The New England ultrarunning calendar closed out April with a pair of big events, the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic in Massachusetts (to be covered in separate story), and the historic Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras in Connecticut. While New Englanders also ventured beyond the region to more than a dozen other ultras, we lead off Part I of this week’s roundup by focusing on ultras in the East, beginning at Lake Waramaug where a dynamite female field did serious damage to the 100K record board and two runners toppled a milestone that stood for more than 35 years.

Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras

It’s hard to make history at the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras. The event dates back to its beginnings in 1974 and has seen many of the fastest ultramarathon performances in New England history on its paved course. On the rare occurrence that a record falls at the event – which is Connecticut’s oldest ultra and includes the oldest 100K race in the United States – it is noteworthy.

A record fell at the 51st annual event on Sunday, April 27, in Kent, Conn. In fact, a record was broken by multiple runners, making for an absolutely remarkable day of running. With the Lake Waramaug 100K making its debut in the Mount to Coast 100K Road Series alongside the Across the Years 100K (Dec. 28-Jan. 2, 2025 in Arizona; the Jackpot 100K (Feb. 14-16 in Nevada) and the Fat Ox 100K (Nov. 22-24 in Arizona), the event attracted national talent in addition to New England stalwarts. That made for a dynamite female field that produced three of the top six times in course history and saw the top two runners eclipse a course record that stood since 1979.

Sue Ellen Trapp set the female 100K course record of 8:43:14 on May 6, 1979, running among a field that included a 10-year-old Howie Breinan who would go on to create the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-mile ultras years later. One year later, Sue Medaglia ran 8:53:49, the only time Trapp’s record was threatened until 2016 when Angie Darbyson clocked an 8:51:14 performance.

Then came 2025. Dominant New England runners Lila Gaudrault and Jenny Hoffman entered the race alongside West Coast standout Sierra Degroff to create the fastest female field the event has ever seen. Hoffman, 47, of Cambridge, Mass., has a storied ultrarunning career that includes Team USA appearances and a 2023 world record for fastest crossing of the United States on foot by a female. Hoffman previously ran Lake Waramaug in 2023 in 10:00:39, which at the time ranked fifth all-time. Gaudrault, 22, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, exploded on the scene a few years ago, races constantly, and wins and sets course records nearly everywhere she races. Degroff, 34, of Las Vegas, Nev., was the female 100-mile champion at Across the Years in 2022, the Jackpot Ultras USATF 100-Mile National Champion in 2023; a 2023 Badwater 135 finisher; the 2023 Fat Ox USATF 24-Hour female champion; the 2023 Desert Solstice 100-mile female champion; and the 2024 Across the Years Mount to Coast 100K champion. She was the runner-up at the Jackpot Ultras USATF 100-miler in February 2025 and is building up to the historic Western States Endurance Run 100-miler in June.

Degroff and Gaudrault pushed the pace from the start with their sights set on the course record. Degroff both ran on record pace with Degroff was well under it, making the only question whether one or two runners would eclipse Trapp’s untouchable mark. Ultimately, both did, with Degroff smashing the record in 8:18:26 and Gaudrault dipping a minute below the previous mark in 8:42:03. Meanwhile, Hoffman also pushed hard throughout the day and turned in her finest performance ever on the course, placing third in the female field, sixth overall, and logging the sixth-fastest time ever by a female at the race in 9:30:25 to complete the record board overhaul.

While the female field was dynamite, the men’s field also saw several speedy performances that didn’t upend the record board. Justin Kousky, 44, of Westport, Conn., led all runners with a speedy 100K time of 7:34:32 that missed cracking the male top-10 list by 11 minutes. Devon Bahr, 24, of New Fairfield, Conn., was second in 8:50:04, followed by 24-year-old Timmy Zhou of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 9:28:37. A total of 21 runners finished the 100K distance.

Another 66 runners finished the 50K race, and that distance also featured one of the finest performances in event history. Liz Derstine, 39, of Medford, Mass., clocked the fourth-fastest time by a female in course history with her winning 3:58:19 effort, which also placed her fourth overall. Melissa Perkins-Banas set the female course record of 3:47:40 in 2007. Derstine last ran Lake Waramaug in 2023, placing second in the female field in 4:28:32, so this year marked a 30-minute improvement. Erin Hurme, 44, of Amityville, N.Y., and Allison Medeiros, 43, of Mattapoisett, Mass., joined Derstine on the female podium in 4:42:29 and 5:06:20 respectively. In the male 50K field, 35-year-old Joseph Bouchey of Las Vegas, Nev., won in 3:39:51, followed by 48-year-old Harsha Thirumurthy of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., in 3:53:50, and Harry Netzer, 32, of Roxbury, Conn., in 3:57:56.

