The March 7-9 weekend represented not just a break from frigid conditions with some early signs of spring in New England, but also the beginning of the busier part of the 2025 ultrarunning season. Though the ultra scene in New England was quiet – the TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra still loomed two weeks away – runners from the region scattered to starting lines across the country. In fact, so many did so that the weekend merited the first two-part roundup of the year. Here in Part I we stay in the East, where several New Englanders traveled to nearby New Jersey for a trio of races, and then we go to Florida where two runners from the region tackled a time-based event.

Squatchapple

A handful of New Englanders delivered strong showings at the fifth annual Squatchapple Trail Race on Saturday, March 8, at South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, N.J.

Jacob Simmons made the event’s 50-mile race his ultrarunning debut, and the 30-year-old from Warren, R.I., pushed hard and placed in the top third of the field. Of the 45 finishers within 13 hours, Simmons placed 15th in 9:54:24. Fellow New Englander Nicholas Circelli, 26, of Stamford, Conn., was also among the finishers in 12:43:57. David Gardiner, 43, of Lambertville, N.J., led all runners in 7:41:59 while Qiong Yang, 47, of Morrisville, Pa., was the top female finisher and seventh overall in 8:44:48.

In the 50K race, 41-year-old Jason Kaplan of Dedham, Mass., finished sixth overall in 5:14:39. Brandon Talisesky, 33, of New York, N.Y., led the field of 82 finishers within 12 hours, winning in 4:02:46. Cameret Bannister, 32, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the top female and ninth overall in 5:34:08.

Lenape Trail Run

Dennis Noskin’s latest ultramarathon included a unique twist – a train ride.

Noskin, 66, of Greenwich, Conn., was one of a few dozen runners who gathered at South Mountain Reservation in Millburn, N.J., on Saturday, March 8, and promptly hopped on a train to Newark. Upon arrival, the runners ran back to their cars at South Mountain, taking the 34-mile long Lenape Trail to get there as part of the Lenape Trail Run.

A field of 29 runners finished the run within 11 hours, including Noskin who was 19th in 8:24:20. Jordan Snyder, 34, of Port Jervis, N.J., was the first runner to finish in 4:59:52. Annemarie Shoemaker, 37, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the first female and seventh overall in 7:01:47.

Livingston Oval

Carey Patrick Wertz is building up to the Riverlands 100-miler in May, and he had a strong tune-up run at the second annual Livingston Oval 6-hour ultra on Saturday, March 8, in Livingston, N.J. Racing on a flat, fast 0.88-mile paved loop around Gazebo Field, the 44-year-old from Waterville, Maine, logged 36.52 miles and placed fourth overall. Fellow Waterville resident Edward Wertz, 38, also took part and finished 20.24 miles. Nick Puertas, 39, of Kingston, N.Y., led all runners with 39.60 miles. Top female Viktoria Brown, 49, of Whitby, Ontario, tied for second with men’s runner-up Gerlad Tabios, 55, of Elmhurst, N.Y., with both runners completing 38.28 miles.

Save the Daylight

If there is a time-based ultramarathon happening in the United States, there’s a good chance Ed Peters will be there. Peters has been a mainstay on the time-based ultramarathon scene nationwide for the past several years, and he added another to his resume at the ninth annual Save the Daylight event on March 7-9 in Englewood, Fla. The event included 48-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour ultras on a flat 3.1875-mile loop course.

Peters, 73, of Norwalk, Conn., was one of 28 participants in the 48-hour event. He finished 24th with 60.5625 miles. Nels Matson, 42, of Bradenton, Fla., led all runners with 186.5625 miles, followed by 42-year-old Matt Clapper of St. Petersburg, Fla., in 184.875 miles. Loan Vo, 42, of Brandon, Fla., was third overall and the top female finisher with 178.5 miles.

Peters was one of two New England residents at the event. Tammy Swift, 55, of Kingston, Mass., took part in the 6-hour race and placed ninth out of 17 runners with 23.313 miles.

*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.