It isn’t yet Thanksgiving, but New England ultrarunners spent the Nov. 15-17 weekend preparing for the big feast by banging out plenty of miles. More than 100 did so at the Trail Animals Running Club’s annual TARCkey Trot 6-hour ultra in Massachusetts, but several more runners from the region opted for other events. A few in Connecticut packed on the calories at the CT Donut Run 31.5-miler, though results from that delicious event were unavailable at the time of publication. Others raced ultras in New York, Utah, California and Georgia. We have highlights from those events in this edition of the roundup.

NYC Trail Mix

Several New England ultrarunners ventured to New York to mix it up on the trails at the second annual NYC Trail Mix 50-mile and 50K ultras on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Staten Island. Runners took on multiple trips through an approximately 16-mile loop course on the trails of New York City, with 50-milers completing three loops and those in the 50K running the loop twice.

The 50K race saw a New Englander earn the victory. Chase Smith, 27, of Stamford, Conn., led all 90 runners and set a new men’s course record with his winning time of 4:03:16. Jasmine Herndon, 30, of Ridgewood, N.Y., led the women’s field in 5:25:11. Other New Englanders who joined Smith among the finishers included Colin Pender, 27, of Marlborough, Mass. (38th, 6:13:58); Hunter Smith, 36, of Greenwich, Conn. (66th, 7:59:36); Julia Prestipino, 23, of Seabrook, N.H. (70th, 8:01:55); Christopher Barnes, 34, of Bridgeport, Conn. (85th, 9:20:29); and Theo Jordanides, 26, of Norwalk, Conn. (86th, 9:20:45).

Meanwhile, the 50-mile race saw 31-year-old Jordan Buck of Johnstonw, N.Y., defend his title and lower his men’s course record by winning in 7:29:24. Carrie Zatwarnytsky, 27, of Wilmington, Del., was third overall and the first-place female with a new women’s course-record time of 8:36:51. Four New Englanders were among the 35 finishers of the 50-miler. Robert Campbell, 30, of Pawcatcuk, Conn., led the way with a ninth-place overall finish in 9:40:00. Skyler Silsdorf, 33, of Stamford, Conn., was 12th in 10:02:16, followed by 36-year-old Jacob Litke of Tolland, Conn., in 13th in 10:02:41. Jordan Clark, 26, of Clinton, Mass., followed 10 minutes later in 10:12:39 for 16th place.

Dead Horse Ultra

Kathryn Zioto has had her share of big performances since emerging on the trail-running scene in 2017, with multiple victories at the ultra and sub-ultra distances, such as the 2018 TARC Summer Classic 40-miler and the 2022 TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra. Zioto had a busy 2023, with a runner-up finish at the Chesterfield Gorge 50K and a top-five finish at the Oregon Cascades 100-miler, but she has been mostly quiet in 2024.

Zioto kicked off the racing rust with a seventh-place finish in the Jigger Johnson 20-miler in July, and then tackled her first ultra of the year at the 10th annual Dead Horse Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Moab, Utah. The event offered both 50-mile and 50K races on the Magnificent Seven trail system in Moab, with plenty of technical climbs and slickrock trails and rewarding views of the La Sal Mountains and Arches National Park. Altitude was a challenge, with the entire course existing above 4,500 feet and a high point of nearly 5,800 feet above sea level.

Zioto opted to race the 50-miler and take on its 4,900 feet of climbing. The 38-year-old from Winchester, Mass., had a strong day and finished 18th overall and sixth in the women’s field in 8:23:18. The top two women both broke the female course record and finished 2-3 overall, with Sarah Biehl, 30, of Boulder, Colo., earning the win in 7:10:05 and Lucie Rathbun, 30, of Grand Junction, Colo., following in 7:21:30. Franklin Reilly, 25, of Edwards, Colo., led all runners and topped the men’s field in 7:05:46.

Zioto wasn’t the only New Englander who had a strong day. Three more runners from the region cracked the top 50 with Jacob Horton, 24, of Merrimack, N.H., placing 39th in 9:12:01; Oliver Heynes, 44, of Arlington, Mass., finishing 49th in 9:29:23; and Jay Frontierro, 50, of South Hamilton, Mass., following seconds behind in 50th in 9:29:31. Lily McCabe, 27, of Waitsfield, Vt., was just a few minutes back in 58th place in 9:35:57 for her first ultramarathon finish.

New Englanders Kevin Price, 48, and Steve Price, 45, both of Groton, Conn., were the final finishers from the region. They ran together and finished in 12:26:09 and 12:26:11, respectively. There were 215 finishers of the 50-miler within 13 hours.

An additional 414 runners finished the 50K race which packed in 2,800 feet of climbing while enduring the same altitude challenges as the 50-miler. Seven New Englanders were among the finishers, with 48-year-old Scott Layton of Rockport, Maine, leading the way with a 36th-place finish in 4:47:07. Sean Caffrey, 39, of Franklin, Mass., joined him in the top 50, placing 48th in 4:54:45. Anders Hekkli, 21, of Gunnison, Colo., and Soleil Gaylord, 24, of Telluride, Colo., were the top male and female finishers in 3:09:33 and 3:53:07, respectively. Joining Layton and Caffrey among the New Englanders who finished were Cameron Wheeler, 28, of Stowe, Vt. (104th, 5:28:39); Rachel Salzman, 27, of Stratham, N.H. (216th, 6:23:20); Jimmy Sullivan, 28, of Stowe, Vt. (236th, 6:31:21); Molly Kempel, 39, of Needham, Mass. (284th, 7:00:18); and Rosie Charnley, 26, of Concord, Mass. (358th, 7:41:16).

Mt. Tam Trail Run

The lone New Englander in the field turned out to be one of the fastest at the Mt. Tam Trail Run 50K on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Stinson Beach, Calif. The 12th annual event challenged Connor Williams and his fellow runners with 6,000 feet of climbing and five sustained climbs, but rewarded them with massive views from the top of Mt. Tamalpais before returning to where they started at Stinson Beach.

Of the 122 runners who finished within 8 1/2 hours, Williams was among the top 10. Williams, 25, of Portsmouth, R.I., placed ninth overall and sixth in the men’s field in 5:05:39. Ryan Becker, 30, of Telluride, Colo., was the men’s winner in 3:54:56. Lindsay Allison, 28, of Telluride, Colo, clocked the second-fastest time ever by a female in 4:35:47, missing the women’s course record by just 77 seconds and placing fifth overall.

Mountain Mama Farms Classic 8-Hour

A pair of New Englanders logged ultramarathon mileage at the inaugural Mountain Mama Farms Classic 8-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Summerville, Ga. Runners took on a mostly flat 3.5-mile, cross country-style loop course on trails through the farm. Of the 102 runners who took part in the 8-hour race, 51 completed at least 31.5 miles for 50K finishes. Included among that group were David Holman, 41, of North Yarmouth, Maine, and Sailesh Nate Natesan, 35, of West Haven, Conn. Holman logged 38.5 miles in 7:23:21, placing 18th overall. Natesan finished 31.5 miles in 7:53:52 and placed 51st.

The top three runners all completed 52.5 miles, with 40-year-old Blake Hughes of Summerville, Ga., doing so the fastest in 7:33:46. The top two women logged 28.0 miles apiece. Jessie Brewer, 39, and Lauren McCoy, 38, both of Hampton, Ga., ran together with Brewer finishing in 6:58:30 and McCoy following a few steps behind in 6:58:33.

*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.