Tension was high among the 41 runners gathered around Wapack and Back co-race director Lisa Chaput as she called out final instructions. Their faces bore a mix of intensity, acceptance and determination as they waited to begin the most physically demanding event in the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Trail Series.

The Wapack and Back 50-mile and 43-mile ultras are brutally tough on a dry, pleasant day. As Chaput raised her voice to avoid being drowned out by the sound of rain pelting the nearby pop-up tents that served as race headquarters, it was clear that this day would be neither dry nor pleasant. Of those who started the ultra distances, just 21 ultimately completed the out-and-back journey on the Wapack Trail, with four of them completing an additional 7 miles for 50-mile finishes.

The event has had its share of wet years, but the 17th edition on Saturday, May 10, was unlike any other in Wapack and Back history. The rain began well before the start, and even when it finally subsided the runners had no reprieve from its impact. Ironically, the 10,000-plus feet of climbing may have been the easy part. The slick mud, deep water crossings and slippery granite made the course treacherous and significantly decreased the likelihood of success.

Nobody told Walter Muhonen about that last part. Despite the adversity of the elements, he ran with reckless abandon. A veteran of the event’s shorter, one-way race – the 29-year-old from Peterborough, N.H. won the 21.5-miler in 2024 after finishing fourth in 2023 – he pushed hard from the 5 a.m. start, first by headlamp in a driving rain, later in a sprinkle as he danced up, down and around the slick rocks, and finally with clear vision as he pushed for home under an overcast sky.

It has required a mighty effort for anyone to even threaten Ed Cullen’s 43-mile course record of 8:06:16 since he set it in 2019, but Muhonen demonstrated a seemingly limitless supply of determination and grit as he dashed through the course and ultimately toppled the record with a winning time of 7:47:58. Muhonen cut a stunning 18 minutes off of the previous course record.

While Muhonen was the front-runner throughout, a few more runners had remarkably fast performances in the challenging conditions. After finishing fourth in the 21.5-mile race in 2024, 39-year-old Peter Bonito of Westmoreland, N.H., delivered a confident effort and finished second in 8:34:00. Jordan Speer, 37, of Newburyport, Mass., improved on his fifth-place finish from 2024 by placing third this year with a 2-second improvement in 9:27:00. A nine-time finisher of the Wapack Fall Trail Race 18-miler, Brian Rusiecki made his first Wapack and Back appearance since placing second in the 50-miler in 2008 as a 29-year-old. Now 46, the resident of South Deerfield, Mass., finished fourth in the 43-miler in 10:11:10. Rounding out the top five was 60-year-old David Herr of Canaan, Vt, in 10:21:25. Herr is a three-time winner of the event’s shortest distance and the 50-mile winner in 2015, in addition to a runner-up finish in the 43-miler in 2017 and third-place 50-mile finish in 2017. Jeff Bush, 43, of Groton, Mass., was sixth in his Wapack and Back debut in 11:16:44.

In the female field, 28-year-old Meg Miller of Glen, N.H., demonstrated the same toughness that allowed her to finish both the Jigger Johnson 50-miler and Kilkenny Ridge 50-miler in 2024. She ran strong and smart throughout and topped the female field in 11:53:23 while placing seventh overall.

Second- and third-place finishers Jennifer Kenty, 43, of Medford, Mass., and Kristen Smith, 39, of Danvers, Mass., finished together, with Kenty in 13:10:06 and Smith one second later in 13:10:07. It was Kenty’s Wapack debut while Smith was the 43-mile champ in 2022. Sarah Nelson, 49, of Florence, Mass., was next in 13:44:56. She previously ran the 21.5-miler in 2023 and 2024.

