Connecticut was the hot spot for ultrarunning in New England during the March 28-30 weekend with the classic Enchanted Forest Ultra back for its ninth year along with a gnarly new addition from Steep Endurance – the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs. Both events, along with the Spring On the Trails 12- and 6-hour ultra in nearby New York, are covered here in Part II of this week’s roundup.

Sleeping Giant Trail Runs

Steep Endurance is known for putting on rugged, gnarly races in Connecticut, and the organization’s newest trail- and ultrarunning event made its debut with the inaugural Sleeping Giant Trail Runs on Sunday, March 30, in Hamden, Conn. Sleeping Giant featured 50K and 25K distances on a 25K loop course with more than 3,000 feet of climbing per loop.

Of the 96 runners who started the race, 82 finished within 12 hours. Lee Davis set the pace for the first loop and reached the midway point with a 4-minute lead on Justin Kousky, but Kousky pushed hard in the second half to negative-split the course. Ultimately, Kousky, 44, of Westport, Conn., earned the win in 5:12:47 followed by Davis, 43, of Hamden, Conn., in 5:27:04. In a tight battle for third, 28-year-old Chase Smith of Stamford, Conn., fended off 20-year-old Tobias Tello, 5:55:13 to 5:55:40. Tom Starodaj, 37, of New Britain, Conn., rounded out the overall top five in 6:03:18.

In the female field, 46-year-old Jessica Crandall earned the victory in 6:45;03, followed by 31-year-old Erica Notini of Hillsborough, N.H., in 6:57:06, and 17-year-old Grayson Neuman of New Haven, Conn., in 7:11:58. Alexandra Finn-Atkins, 35, of Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y., and Jennifer Boshco, 40, of Billerica, Mass., rounded out the top five in 7:37:28 and 7:49:10, respectively.

In the 25K race, 145 runners finished within 8 hours, led by 43-year-old Timmy Parr of Gunnison, Colo., who edged 36-year-old David Martin of Cheshire, Conn., by 71 seconds. Parr won in 2:22:00, followed by Martin in 2:23:11. Julia Maurer, 29, of Wallingford, Conn., topped the female field and finished 10th overall in 3:04:41.

Enchanted Forest Ultra

The annual ultrarunning slate at the Roosevelt Forest kicked off with the ninth annual Enchanted Forest Ultra 6-Hour on Saturday, March 29, in Stratford, Conn. Runners once again spent six hours running loops on an approximately 2.3-mile course with 191 feet of climbing, navigating rocks and roots along the way.

Of the 30 runners who took part, eight surpassed the marathon distance with 46-year-old Kelly Plasse of Munnsville, N.Y., leading all runners with 31.92 miles. Top male Gabe Murphy, 26, of Warwick, R.I., matched Plasse in distance but finished the loop second. Female runner-up Makena Bement, 25, of Ledyard, Conn., was third overall with 29.65, followed by male runner-up Michael Lo Presti, 53, of Norfolk, Conn., who matched Bement’s distance.

Other runners surpassing marathon mileage were Catherine Sancimino, 44, of New York, N.Y.; Joanna Wong, 47, of Great Neck, N.Y.; Matt Schlosser, 32, of Oriskany, N.Y.; and Christopher Hausser, 45, of Stratford, Conn., who each completed 27.36 miles.

Spring On the Trails

Benjamin Niebla threw down a big performance at the fifth annual Spring On the Trails Endurance Runs on Saturday, March 29, in Lagrangeville, N.Y. The event offered 12-hour and 6-hour ultras on a 5K trail loop with nearly 600 feet of gain per loop. Niebla, 28, of Manchester, N.H., was up for the challenge and opted for the longest time option. He hammered the loop throughout the day, quickly pulling away and then lapping the other 19 runners in the 12-hour field. By the time he was done, Niebla set a new course record with a 62.0-mile performance. It was a stellar tune-up run before his 100-mile debut in May at the Riverlands 100 in Maine.

Niebla’s closest competitor was Wayne Bianchetta. The 39-year-old from Newburgh, N.Y., was a distant second with 49.60 miles. Danielle Keahon, 39, of Pearl River, N.Y., finished third overall and topped the female field with 46.50 miles. Niebla wasn’t the only New Englander who earned ultramarathon mileage in the 12-hour race. Matt Shinn, 38, of Bethel, Vt., completed 31.0 miles and tied for 15th overall.

Of the 26 runners who took part in the 6-hour race, five surpassed the marathon distance within the time limit, including a New Englander who earned a place on the podium. Andrea Mucchietto, 31, of Cambridge, Mass., was the overall and male runner-up with 27.90 miles, trailing only 34-year-old Jordan Snyder of Port Jervis, N.Y., who logged 34.10 miles. Athena Ojeda, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., topped the female field with 24.80 miles, good for sixth 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.