BROOKLINE, N.H. – Ever since Ghost Train Trail Race founder Steve Latour turned the event from just a 15-mile race into an ultramarathon in 2011, it has been the venue of choice for many New Englanders to run their first ultra, fastest ultra, or take a first crack at running 100 miles. The 7.5-mile-long Granite Town Rail Trail offers easy running with a bit of technicality, but it also presents an enticing opportunity for runners seeking to deliver a big-time performance.

There was no shortage of big-time performances at the 15th edition of the event on Oct. 19-20, and the biggest of those performances were downright stunning. There was the astounding effort of good friends Andrew Godzinski and Scott Warren who became the first runners in Ghost Train history to complete 130 miles. And then there was the eye-popping performance by Lila Gaudrault as she annihilated the women’s 100-mile course record with one of the fastest performances in North America this year.

All eyes were on Gaudrault as the 22-year-old from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, stood at the front of the field on the starting line at Camp Tevya. She wore maroon finisher shorts from her 100-mile debut at the Vermont 100 in July, along with a white singlet and bucket hat. She looked relaxed, but focused. Gaudrault has raced heavily this year, winning and setting course records at nearly every race she has run. On this day, she set her sights on breaking the women’s course record of 17:15:30, set by Claire Gadrow in 2016.

“Going into Ghost Train, the course record was my main focus,” Gaudrault said. “I thought that I’d probably end up running between 15-17 hours, but close to 17 hours would be more realistic. Anything can happen in a 100-miler, so I didn’t want to set my expectations too high.”

As she is accustomed to doing, Gaudrault ran at the front right from the start. She quickly distanced herself from the overall field, and she led the race wire to wire. 

Gaudrault is known for running with a smile, and she did so for the majority of 100 miles. She weathered an extended low point at the Vermont 100, but rallied at that race to finish in 17:46:49 and set a women’s solo course record. At Ghost Train, she avoided having any dramatic lows and ran even-keeled throughout.

“At Vermont, I had a flawless first 45 miles, then went through some of the lowest lows I’ve ever experienced in a race,” Gaudrault said. “At Ghost Train, the lows weren’t nearly as low, but the highs also weren’t as high. It felt consistently tough, but manageable, throughout the race. I did struggle a bit on the third lap (miles 30-45) because I wasn’t feeling super and started comparing it to how good I’d felt at the same mileage at Vermont. I was terrified of going through those really low moments again. However, when I was still running well at mile 60, I told myself ‘you’re not going to have any lows today; you’re going to run strong to the finish.’ It worked!”

Gaudrault lapped almost the entire field of 375 runners, some of them multiple times. She shared smiles and words of encouragement as she passed, and she credited her fellow runners with giving her boosts, too.

“The constant encouragement from other runners on the course also stopped me from getting too deep into my own head,” she said. “I even saw Santa riding by on a bike and playing Christmas music 85 miles in (he told me I was hallucinating), which kept me laughing for the last few hours.”

Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, Gaudrault rolled back into Camp Tevya by the glow of her headlamp. She dashed through the camp and made her final trip through the covered bridge before turning and racing back into camp and across the finish line to close out what was a historic performance. Her finishing time of 15:34:50 knocked 1 hour, 40 minutes off of the previous course record, and also was the seventh-fastest 100-miler by a woman in North America this year at the time, based on UltraRunning Magazine’s statistics.

“The whole weekend was so much fun,” Gaudrault said. “Everyone out on the course was incredibly supportive and encouraging, and they kept me smiling the entire day. I’m very happy with how I ran, but I’d love to go back because I just loved the race and community surrounding it.”

Although Gaudrault was the fastest overall 100-mile finisher and top female performer at Ghost Train, the event lasts for 30 hours and runners are allowed to keep going. It took several hours before anyone went beyond Gaudrault, but two runners ultimately did. Godzinski, 59, and Warren, 55, both of North Reading, Mass., entered the weekend with their sights set on becoming the first runners in Ghost Train history to complete 130 miles. Only a handful of runners had ever gone beyond 100 miles, with 115 miles being the farthest. The friends and training partners both ultimately achieved their goal, with Godzinski finishing first in 28:47:07 and Warren close behind in 29:03:03. (Please see a separate story for more on Godzinski’s and Warren’s big weekend).

While Godzinski and Warren were the only runners to go beyond 100 miles, Gaudrault led a field of 57 runners who finished with 100 miles. Joining Gaudrault among the top overall performers for that mark was Jennifer Kenty, 42, of Medford, Mass., who added to her own storied personal history on the course. Kenty first finished 100 miles at Ghost Train in 2017. In 2021, she earned her third 100-mile finish at Ghost Train and was the overall winner in 17:41:06. In 2022, she was the top female 100-miler and second overall finisher in 18:52:51. She earned her fifth Ghost Train 100-mile finish this year, finishing as the second female in 18:15:45. Brian Butterfield, 45, of Southborough, Mass., was the next finisher. Butterfield was the overall 100-mile runner-up in 2018 (16:41:02), and he earned his third Ghost Train 100-mile finish this year.