Additional 43-mile finishers were Anthony Tieuli of Northbridge, Mass. (12:22:50); former Wapack and Back race director Jason Gray of Northbridge, Mass. (12:22:52); Patrick McEnaney of Mendon, Mass. (12:22:53); Dave DiLorenzo of Arlington, Mass. (12:41:32); Joshua Grayum of Merrimack, N.H. (13:47:33); Adam Hoffman of Natick, Mass. (14:05:49); and Ross Minkov of Whitinsville, Mass. (14:05:52).

For four runners, 43 miles wasn’t enough on a nasty day for mountain running. Jack Buffington, Elizabeth McGurk, Lars Sauvola and Kevin Ellis all tacked on an extra out-and-back and earned 50-mile finishes. All four hit the 43-mile mark in less than 10 hours, meaning they were all fast enough to have placed in the top seven overall at the shorter ultra distance. Buffington got there first, in 9:37:42, followed shortly after by McGurk, whose 9:45:43 time would have led the female field at that distance. Sauvola was a minute behind McGurk, with Ellis 10 minutes back.

Buffington, 20, of Enfield, N.H., ultimately won the 50-miler in 11:07:42, a stout showing following his sixth-place finish in the 43-miler the year before. Buffington is building up to the Wasatch 100-miler in September.

McGurk, 30, of Lebanon, N.H., followed in 11:18:28, good for second overall and first-place female for 50 miles. The defending champion at the Manitou’s Revenge 53-miler in New York will look to build off of a strong day at Wapack when she returns to Manitou’s in June. Sauvola, 50, of Rindge, N.H., finished third in 11:24:02. He was the 2023 champion in the 43-miler. Ellis, 40, of Richmond, N.H., was fourth in 11:39:32. He finished seventh in the 43-miler in 2024 and is building up to the Midstate Massive 100-miler in October.

Muhonen, Matthias Splash to Victory in 21.5-Mile Race

Runners in the 21.5-mile race enjoyed a later start time and daylight throughout, but their one-way journey on the Wapack Trail included all the water and slippery granite that their ultra-distance counterparts endured – albeit only half the dose.

Seventy-four runners started the race in the rain at the trail’s northern terminus, and 70 ultimately made it to the finish in Ashburnham with most doing so in less than 10 hours.

Given the conditions, the front-runners were remarkably fast.

Travis Muhonen darted to an early lead and ran comfortably in front for most of the day, while Ryan Williams and Roy Van Cleef were tight for much of the way, as were Mike Veilleux, Wes Traub and Lara Matthias.

Muhonen, 31, followed in his younger brother’s footsteps by delivering a first-place masterpiece. Though he didn’t set a course record, the older Muhonen, of New Ipswich, N.H., won handily in 3:19:56. Muhonen is no stranger to Wapack and Back. He won the 21.5-miler in 2013 in 3:08 and then was the runner-up in 2024 in 3:13, trailing his first-place brother, Walter, by 1 minute.

In a close race for second, Williams, of Concord, Mass., edged Van Cleef, of Harvard, Mass., by 4 minutes, with Williams finishing in 3:36:52 and Van Cleef in 3:40:33. Villeux, of Weare, N.H., and Traub, of Brookline, Mass., rounded out the top five in 3:56:08 and 4:00:40, respectively.

On a day where she ran among the overall leaders throughout, Matthias dominated the female field. She deftly handled the mud, deep water, steep climbs and slippery rocks. After placing second in each of the past two years, the Sharon, N.H. resident ultimately finally savored a victory as she topped the female field and finished sixth overall in 4:05:05.

After finishing third in the 21.5-miler in 2024, Laura Ricci of Boston, Mass., climbed one spot to second in 4:33:32, and ran 8 minutes faster despite the difficult course conditions. Lindsey Masterjohn of Peterborough, N.H., was third in 4:43:01, nearly matching her fourth-place time from 2024 (4:41) that was run on a much more ideal day. Lorena Duquette of Berlin, Mass., rounded out the female top five in 4:49:39.

Editor’s Note: Dave Beliveau provided all photos with this story. Check out his full photo gallery from Wapack and Back here.