A celebration of spring was on the agenda for the third annual Spring Fever 8-Hour Ultra, but winter made its presence felt one last time on Saturday, April 12, at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Mass.

After a few days of teasing with sunny skies and warmer temperatures, a cold snap returned overnight and into race morning, bringing with it a wintry mix that transitioned to a light, all-day drizzle. That meant the 39 runners who took part in the 8-hour ultra, as well as those who ran single-loop sub-ultra distance, either a 5-miler or 5K, had to endure raw, damp, breezy conditions. The temperature was slightly above freezing at the start and stayed below 40 degrees for the duration of the day.

Ed Donahue was unfazed by the weather. A regular at the event since its inaugural year, his finest racing in 6-plus years of ultrarunning has all taken place at Spring Fever. Donahue, 41, of nearby Abington, Mass., won the inaugural event by completing 40 miles in 2023. He returned in 2024 and set a new course record with a 45-mile performance. This year, Donahue matched that mileage output with another 45-mile day and continued his reign as the event’s only winner.

Still, Donahue had company at that distance. Top female Lila Gaudrault matched Donahue’s mileage and the 22-year-old from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, finished second overall while setting a new course record. Gaudrault has raced all over New England during the past two years, winning nearly every race and setting course records many times. Her debut performance at Spring Fever continued that trend.

Gaudrault wasn’t the only female to topple the previous course standard of 30 miles. Female runner-up Emma Dixon, 29, of South Boston, Mass., and 47-year-old Karen Deyesso of Scarborough, Maine, also broke the mark with Dixon logging 40 miles and Deyesso 35 miles to join Gaudrault on the female podium.

Donahue was joined on the male podium by Brendan Chambers, 46, of Taunton, Mass., and Andrea Mucchietto, 31, of Cambridge, Mass., who each completed 40 miles. Benjamin Niebla, 28, of Manchester, N.H., Ioannis Galouzis, 32, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., Robert Alves, 46, of Croton, Conn., and Shamba Mukherjee, 36, of Taunton, Mass., all followed with 35 miles apiece.

Results of the 5-mile and 5K races were unavailable at the time of publication.