Part I of the March 7-9 weekend focused on New Englanders’ efforts at ultramarathons on the East Coast, with a heavy focus on New Jersey events. Here in Part II we journey West to Arizona, California, Oregon and Texas where runners took on diverse and challenging terrain and turned in some stellar performances. No New Englander had a bigger weekend than Eric LiPuma. The Vermonter toppled a long-standing course record at the Mesquite Canyon 50K while chasing world-class runner Jim Walmsley. Though Walmsley took the win, LiPuma delivered a dandy of a performance and leads off this edition of the roundup.

Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs

It’s hard to steal the spotlight when Jim Walmsley is standing on the starting line, but Eric LiPuma did his best and delivered a massive performance in the 50K race at the 16th annual Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs on Saturday, March 8, in Waddell, Ariz. LiPuma, 31, of Richmond, Vt., squared off with one of the most accomplished runners of his generation in Walmsley, 35, of Flagstaff, Ariz., and both men delivered dazzling performances on the singletrack desert trails and tough climbs. LiPuma pushed hard, but Walmsley galloped ahead with his long strides. Ultimately, both men broke the previous course record that had stood for 15 years, with LiPuma finishing second in 4:00:02 and Walmsley first in 3:40:43. Jesse Carr, 23, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was a distant third in 4:46:11, followed by first-place female Alisa Macdonald, 44, of Cochrane, Alberta, in 4:46:20. Macdonald won for the second year in a row.

LiPuma was one of two New England residents among the 50K finishers. Peter Kurowski, 31, of Alstead, N.H., placed 40th in 8:24:48. Sixty runners finished within 10 1/2 hours.

In addition to the 50K, another 38 runners took part in the event’s 50-mile race with 23 finishing within 14 1/2 hours. No New Englanders took part in the 50-miler.

Marin Ultra Challenge

A longtime ultrarunning veteran and several first-timers represented New England well at the 11th running of the Marin Ultra Challenge 50-mile and 50K trail races on Saturday, March 8, in Sausalito, Calif. Both distances started at Rodeo Beach and took runners through the singletrack trails of the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais and the Muir Woods.

The 50-mile race challenged runners with around 11,000, and longtime ultrarunner John Lavoie earned his third finish on the course. Lavoie, 72, of Arlington, Vt., was 139th out of 141 finishers within the 15-hour time limit, doing so in 14:20:52. He previously finished the race in 2019 and 2024. Joining him among the finishers were a trio of first-time ultrarunners. Connor O’Brien, 29, of Boston, Mass., placed 11th overall and ninth in the male field in 8:38:52, capping a stellar debut. James Melynk, 38, of Cambridge, Mass., was 44th in 10:50:11, while 42-year-old Christopher Ahern of Lebanon, N.H., finished 72nd in 11:42:42. Jonah Backstrom, 51, of San Francisco, Calif., and Kimberly Neely, 35, of Mill Valley, Calif., were the top male and female finishers in 7:29:24 and 8:03:00, respectively.

Another 231 runners finished the 50K race within 11 hours, including first-time ultrarunners Rebecca Guy-Hamilton, 39, of Arlington, Mass., who was 55th overall in her first ultra in 5:44:08, and Keith McCormick, 70, of Belchertown, Mass., who placed 145th in his ultra debut. Additionally, 29-year-old Joseph Edelstein of Shelton, Conn., placed 22nd in 4:52:30. Grant Hotaling, 41, of Healdsburg, Calif., and Hannah Allgood, 33, of Colorado Springs, Colo., finished 1-2 overall and topped the male and female fields in 3:48:22 and 3:51:32, respectively. Allgood’s time was a new female course record.

Siuslaw Dunes 50K

Sean Caffrey traveled cross-country for his second ultramarathon when he took part in the fourth edition of the Siuslaw Dunes 50K on Saturday, March 8, in Florence, Ore. Caffrey, 39, of Franklin, Mass., was one of 70 finishers within 9 hours on the point-to-point course on the Siuslaw Dunes Trail in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. He finished 30th in 6:20:36. Joshua Bibbee, 27, of Waldport, Ore., and Emily Keddie, 38, of Bend, Ore., led the male and female fields in 4:48:45 and 5:24:14, respectively.

Prickly Pear Trail Run

Matthew Montano found himself lost in a sea of Texans as he stood at the starting line of the 22nd annual Prickly Pear Trail Run 50K on Saturday, March 8, in San Antonio, Texas

Montano was one of just four non-Texas residents in the field of 138 runners there to tackle three loops through the singletrack trails of McAllister Park. Montano, of Bristol, R.I., handled the mostly flat, occasionally technical trails with ease and earned a spot among the top half of the field, finishing 64th overall in 6:43:38.

Ryan Miller and Aimee Jacobs, both of San Antonio, Texas, topped the male and female fields in 3:38:36 and 3:59:51, respectively and finished 1-3 overall.

*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.