The all-time top 10 leaderboards for the 50-mile distance went untouched by the 30 finishers of that distance. Nicholas Thompson, 49, of Brooklyn, N.Y., cruised to the win in 5:43:08, followed by 44-year-old Jesse Howes of Suffield, Conn., in 7:23:36, and 54-year-old Ethan Long of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 7:28:32. In the female field, 51-year-old Julie Dunbar of Brooklyn, N.Y., earned the victory in 7:52:37, followed by 32-year-old Michela Greco of Milford, Conn., in 8:07:58, and 49-year-old Amanda Paul of Swanzey, N.Y., in 10:12:35.

C&O Canal 100

Five New England residents were among the 188 finishers of the flat, fast and scenic 100-miler on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., at the 12th annual C&O Canal 100 on April 26-27 in Knoxville, Md. Runners had to complete multiple out-and-backs on the towpath, with just a few rolling hills offering some variety to the smooth, flat terrain.

Oleksandr Skorkhod, 40, of Arlington, Va., smashed the course record by 23 minutes with his overall victory in 14:03:12. Top female Whitney Richman, 44, of Midlothian, Va., was fifth overall and clocked the second-fastest time ever by a female on the course in 17:28:59.

David Stawski, 43, of Manchester, Conn., was the top New Englander with a 24th-place finish in 21:39:15. He was one of two runners from the region who were among the 49 sub-24-hour finishers. Chris Bellows, 52, of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, joined him in 33rd place in 22:42:22. Additional New Englanders who finished were 21-year-old JOhn Kelly of Holden, Mass. (51st place; 24:19:57); 51-year-old Amadao Casuga of Hamden, Conn. (55th place; 24:50:21); and 36-year-old Derek Breitenstine of Salem, Conn. (69th place; 26:08:33).

Big Turtle 2.0

Brett LeBlanc went big for his first ultramarathon when he took part in the inaugural Big Turtle 2.0 50-mile and 50K ultras on Saturday, April 26, in Morehead, Ky. LeBlanc, 38, of Winthrop, Maine, took on the 50K distance, which started and finished on the Morehead State University campus but tackled trails in the nearby area and amassed 4,800 feet of climbing (the 50-miler tested runners with a whopping 8,300 feet of gain). 

LeBlanc ran strong throughout the race and capped his debut with a fifth-place overall finish in 5:29:30, also good for fourth in the male field. Rachel Schack, 29, of Morehead, Ky., led all runners in 4:50:23 while top male Conal Roche, 43, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a close second overall in 4:56:06. Fifty-six runners finished within 10 hours.

No New Englanders were among the 29 finishers of the 50-mile race. Jacob Kuntz, 34, of Worthington, Ohio, led all runners in 7:58:05 while Virginia-Bibb Golden, 47, of Harrodsburg, Ky., topped the female field in 11:23:35.

Falling Water Ultras

The growing ultrarunning scene in West Virginia continues to thrive and attract New Englanders to explore its trails. A few runners from the region made the trip to the third annual Falling Water 100K and 50K ultras on Saturday, April 26, at New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. Runners took on a 15.5-mile loop course with 2,400 feet of climbing that runners in the 100K had to complete four times and those in the 50K had to finish twice.

Ninety-five runners started the 100K race, and 73 ultimately completed their four loops and 9,600 feet of climbing within 24 hours. Claire Gadrow, 55, of South Kingstown, R.I., was among the finishers, placing 59th overall in 19:53:55. Taton Bertsch, 26, of Tipp City, Ohio, and Justyna Wilson, 49, of Fairless Hills, Pa., went 1-2 overall and were the male and female champions in 10:51:00 and 11:01:48, respectively.

Another 52 runners finished the 50K within 11 hours, including 39-year-old Danielle Mackowiak of Dudley, Mass., who finished 27th overall in 7:43:20. Dean Banko, 41, of New Florence, Pa., and Skyla Taglieri, 25, of Pequea, Pa., went 1-2 overall and topped the male and female fields in 4:59:20 and 5:02:10, respectively.

Bronze Dragonfly

Jason Haley earned a distance personal record at the fifth edition of the Bronze Dragonfly time-based ultras on April 26-27 in Savannah, Ga. Haley, 51, of Hamilton, Mass., was the lone New England resident among the pack of runners who took on 30-hour, 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour ultras on a 1.4-mile USATF-certified course consisting of rubberized track and pavement. Haley raced the 24-hour event, and he completed 70.25 miles, finishing fifth out of 11 runners in the field. Harrison Moore, 29, of Hilton Head, S.C., led the way with 102.56 miles. Haley’s previous best long run was 50 miles at the 2023 JFK 50-miler. He logged 47 miles in the 12-hour race at Vernal Equinox in Ohio in March during his first foray at a time-based event.

*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.