The last weekend of June is Western States weekend in the ultrarunning world, and the sport’s original 100-mile trail race hijacks coverage from nearly every other event as all eyes turn to the hallowed trails of California. Several runners from the region were among the participants at Western States, and we’ll give them their due in a separate recap, but there was plenty of additional ultrarunning action during the June 27-29 weekend – including here in New England. Two ultras took place in Connecticut – the Centurion Ultra Trail and the Brooksvale 12-hour. Additionally, runners from the region took part in multiple other events across the country. Results from Brooksvale were unavailable at the time of publication, but we lead off this edition of the roundup with Centurion where several runners turned in big mileage efforts at the Roosevelt Forest.

Centurion Ultra Trail

It takes plenty of mettle to tackle a 2.1-mile trail loop over and over and over again for 33 hours, but that was the challenge accepted by 35 runners who took part in the fifth annual Centurion Ultra Trail event on June 28-29 in Stratford, Conn.

Runners had 33 hours to complete as many laps as they wanted of the 2.1-mile loop course on the trails of the Roosevelt Forest with 193 feet of climbing per loop.

Five runners completed 100 miles or more, with 32-year-old Michael Moglia of Great Neck, N.Y., leading all runners with 112.8 miles in 30:26:08. Jeff Mikesell, 64, of Alum Bridge, W.V., and David Stawski, 43, of Manchester, Conn., both completed 103.2 miles in 29:33:17 and tied for second. Top female Kate Shumeyko, 48, of Pompton Plains, N.J., finished 100.8 miles in 30:02:47, while female runner-up Abby Watson, 33, of Stratford, Conn., matched Shumeyko’s mileage but did so in 30:02:47.

Other top performers included John Bowen, 41, of Needham, Mass., and Trishul Cherns, 68, of Kingston, N.Y., who each finished 86.4 miles, and Matt Twitchell, 36, of Windsor Locks, Conn., who logged 81.6 miles. Third-place female finisher Heidi Mendoza, 50, of Watertown, Mass., completed 79.2 miles.

Eighteen runners finished 50 miles or more, and all runners completed a minimum of 26.4 miles.

Many on the Genny

David Herr has been among the top performers at nearly every trail race he has taken on in the Northeast during the past 25+ years, and the 60-year-old from Canaan, Vt., shows no signs of slowing down. For the first time, Herr took on the Many on the Genny 45-miler on Saturday, June 28, in Castle, N.Y., and he added another top-10 finish to his resume by the time he’d completed the out-and-back run through the gorge in Letchworth State Park.

Of the 115 runners who started the race, 94 ultimately finished. Herr placed seventh overall in 8:35:36.

Joshua Zubler, 36, of Gowanda, N.Y., led all runners in 6:40:55 and topped the male field by 37 minutes. Jennifer Spitzer, 34, of Farmington, N.Y., was the first-place female and 12th overall finisher in 9:05:17.

Herr was one of two New England residents among the finishers. Steven Roony, 32, of Ashburnham, Mass., finished 58th in 11:59:35. It was Rooney’s second ultra and longest yet, having made his ultra debut at the 2024 Bloot Root 50K in Vermont.

Black Hills

A year after completing his first ultramarathon at the Cayuga Trails 50-miler in New York, Clay Skipper added another 50-mile finish to his resume at the Black Hills 100. Skipper, 35, of New York, Conn., was the lone New England resident among the finishers of the event’s 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K ultras on June 27-28 in Sturgis, S.D. The nearly 54-mile course included 6,700 feet of climbing on mountain trails. Skipper placed 15th out of 64 finishers in 11:50:12. Corey Gallagher, 38, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, led all runners in 8:49:59.

Hellz Bellz Ultra

The Traffie family had a big day at the Hellz Bellz Ultra 50-miler on Sunday, June 29, in Yacolt, Wash. The trio of Nels Traffie, 51, Naomie Traffie, 49, and Drew Traffie, 19, of New Ipswich, N.H., all were among the top 15 finishers out of 48 runners on the trails of Moulton Falls Regional Park near Mt. St. Helens.

Nels Traffie placed seventh overall in 10:27:22, followed by Drew Traffie in ninth in 11:03:57. Naomie Traffie finished 14th overall and was the second-place female finisher in 11:54:57. Anthony Lee, 31, of Boulder, Colo., and Jenna Szoka, 36, of Bellingham, Wash., were the top male and female finishers in 7:12:17 and 9:26:30, respectively.

Wy’east Wonder

Two New England residents were among the finishers of the eighth edition of the Wy’east Wonder 50-mile and 50K ultras on Saturday, June 28, in Parkdale, Ore. The event marked the second ultramarathon for both Samuel Sturim, 24, of Boston, Mass., and Chloe Jordan, 37, of Waltham, Mass. Both opted for the 50-mile distance on the point-to-point course on the trails around Mt. Hood with 7,000 feet of climbing and 10,000 feet of downhill, including a big drop to the finish at the end.

Ninety-three runners completed the 50-mile race, with Sturim having a strong day and placing 10th overall, eighth in the male field, in 9:44:00. Jordan finished 83rd in 13:31:28. Sarah Allaben, 26, of Trout Lake, Wash., led all runners and set a female course record in 7:36:19 while top male Stephen Snazuk, 36, of Pineville, Ore., finished second overall in 7:56:26.

No New England residents were among the 195 finishers of the event’s 50K race. Nick Hirdt, 30, of Seattle, Wash., and Sarah Reiter, 31, of Hood River, Ore., went 1-3 overall and were the male and female winners in 3:55:50 and 4:20:55, respectively. Reiter broke her own course record by 11 minutes from her 2022 win.

*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.