The 2024 ultrarunning season came to a close in Massachusetts during the Dec. 14-15 weekend with the 14th running of Seth’s Fat Ass 50K in Springfield. While a few dozen New Englanders logged miles on the road at Seth’s, several others ventured beyond the Bay State to squeeze in late-season ultras. Around 60 runners logged miles at the Jingle My Frosty Balls Fat Ass in New Hampshire, though results were unavailable. Additionally, a few others traveled farther to run. From Virginia to Washington, and Arizona to Pennsylvania, New Englanders tackled tough and scenic courses across the country. Some, like Brian Burke, put up most of those miles in the dark, while others, like Isabel Lane, soaked up the sights while racing to victory. Read all about it in this edition of the roundup.

Deception Pass 50K

An end-of-the-year trip to the Pacific Northwest ended with a victory for Isabel Lane. The 25-year-old resident of Cambridge, Mass., took on the Deception Pass 50K on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Oak Harbor, Wash. She and her fellow runners took on the technical trails and rolling hills through Deception Pass State Park. They made two crossings of the historic Deception Pass Bridge, earned views from atop bluffs, and amassed around 4,300 feet of climbing along the way.

Lane ultimately finished fifth overall and first in the female field in 4:24:18. Griffin Miller, 26, of Snohomish, Wash., led the men’s field in 4:11:27. Former Cambridge, Mass., resident Max Darnell, 35, now of Sammamish, Wash., was third overall in 4:23:48.

Hellgate 100K

Brian Burke kicked off his weekend promptly at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14. By early afternoon, the 43-year-old from Medford, Mass., had put 66.6 miles on his legs and added another impressive result to his ultrarunning resume.

Burke was one of 140 runners who took on the East Coast classic Hellgate 100K in Fincastle, Va. The race journeys through the Blue Ridge Mountains and amasses more than 13,000 feet of climbing. Burke went out fast, but by sunrise he backed off the pace and soaked in the experience as he closed out his run in 29th place overall out of 120 finishers in 13:38:59. 

Aaron Slabach, 28, of Blacksburg, Pa., built upon his runner-up finish in 2023 by earning the men’s victory in 2024 in 10:42:13. In the women’s field, 30-year-old Blacksburg resident Rachel Corrigan earned the win in 12:21:12 while finishing 13th overall.

Desert Solstice

Scott Traer has been a regular at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational during the past several years, competing in the event in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. The event has qualifying standards that applicants must meet, and participation is capped at 25 runners. Traer has logged some fast 100-mile times and big 24-hour mileage performances, none bigger than the personal-best 161.498-mile 24-hour performance in 2023 that stands as the third-best by a male and fourth-best ever in event history. It also was an American record for men aged 40-44.

Traer returned for this year’s Desert Solstice on Dec. 14-15 in Phoenix, Ariz., and the 15th annual event didn’t go quite as well for Traer as his prior attempts. The 43-year-old from Woburn, Mass., was one of 22 runners in the starting field. His race ended early after 84.3 miles in 12:44:17. He finished 16th out of all runners in terms of total mileage. It was the first time in five tries that Traer hasn’t surpassed the 100-mile mark on the 400-meter track at Central High School. In 2019, he completed 100 miles in 13:56:24 and stopped after 102.15 miles. In 2020, he ran 100.16 miles in 14:57:14. Traer returned in 2021 and hit the 100-mile mark in 14:15:04 before continuing on to reach 152.36 miles in 24 hours. That led up to his 2023 effort that saw him log 161.498 total miles, including the first 100 in 14:07:08.

This year’s Desert Solstice saw a woman turn in the most total miles, and seven of the top nine spots go to women. Stephanie Gicquel, 42, of Paris, France, led all runners with 154.8 miles in 23:59:08. Don Reichelt, 39, of Fairplay, Colo., was second overall and the top male with 154.1 miles in 23:58:22. Lauren Jones, 42, of Atlanta, Ga., was third overall with 153.9 miles in 23:58:22.

Naked Nick 50K

After running her first ultramarathon a few months ago, Helen Steinberg followed it up with a year-ending personal best for 50K at the seventh annual Naked Nick 50K on Sunday, Dec. 15, in Leesport, Pa. Steinberg and her fellow runners took on two loops of a lollipop-style course with a mix of singletrack trails and gravel roads at Blue Marsh Lake. Runners amassed around 3,000 feet of vertical gain during the two loops.

Steinberg, 38, of Norwalk, Conn., was one of 146 runners who completed the race within 9 hours, and she did so in 7:15:44. AJ Kelly, 43, of Altoona, Pa., led all runners in 3:47:58. Katie Bicksler, 43, of Boiling Springs, Pa., finished ninth overall and was the first female with a new female course record of 4:26:10.

*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.