We close out the May 10-11 weekend ultrarunning roundups here at home in New England for Part III with three events that were daunting in their own unique ways. In Connecticut, runners took on a loop course for 10 hours of endurance fun at the Spring Fling 600. In Vermont, the Blood Root Ultras are always tough, with big climbs, mud and more at the multi-distance festival. But we begin in Maine with the Riverlands 100. Riverlands has thrown all sorts of challenging conditions at runners through the years, including extreme heat in 2022. But this year … this was the year that put the “river” in Riverlands.

Riverlands 100

The deluge started several hours before the race commenced. The course was already a mess of mud and water by the time runners gathered for the 6 a.m. start of the Riverlands 100-Mile Endurance Run, and it would only grow worse by the hour. That’s how the eighth edition of the event began on May 10-11 at Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner, Maine.

Runners had to complete four out-and-backs on the course, which was a mix of singletrack and all-terrain vehicle trails with plenty of ups and downs to navigate and rocks and roots to dodge. Due to the early heavy rainfall before and during the event’s first eight hours, runners didn’t have the benefit of getting at least one lap out of the way on drier, more manageable terrain. Shoe-sucking mud was everywhere. Pools of water were everywhere. Carnage was everywhere.

Of the 60 runners who started the race, just 17 ultimately finished within the 32-hour time limit – a rate of just 28 percent. Longtime ultrarunning veterans and multi-time finishers saw their race end early. Savvy speedsters spent more time on their feet than they ever imagined, trudging through the course with mud-caked shoes weighing them down.

The race began in the driving rain, with temperatures in the 40s and wind chill in the 30s. It wouldn’t warm to the 50s until the afternoon once the rain subsided, so soggy runners struggled to strike the right balance between running too hot and shivering in the rain. The field began to dwindle during the first lap, and it continued to thin as the race continued and the course deteriorated further.

The lead pack went out fast, with Keith Nadeau, Brian Barrett and Matt Pacheco setting the early pace. They stuck together for most of the lap before Nadeau pulled ahead. A veteran of several 100-milers, including victories at the 2024 Jigger Johnson 100 in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and the 2021 Infinitus 100 in Vermont, Nadeau is no stranger to tough courses and was prepared to battle.

Nadeau led for the next 30 miles or so while Barrett followed in second and Pacheco in third. Pacheco navigated several low points during his second loop, but he ultimately reeled in Barrett around the 45-mile mark and moved into second. Barrett, 25, of Boxford, Mass., would ultimately drop a few miles later at the 50-mile mark while Pacheco continued onward and reeled in Nadeau.

Pacheco passed Nadeau early in the third lap to become the leader. He held that position the rest of the way, but never by a sizable margin as both runners navigated the increasingly sloppy trails and ankle-deep mud. It wasn’t until the final lap when Nadeau faded and Pacheco built a little bit of a cushion.

Ultimately, Pacheco closed out the win in 20:55:25. The 40-year-old from South Hadley, Mass., had run 100 miles previously at a last-person-standing event, but never in a distance-specific race until Riverlands. It was Pacheco’s second ultramarathon victory of the year and at least the seventh of his career.

Nadeau, 35, of Fairhaven, Mass., closed out his second-place finish in 21:25:36 for his eighth career 100-mile finish. He also earned redemption after a DNF at Riverlands in 2022, a gnarly day when temperatures soared into the 90s. Daniel Orr, 39, of Portland, Maine, rounded out the men’s podium in 25:29:28, followed by 28-year-old Benjamin Niebla of Manchester, N.H., in 25:49:20.

The weekend was also the long-awaited Riverlands debut for local standout Lila Gaudrault, a native of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, following dominating performances on courses throughout New England. Gaudrault, 22, made her 100-mile debut at the 2024 Vermont 100 where she set the solo female course record in 17:16:49 at the historic event. She followed it up with an overall 100-mile win at the 2024 Ghost Train Rail Trail Race in New Hampshire in 15:34:50 that ranked as the 17th-fastest 100-mile effort by a female in North America that year, according to UltraRunning Magazine’s statistics.

Despite dealing with a nagging injury, Gaudrault trained in the Maine mud and started the 2025 season strong with wins at the Mt. Toby 50K, the Spring Fever 8-Hour and the Traprock 50K, as well as a runner-up finish at the Lake Waramaug 100K where she and winner Sierra Degroff ran two of the five fastest 100Ks by female runners in North America so far this year.

Gaudrault had a strong first 50 miles at Riverlands as she picked her way through the puddles and mud. Despite her strength and preparation, she wasn’t immune from the effects of the treacherous course. Her pace slowed considerably during the final two laps. Still, she pushed onward and ultimately finished first in the female field and fifth overall in 26:30:06 for a hard-earned result.

