The red-hot March 21-23 weekend saw New Englanders earn ultramarathon finishes at more than a dozen races beyond the region, and the volume of results merited a three-part roundup to include it all. Part I rounded up results from out West and Part II recapped results from the Northeast. We close it out strong here in Part III with outcomes from the Southeast, including a pair of victories for runners from the region. Rhode Island’s Cole Crosby delivered a dazzling come-from-behind win in the 51.4-mile Badwater Cape Fear in North Carolina, and Massachusetts resident Daniel McCarthy earned a 50K victory at the Camp Croft Ultras in South Carolina. Those stellar performances lead off this edition of the roundup.

Badwater Cape Fear

Cole Crosby secured his ticket to the 2026 Badwater 135 thanks to a gritty, come-from-behind performance at the Badwater Cape Fear 51.4-mile race on Saturday, March 22, at Bald Head Island, N.C.

The race began in Cape Fear with a 12-mile stretch of roads and forest trails. Crosby capitalized on the friendly footing and cruised to an early lead. When the course transitioned to energy-sucking sand for a long stretch on the beach, Crosby, 36, of Cranston, R.I., maintained his lead for a while, but it eventually slipped away without him realizing he’d been passed. In a post-race Strava post, he noted that he chose a line in the sand close to the Atlantic Ocean to utilize better footing. When he reached an aid station at mile 32, he said he was informed he was in second place with the lead runner, 47-year-old Jamaal Ryan of San Diego, Calif., a few minutes ahead. Ryan had passed Crosby as he dipped his hat and buff into cold water at a previous aid station. Crosby went hunting and eventually caught Ryan with about 7 miles to go before passing and pulling away for the win in 6:52:00. Ryan followed in 7:03:00.

Top female Kaylee Frederick, 20, of Johnstown, Pa., finished fifth overall in 8:07:00.

Several other New Englanders joined Crosby among the 77 finishers, including Scott Livingston, 52, and Debbie Livingston, 50, of Bolton, Conn. Scott placed 22nd overall in 10:06:00, while Debbie was 25th and the fifth-place female in 10:20:00. Other New Englanders who finished were Jack Small, 36, of Durham, Conn. (41st, 11:15:00); Tim Dowling, 40, of Prospect, Conn. (63rd, 12:15:00); and Stephen Barrett, 69, of Canterbury, N.H., (73rd, 13:02:00).

In the event’s 50K race, 85 runners finished within 9 hours, including the lone New Englander in the field who earned a place on the podium. Marc Lennon, 39, of Southington, Conn., placed second in 4:32:00, trailing only 23-year-old Preston Dunn of Naples, Fla., who earned the victory in 4:16:00. Suzanne Tulsey, 50, of Oak Island, N.C., topped the female field and finished seventh overall in 4:57:00.

Camp Croft Ultras

Daniel McCarthy is still relatively new to ultrarunning, but he is getting the hang of it very quickly. McCarthy ran his first ultra in 2022 at the Catamount 50K and placed 16th overall. He went on to place second at the Vermont 50-miler that fall, and then earned a third-place overall finish at the Three Sisters Skyline 50K in Oregon in 2023.

McCarthy took on his first ultra of 2025 when he raced the 50K distance at the Camp Croft Ultras on March 22-23 in Spartanburg, S.C., and his fourth ultra became his first victory.

The second annual event offered 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K distances on a 10.05-mile loop on the smooth, rolling singletrack trails of Croft State Park. McCarthy, 25, of Burlington, Mass., was the lone New Englander at the event, and he had a sizzling day. Of the 23 runners who finished the 50K within 11 hours, McCarthy finished first and set a new male course record of 4:19:02. Top female Ashley Rolewicz Pipkin, 25, of Seymour, Tenn., finished second overall and set a new female course record in 4:39:14. Kent Townley, 56, of Cumming, Ga., was a distant third in 5:37:12.

Six runners finished the 100-miler and another 12 completed the 50-miler.

Swamp Fox Ultras

Heather Cousson earned her second ultramarathon finish when she completed the 50-mile distance at the Swamp Fox Ultras on March 22-23 in McClellanville, S.C. The ninth annual event also included 100-mile and 50K distances on out-and-back courses through the Francis Marion National Forest.

Cousson, 49, of Roxbury, Mass., was among the 16 finishers of the 50-miler, completing the race in 17:42:33. Nicolas Delon, 42, of Chaleston, S.C., and Alex Wetherill, 26, of Valdosta, Ga., led the male and female fields in 9:51:23 and 11:42:29. Respectively. No New Englanders were among the five finishers of the 100-miler or the 19 finishers of the 50K.

Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker

One New Englander took part in the third annual Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50-mile and 55K ultras, but he earned a top-10 finish on Saturday, March 22, in Old Fort, N.C. The event used a modified course this year while the Old Fort area recovers from extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene, meaning runners didn’t get to summit event namesake Mount Mitchell, but both distances still packed plenty of punch.

No New England residents took part in the 50-mile race, which had 106 finishers. Brendan Gilpatrick of Waterville, Maine, represented the region in the 55K. Gilpatrick, 41, was one of 79 finishers within 12 hours, and he raced to a 10th-place overall finish, ninth in the male field, in 5:47:39. Brian Atkinson, 33, and Tory Grieves, 34, both of Asheville, N.C., led the male and female fields in 4:08:18 and 5:37:22, respectively.

Gilpatrick will return to Old Fort in May for the Hellbender 100.

The Pistol Ultra

Nick O’Brien became Maine’s newest ultrarunner when he crossed the finish line at the Pistol Ultra in Tennessee. The 13th annual event offered 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K distances during the March 22-23 weekend in Alcoa, with runners completing multiple loops of the paved 10-mile Alcoa-Maryville Greenway Trail along Pistol Creek.

O’Brien was the only New Englander at the event, and the 39-year-old from Lisbon Falls, Maine, took part in the 50K. He finished 31st out of 104 runners in 5:43:48. Michael Wardian, 50, of Arlington, Va., won the race in 3:13:31.

Diamondback 8-Hour

The Sweltering Summer 8-hour ultra is still more than four months away, but Tammy Swift is already dialing in for it. Swift, 55, of Kingston, Mass., kicked off her ultrarunning season with a trip to the inaugural Diamondback 8-hour ultra on Saturday, March 22, in Estero, Fla.

Swift and her fellow runners took on a 5.44-mile loop on a mix of sand, packed gravel and cross country-style mowed grass. Of the 39 runners who took part, Swift was among the 24 who surpassed the marathon distance. She was one of 10 runners who completed five loops of the course for 27.2 miles within the time limit. Swift did so in 7:23:29, placing 21st overall.

Brady McDonald, 40, of Florida led all runners with 43.52 miles in 7:36:54. Seven more runners completed 38.08 miles, including top female Kelly Duffy of Fort Myers, Fla., who did so in 7:44:17, less than three minutes ahead of runner-up Allyson Anderson, 22, of Cape Coral, Fla. 

*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.