50K finishes, and August Posch led the way. The 28-year-old from Seattle, Wash., gradually pulled away from the field and won comfortably in 5:09:13. In a close race for second, 29-year-old Jacob Brady fended off 59-year-old David Herr of Canaan, Vt., by four minutes, with Brady earning the runner-up spot in 5:32:08 and Herr securing the final place on the men’s podium in 5:36:44. In the women’s field, 27-year-old Rebecca Walton of Marlow, N.H., earned the victory in 6:12:52, while Big Brad regular Gnarls Barclay, 49, of Falmouth, Maine, was second in 6:44:03. Karen Ela, 59, of Harpswell, Maine, was third in 10:05:52.

Devil’s Den Ultra

It was a record-setting weekend at the second annual 30-Hour and 12-Hour Ultras on Oct. 12-13 in Bradford, Vt. Runners relentlessly tackled the 6.4-mile loop course, capitalizing on its easy-running sections to make time before battling through rocky, rooty trails and steep climbs adding up to 1,600 feet of gain per loop.

Of the 18 runners who took part in the 30-hour race, 15 completed 50 miles or more. That included the top male and female finishers who both set course records for their respective categories. Scott Benerofe, 29, of Richmond, Vt., became the first person in event history to surpass 100 miles, finishing with 102.4 miles and a men’s course record. Second overall finisher Marissa Theofanides, 39, of Nyack, N.Y., logged a women’s course record 83.2 miles. Evan Marsh, 35, of South Ryegate, Vt., Brian Porier, 30, of Vershire, Vt., and Nicholas Burger, 37, of Syracuse, N.Y., each completed 76.4 miles and were the second-, third- and fourth-place men.

Joining Theofanides on the women’s podium were Taylor Verville, 34, of Kingston, Mass., and Shelly Audette, 31, of Newport, Vt., who each completed 64 miles.

The 12-hour race also saw a record-breaking performance as 28-year-old Andrew MacGibbon of Lebanon, N.H., outdistanced the field of 30 participants by double-digit mileage, ultimately winning with a men’s course-record 57.6 miles. The next four runners all completed 44.8 miles. Those runners were Dylan Richard, 23, of South Burlington, Vt.; Jack Buffington, 19, of Enfield, N.H.; Connor Ludwin, 26, of Littleton, N.H.; and Kristopher Kingsbury, 40, of Topsham, Vt. The top three women all logged 38.4 miles, with 30-year-old Charlotte Hartman of St. Albans, Vt., earning the win, followed by 43-year-old Sarah Drane of Benton, N.H., and 35-year-old Jessica Cotnoir of East Orange, Vt., Twenty-two runners logged 32 miles or more in the 12-hour race.

Tesla Hertz Ultras

The Tesla Hertz Ultras are a mathematical masterpiece, using a 10.48-mile loop course on Long Island that allows runners to complete four marathons in the 100-mile race or a whopping six marathons in the 150-hour event, though it also includes 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultras. Several New Englanders joined in on the action at the 12th annual event on Oct. 12-13 in Rocky Point, N.Y.

Rhode Island’s Michael Obara had a big day in the 100-miler – which measured in at 104.8 miles. Obara, 48, of North Kingstown, was second out of 38 finishers in 22:20:13. Only Ryan Clifford was faster, with the 27-year-old of Westbury, N.Y., cruising to the win in 16:47:57. The top five finishers went sub-24. Heidi Pernia, 55, of Riegelsville, Pa., topped the women’s field in 28:38:44.

Obara was one of six New Englanders who completed the 100-miler. Richard Bunt, 56, of Middlebury, Vt., finished eighth overall in 27:20:42. Nina Smith, 55, of Stratford, Conn., and Chace Cullens, 68, of Sandy Hook, Conn., finished 30th and 31st in 40:44:33 and 40:57:53, respectively. Lila Miller, 21, of Weston, Conn., followed in 35th in 47:46:54. Additionally, Shane Northrup, 53, of West Gardiner, Maine, finished 37th in 50:17:52.

In addition to the 100-miler, another six runners took on two additional loops of the course for a “heavy” 150-mile finish that checked in at 157.2 miles. None of those six runners were New Englanders. Patrick Atkinson, 39, of Wilmington, Del., led all runners in 36:47:49 and won by nearly seven hours.

The top-performing New Englander of the weekend was one of the 15 finishers of the 100K race. Jen Higgins, 44, of Old Saybrook, Conn., was the first-place female and second overall in 12:06:10. Peter Notarnicola, 30, of Amityville, N.Y., won the race in 10:32:56.

The 50-mile race also had 15 finishers, and Jaimie Tingle, 44, of Somerville, Mass., earned a place on the women’s podium. She was fourth overall and the second-place female in 11:27:37. Top female Gillian Ratay, 32, of Center Moriches, N.Y., also won the race outright in 9:15:54. The top two men – Charles Difalco, 39, of East Quogue, N.Y., and Michael Moglia, 32, of Great Neck, N.Y. – finished in 10:12:05 and 11:11:59, respectively.

Finally, 51 runners finished the event’s 50K race, led by 35-year-old Brian O’Gorman of Long Beach, N.Y., and 28-year-old Beatrice Land of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 4:29:31 and 4:57:30, respectively. A pair of New Englanders were among the finishers with 45-year-old Joshua Trainer of Ridgefield, Conn., placing eighth in 5:40:06, and Danel Cramer, 44, of Norwalk, Conn., finishing 19th in 6:33:01.

*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.