Other top 100-mile performers included Kevin Ellis, 40, of Richmond, N.H. (20:26:36); Wayne Ball, 50, of Feeding Hills, Mass. (21:30:31); Julia Plourde, 53, of Bartlett, N.H. (21:49:36); Christopher Colangelo, 52, of Old Lyme, Conn. (22:37:57); and Brendan Harrigan, 41, of Franklin, Mass. (23:48:20).

Among the speediest sub-100-mile efforts, highlights included 27-year-old Chase Smith clocking 75 miles in 14:03:47; 39-year-old Ryan Pelletier of Dartmouth, Mass., finishing 60 miles in 10:25:37, and 49-year-old Jocelyn Cascio of Haverhill, Mass., doing the same in 11:41:55; and 48-year-old Jack Scott of Boston, Mass., fending off 30-year-old Israel Agront of Medford, Mass., in a 45-mile showdown, with Scott finishing in 8:22:33 and Agront in 8:28:55. Among the 30-mile finishers, 31-year-old Rachel Peck of South Portland, Maine, was the fastest in 4:29:29, followed by 36-year-old Zach Pattison-Gordon of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 4:52:19.

Crosby, Fleury Sizzle in Haunted Night Race

Ghost Train’s newest twist – the 30-mile Haunted Night Race – made its debut in 2023 to allow runners seeking just two out-and-back passes through the course to take in all of their miles surrounded by the course’s extra spooky nighttime decor. It proved to be such a popular offering that it was offered again in 2024.

While many runners took their time, pausing for photo opportunities at the various tunnels or near the rows of jack-o-lanterns, a few runners blasted right through and navigated the darkness with ease. Cole Crosby embraced the Halloween spirit by sporting a DunKings track suit for several hours before the race, but when it was time to run he opted for shorts – the  DunKings outfit would’ve slowed him down. Crosby, 35, of Cranston, R.I., pulled away from the pack early and ultimately threw down a course record-setting time of 3:22:54 in a winning effort. Blaise Fleury, 22, of Boston, Mass., was the only other sub-4-hour finisher, placing second in 3:55:22. Jeff Bush, 32, of Groton, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 4:06:51, finishing less than 2 minutes ahead of fourth-place Mykel Henry, 24, of Falmouth, Maine (4:08:34).

In the women’s race, 24-year-old Elvira Fleury of Boston, Mass., was dominant in her Ghost Train debut. She ran the second-fastest 30-mile time by a woman in Ghost Train history, and the fastest ever for the night race, winning in 4:14:39. Juliana Carvajal Castrillon, 30, of Medellin, Colombia, was second in 4:29:14, also in her Ghost Train debut. Sara Tannenbaum, 31, of Nashua, N.H., was third in 4:42:40. Julia Smith, 43, of Torrington, Conn., and Charity Smith, 45, of Avon, Conn., tied for fourth in 4:45:11.

Eighty-six runners finished the night race.

Newcomers Pack the Podium in 15-Mile Race

The 15-mile race is Ghost Train’s original distance, dating back to its inaugural running in 2009. 

Though history wasn’t rewritten this year as the course records went untouched, several individual runners made their own personal history at the event. Notably, the five fastest runners – all sub-2-hour finishers – took on Ghost Train for the first time. Seamus Duffy, 39, of Nashua, N.H., hit the out-and-back course the hardest and won in 1:50:39, followed by 45-year-old Mark Bettez of Gardner, Mass., in 1:54:53. A close race for third in the men’s field came down to the final mile. Chi-Heng Wang, 50, of Lexington, Mass., Mitchell Weinberg, 42, of Concord, N.H., and Jason Roberge, 38, of Biddeford, Maine, pushed hard as they raced back into Camp Tevya. Ultimately, Wang secured the final spot on the podium, placing third in 1:57:48. Weinberg was fourth in 1:59:21 and Roberge followed moments later in 1:59:54, placing fifth.

In the women’s race, a photo finish determined the outcome as the top two runners finished within about a stride length of each other. Sara Jessica Dapolito, 27, of Brookline, N.H., and Francesca Boggs, 37, of Swampscott, Mass., were separated by just 2 seconds. Dapolito earned the win in 2:09:47 and Boggs was the runner-up in 2:09:49. It was the Ghost Train debut for both runners. Another Ghost Train first-timer, 16-year-old Sarah Bauer of Brookline, N.H., was third in 2:11:33. After finishing sixth at the 2023 race, 40-year-old Leah Cappellucci of Methuen, Mass., was 3 minutes faster and placed fourth in 2:13:00. Catherine Ricks, 44, of Brewster, Mass., was fifth in 2:20:47.

Eighty-four runners finished the 15-miler within 4 hours.