Spots on the podium and impressive finishes at early-season ultramarathons were among the highlights for New Englanders during the Feb. 28-March 2 weekend. A pair of women from Maine led the way, with Annie Seekins of Searsport earning a runner-up finish at the Old Pueblo 50 in Arizona, while Paula Lunt of Tenants Harbor secured a second-place finish at the Long Play Trail Run in Florida. We have those events, as well as others in Pennsylvania and Mississippi highlighted in this edition of the roundup.

Old Pueblo Endurance Runs

A year ago, Annie Seekins made her ultrarunning debut at the Old Pueblo Endurance Runs 50-miler. She turned in an impressive performance and placed sixth in the female field in 11:20:18.

Seekins returned to Arizona twice more after that, first in December 2024 for the Colossal-Vail 50-miler, and then in January 2025 for the AZT Oracle Rumble 50-miler, placing fourth in both. Seekins returned to where it all began – Old Pueblo – for another crack at the 50-miler on Saturday, March 1, in Sonoita, Ariz., and she discovered just how much she has improved during the course of a year.

Seekins, 33, of Searsport, Maine, ran among the frontrunners for the duration of the 35th annual event while taking on a slightly modified course in the Santa Rita Mountains. By the time she was done, she had earned a spot on the podium. Seekins placed eighth overall and was the female runner-up in 10:34:23. Sarah Dasher, 43, of Tucson, Ariz., was sixth overall and first in the female field in 10:16:27.

Sixty-four runners finished the race within 17 hours, led by 39-year-old Peter Davidson of Tucson, Ariz., in 8:38:12. He held off 39-year-old Shawn Rogers of Silver City, N.M., by 10 minutes for the win.

Long Play Trail Run

The Long Play Trail run has been the site of some good memories for Paula Lunt. The resident of Tenants Harbor, Maine, ran the 33-mile trail race for the fourth time on Saturday, March 1, in Brooksville, Fla., and she made a long-awaited return to the podium.

Lunt, 59, first ran the race in 2016 and finished first in the female field in 5:16:21, a performance that still ranks among the five fastest in the event’s 13-year history. She returned in 2019 and placed ninth, and then was sixth in 2024. This year, Lunt had her strongest showing since her inaugural run, with a fast trot on the single-loop, singletrack Croom Tract through the Withlacoochee State Forest. Of the 62 finishers within 10 hours, Lunt placed 10th overall and third in the female field in 5:33:46. Hannah Cullen, 36, of Dearborn, Fla., was the first-place female and fourth overall finisher in a course-record 4:43:25.

Alan Scheuermann, 28, of Denver, Colo., was the first-place male in 4:21:41, two minutes ahead of runner-up Trev Vanknotsenburg, 40, of Tampa, Fla. (4:23:25).

Lunt was one of three New Englanders among the finishers. Katelyn Parker, 23, of Hooksett, N.H., finished 14th overall and fourth in the female field in 5:51:12, capping a strong ultramarathon debut. Additionally, 48-year-old Benjamin Fiandaca of Peterborough, N.H., placed 21st overall in 6:39:44.

Naked Bavarian

Jack Pilla has been an institution on the New England ultrarunning scene for more than two decades, having amassed more than 65 ultramarathon finishes since 2004. At 66 years old, Pilla is still piling up strong performances, and he added another at the 11th annual Naked Bavarian 40-miler on Saturday, March 1, in Leesport, Pa.

Pilla, of Charlotte, Vt., hadn’t previously run the event, so it was his first time taking on two 20-mile loops of singletrack trails around Blue Marsh Lake, amassing around 4,000 feet of climbing by the time he was done. Fifty-eight runners finished within 11 hours, and Pilla placed 16th overall in 7:51:10.

John Dragon, 30, of West Chester, Pa., and Kalei Hering, 26, of Plymouth, Wisc., went 1-2 and topped the male and female fields in 5:11:11 and 6:07:21, respectively. Pilla was the lone New England resident among the finishers.

Mississippi Trail 50

Though the event had 50 in its name, Tek Ung traveled to the Mississippi Trail 50 to run 100 miles. The 36th annual event offered the 100-mile distance for the third time on Feb. 28-March 1 in Laurel, Miss., and Ung was the lone New Englander in the field.

Ung, 43, of Cranston, R.I., and her fellow 100-mile runners had to complete eight 12.5-mile loops of the Longleaf Horse Trail in the De Soto National Forest within 30 hours. Thirty-two runners were ultimately successful, including Ung who placed 31st in 29:30:50.

Jackson Wolf, 45, of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Bethany Madson, 39, of Baton Rouge, La., went 1-2 overall and set new male and female course records in 17:24:48 and 19:08:41, respectively.

Ung’s 31st-place finish was a significant number as it marked at least the 31st time she has completed a race of 100 miles or more. She has her sights set on several more this year. Ung will run the Cruel Jewel 100 in Georgia in May, followed by the Notchview Ultra 100.7-miler in early July before taking on The Summit 200 in Colorado in late July. She will also run the Wasatch 100 in Utah in September.

No New England residents were among the 25 finishers of the Mississippi Trail 50-miler or the 55 who completed the 50K distance.

*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.