Rhode Island only plays host to a handful of ultramarathons throughout the year, but it was the only location in New England with a race during the March 14-16 weekend. The F.I.T. Rock 12-hour saw Takai Takafumi of Cambridge, Mass., earn the victory with a 60-mile outing on a 5-mile loop course. Beyond Rhode Island, New Englanders scattered to other parts of the country to tackle the trails and earn ultra finishes in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Ohio. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

F.I.T. Rock Trail Race

Rhode Island played host to its first ultramarathon of the 2025 season with the F.I.T. Rock Trail Race 12-hour on Sunday, March 16, in Cumberland. Runners had a half-day to take on a 5-mile loop course, and 15 ultimately were up to the challenge.

Runners received credit for laps finished beyond the time limit as long as they had already started their final loop. Takai Takafumi, 46, of Cambridge, Mass., took advantage of the opportunity and squeezed in a 12th and final lap, hitting the loop with less than 7 minutes to spare. He finished his 60-mile effort in 13:10:43. Derik Brouillard, 39, of North Smithfield, R.I., was second with 10 laps and 50 miles in 10:13:59, a feat matched by 52-year-old Ross Minkov of Whitinsville, Mass., and 43-year-old Billy Richards of Bay Shore, N.Y. Minkov completed his 50 miles in 11:29:20 and earned a third-place overall finish, while Richards completed the distance in 13:34:27.

Angel Brock, 55, of Fountain, Colo., was fifth overall and the first-place female with eight laps and 40 miles in 10:42:23. Michael Foran, 34, of Middleboro, Mass., was the fifth male and sixth overall finisher with seven laps and 35 miles in 8:44:07, followed by 58-year-old Janice Anderson of Marietta, Ga., who was the female runner-up with 30 miles in 6:53:09.

Rabid Raccoon 100

It is only March, but David Stawski just completed his third 100-miler of the year. Stawski, 43, of Manchester, Conn., opened the year by running the Beast of Burden winter edition 100-miler in January, followed by another 100-mile effort with the Snow Moon 24-Hour Virtual Challenge in February. On March 15-16, Stawski was back at it when he took on the Rabid Raccoon 100 in Beaver Falls, Pa. Stawski and his fellow runners had to complete eight 12.5-mile loops on singletrack trails and gravel roads through Brady’s Run Park. Ultimately, 56 runners did so within the 36-hour time limit, and Stawski finished seventh overall in 23:26:14. He was the lone New England resident to complete the 100-miler, and one of just eight who did so in less than 24 hours. Dan Green, 28, of West Virginia was the top male finisher in 17:09:08 while 32-year-old Texan Rachel Moore topped the female field in 23:43:41.

The event also included a 100K race that required runners to complete five loops of the course. Of the 101 who did so within 29 hours, four were New Englanders. 

Marcela Criado, 27, of Massachusetts finished 45th in 17:50:32 to lead the contingent from the region. Additionally, Nicole Julow, 49, of Vermont finished 64th in 19:27:39; Amanda Driscoll, 32, of Massachusetts was 29th in 21:02:11; and Maine’s Beth Beaulieu, 54, finished 99th in 23:42:04.

Justin Kelsey, 36, of Pennsylvania led all runners in 10:41:51 while top female Rebecca Kosek, 44, of Pennsylvania, finished fifth overall in 12:04:02.

Bel Monte Endurance Run

Four New Englanders were among the finishers at the 21st edition of the Bel Monte Endurance Run on Saturday, March 15, in Lyndhurst, Va. Eric Gallant, Michael Finnell, Corissa Masciana and Mike Stofko all handled the singletrack trails and mountain roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains, navigated the 5,100 feet of climbing, and made it successfully to the finish line within the 12-hour time limit for the 50K race. Gallant, 26, of Tewksbury, Mass., led the crew from the region, finishing 26th in 8:58:13. Finnell, 26, of Milford, Conn., was next in 10:57:47, placing 37th. Masciana, 28, of Stratford, Conn., and Stofko, 26, of Milford, Conn., were the next to arrive, placing 39th and 40th overall in 11:12:30 and 11:12:37, respectively. Adam Schwendt of Colorado Springs, Colo., led the field of 43 finishers in 5:00:58, while top female Erin Schneider of Fairfax, Va., placed fourth overall in 6:05:49.

In addition to the 50K, another runners finished the event’s 50-mile race within 14 hours, led by top male finisher Matthew Wilson of Reston, Va., in 9:21:03, and top female Tricia Denardis of Midlothian, Va., in 12:41:08. No New Englanders took part in the 50-miler.

Chuckanut 50K

Kevin Bonanno was one of just two New Englanders who took part in the Chuckanut 50K on Saturday, March 15, in Bellingham, Wash., and he made it a memorable ultramarathon debut. The 31st edition of the Pacific Northwest classic was a wet and muddy affair as runners took on a soaked, sloppy course. Bonanno, 26, of Massachusetts, had a strong day of racing despite the conditions and earned his first ultra finish in 5:03:35 while placing 103rd out of 624 finishers. Additionally, 23-year-old Noah Fritzhand of Vermont finished 154th in 5:28:43 for his first ultramarathon finish.

At the front of the pack, Chris Myers, 28, of Colorado, outdistanced the male field by 10 minutes with his win in 3:39:10 while 2024 runner-up Jade Belzberg, 32, of British Columbia, was the first-place female this year in 4:22:40, winning by about 2 1/2 minutes.

Get Lucky 50/50

The first time Kim Gibson tackled an ultramarathon in Ohio was 2 1/2 years ago when she completed the hot and muggy Burning River 100-miler in Willoughby Hills. Her second trip to the state came on Saturday, March 15, when she took part in the seventh annual Get Lucky 50/50 in Canal Fulton.

Gibson was the lone New England resident to take part in either the 50-mile or 50K distance offerings; Gibson opted for the 50K. The 47-year-old from Dartmouth, Mass., and her fellow runners took on an out-and-back course on the Erie Canal Towpath Trail, starting and ending at St. Helena Park. Forty-four runners finished the race within 10 hours, including Gibson who was 30th in 6:40:29. Zach Crim, 33, of Haslett, Mich., led all runners in 3:14:37, logging the second-fastest time ever by a male on the course. Alex Borsuk, 36, of Portland, Ore., was second overall and set a new female course record by 24 seconds with her time of 3:54:46.

No New Englanders were among the 40 runners who completed the 50-miler within 13 hours. Alec Cline, 28, of Canton, Ohio, led all runners at that distance with a new male course record of 5:33:37, eclipsing the previous mark by two minutes.

*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.