The Humane Society for Greater Nashua has been close to Rob Fiero’s heart since childhood. A dog and five cats found their way into his family via the shelter through the years, and Fiero and his wife have volunteered at Humane Society events since 2006. When the organization announced plans to expand its building to enable it to provide more low-cost veterinary care, training, and adoption services to the community, Fiero saw an opportunity to combine two of his passions – animals and trail running – to support the cause.

Fiero is the race director for the wildly popular Ghost Train Rail Trail Race and one of the most active volunteers at trail races throughout the region. He and Jennifer LeBlanc, the Humane Society’s Director of Partnerships and Corporate Gifts, teamed up to create a new trail race and ultramarathon on the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border with proceeds supporting the Humane Society’s building project. After extensive planning, they pulled it off when the inaugural Flat Rock Trail Race 6-hour ultra and 5-mile run took place on Saturday, June 21, at Flat Rock Hill and the Arched Bridge Conservation Area in Dunstable, Mass.

The event was a resounding success in multiple ways. Most importantly, it delivered on its goal of supporting the Humane Society for Greater Nashua by amassing $3,750 in proceeds to support the building project. It also delivered a dandy of a day for the runners. After 13 consecutive Saturdays of rain, the Flat Rock Trail Race was dry. It was a comfortable 63 degrees at the start and warmed to 83 by the time the finish line closed. Runners enjoyed sunny skies for the duration of the event.

Though the weather cooperated, the course was plenty challenging – and anything but flat. It used a 5-mile loop course on varied terrain. Climbing was sprinkled in to the tune of around 600 feet of gain per loop. The miles came hard, and just four of the 48 runners who took part in the 6-hour race surpassed the marathon distance.

Nobody hit the loop harder than Kevin Ellis. The 40-year-old from Richmond, N.H., is building up to the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100-miler in October, and has already enjoyed a solid season of racing with top-five finishes at the Mt. Toby Trail Race 50K in April, the Wapack and Back 50-miler in May and the Drummer Hill 25K in early June. Ellis cranked out eight loops and 40 miles in 5:51:47 to earn the overall victory. Runner-up Alexander Burke, 29, of Newton, Mass., followed with 35 miles in 5:39:15.

In a close race for the win in the female field, Patricia Swierk, 30 of North Andover, Mass., edged Jocelyn Cascio, 50, of Haverhill, Mass. Both women completed 30 miles apiece and placed third and fourth overall, but Swierk finished in 5:50:28 while Cascio completed the distance in 5:56:28.

Rounding out the male and female podiums were Dan O’Brien, 39, and Elisabeth Chaput, 47, both of Westford, Mass. O’Brien completed 25 miles in 4:51:58, while Chaput also logged 25 miles in 4:52:01. Ten more runners also finished 25 miles for the day, with Jeff Carpenter, 52, of Nashua, N.H., doing so in 4:56:51; Mylan Sarner, 38, of Old Lyme, Conn., in 5:03:34; Makena Bement, 26, of Ledyard, Conn., in 5:05:40; and Stephen Galloway, 62, of Framingham, Mass., in 5:08:31 to round out the overall top 10.

In addition to the time-based race, the event also offered a 5-mile option for runners interested in completing one loop of the course. Eighteen runners opted for that challenge. Rachel De La Cruz ran away with the race while a tight pack battled for second. De La Cruz, 22, of Elizabeth, N.J., earned the overall victory in 52:37. Two minutes behind her, four runners dueled for positions two through five. Ultimately, top male finisher Christopher Toppin, 47, of Tyngsboro, Mass., pulled away and crossed the line in 54:41. Third overall finisher and male runner-up Taylor Goodwin, 35, of Merrimack, N.H., was next in 55:09, with 60-year-old John Wieglus of Brookline, N.H., 13 seconds behind him in 55:22. Female runner-up Shayla Greene, 44, of Brookline, N.H., was the fifth runner to finish in 55:43. Kaylie O’Sullivan, 27, of Cumberland, R.I., completed the female podium and was the final sub-1-hour finisher in 59:17.