Another half-hour would pass before the next runner finished. Jason Geroux, 40, of Orrington, Maine, completed the race in 28:01:58 and placed sixth overall. It was his second time finishing Riverlands, having placed fourth in 2023 (25:19:12). Another three hours passed before a trio of runners finished. Greg Smyth, 35, of Moncton, New Brunswick, placed seventh in 29:28:34, followed by 31-year-old Graham Simon of Boston, Mass., in 29:46:31, and female runner-up Rachel Peck, 32, of South Portland, Maine, in 29:50:31. Peck was the top female in 2022 when she overcame the oppressive heat to finish in 31:21:42. Despite the rain and mud, the cooler temperatures worked in her favor for a faster time this year.

Eight more runners reached the finish line within the final two hours. Joseph Petrin, 50, of Leeds, Maine, placed 10th in 30:17:20, followed closely by Nicolas Landry, 35, of Moncton, New Brunswick, in 30:20:39, and Ian Acker, 35, of North Yarmouth, Maine, in 30:27:36. Igor Yakushko, 47, of Manalapan, N.J., slid in just under the 31-hour mark, placing 13th in 30:56:12. Tate Sandrock, 48, of Nobleboro, Maine, was 14th in 31:07:53, followed by four-time finisher Tom Page, 57, of York, Maine, in 31:23:05. Gnarls Barclay, 50, of Falmouth, Maine, was the third and final female finisher in 31:28:42, as the longtime Maine ultrarunner earned her first Riverlands finish. Billy Nichols, 63, of Rumford, Maine, closed out the field with his fifth and hardest-earned Riverlands finish  in 31:45:17.

Blood Root Ultra

The latest edition of the Blood Root Ultra once again welcomed runners to take on a tough, rugged journey through the Green Mountain National Forest for 100 miles, 50 miles or 50K ultras on May 9-10 at Amee Farm in Pittsfield, Vt.

Just two runners completed the 100-miler, and both were veterans of the distance. Top finisher Julian Miranda, 49, of Corona, N.Y., finished three 100-milers in 2024, including top-10 finishes at Mountaineer Rumble in South Carolina and Beast of the East in North Carolina. He won this year’s Blood Root 100 in 30:41:26. Runner-up Philip Mintac, 40, of Charlotte, N.C., followed up his fourth-place finish at the MST 100-miler in North Carolina in March by completing Blood Root in 36:12:06.

Meanwhile, eight runners finished the 50-mile race, with a familiar face earning the victory. Josh Rollins finished sixth at the 2024 race in 11:33:45, and the 49-year-old from Barre, Vt., returned to win this time in 11:22:39. Top females Marry Namestnik, 30, of Downer’s Grove, Ill., and Valorie Taylor, 30, of Mendon, Vt., followed in 12:10:01 and 12:33:30, respectively. It was Taylor’s second straight year placing on the podium at Blood Root, though in 2024 she did so as the 50K runner-up. Joe Dery, 34, of Montreal, Quebec, was the men’s runner-up and fourth overall in 13:16:42. Kennedy Kuntz, 45, of Linden, Pa., was fifth in 13:21:22, followed closely by 39-year-old Roman Cherednichenko of Lexington, Mass., in 13:26:53. Dan Teabo, 28, of Auburn, N.Y., and Jacob Digiovanni, 29, of Andover, Mass., rounded out the finishers in 13:34:07 and 13:44:49, respectively.

Another 57 runners finished the 50K race within 12 hours, and the top two finishers were also the fastest females. In a close race, 23-year-old Zoe Booth of Eagle, Colo., edged Lucy Medd of Portland, Maine, with Booth winning in 6:33:48 and Medd following in 6:34:12. Top male Benny Danaher, 44, of Wilder, Vt., was third in 6:55:22, with male runner-up Tyler Peters, 30, of Vernon, N.Y., seconds behind in 6:55:44. Myriam Paquet-Gauther, 48, of Rimouski, Quebec, and David Nolan, 28, of Manchester, Vt., rounded out the female and male podiums in 6:57:00 and 6:57:49, respectively.

Spring Fling 600

The CT Trailmixers played host to the eighth edition of the Spring Fling 600 – a 10-hour (600 minutes) challenge where runners circled an approximately 3-mile loop as many times as the wanted on Saturday, May 10, at YMCA Camp Slooper in Southington, Conn.

Fifty-four runners took part in the event, and 12 completed at least nine loops for ultramarathon mileage.

Ryan Hannah, 25, of Hatfield, Mass., led all runners with 12 laps and 36 miles in 8:27:46 of running. Christian Stockinger, 34, of West Haven, Conn., followed a lap behind with 33 miles in 9:25:36, and 46-year-old Robert Alves of Groton, Conn., rounded out the male podium with 10 laps and 30 miles in 8:42:31. Devin O’Neil, 40, of Meriden, Conn., John Zvonek, 44, of Wallingford, Conn., and Kurt Ogren, 56, of Seymour, Conn., also matched Alves’ mileage output, but each needed more time.

Six more runners completed nine loops and 27 miles, including top female Erin Egan, 45, of East Haddam, Conn., in 9:02:57, and female runner-up Catherine Walsh in 9:04:37. Alyssa Moskites, 32, of Medford, Mass., was third with eight laps and 24 miles in 7:46:11.

*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.