The July 4-6 weekend was a celebration of American independence, but we begin this edition of the roundup north of the border at the Quebec Mega-Trail in Canada. A handful of New Englanders took part in the event’s multiple ultra distances, and Vermont’s Eric LiPuma and Britta Clark earned spots on the podium in the 80K to lead the way. Beyond Canada, the ultra slate was relatively quiet across the United States, but New Englanders also raced in New York and Minnesota. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Quebec Mega-Trail

Eric LiPuma played the role of spoiler during the qualifying race for the Canadian national team’s Trail Running World Championships long trail qualifier at the Quebec Mega-Trail endurance festival on July 4-6 in Beaupre, Quebec. The event offered 135K, 80K and 50K ultramarathons in addition to multiple sub-ultra distances. The 80K (50-mile) race was the long trail qualifier, but an American – LiPuma – raced to the overall victory.

Though he didn’t steal a spot at the Trail Running World Championships – those went to the top Canadian finishers – LiPuma, of Richmond, Vt., enjoyed a well-earned place atop the podium with his win in 8:29:13. Canadian champion Jan-Philippe Thibodeau was second overall in 8:36:32.

LiPuma was one of three New England men among the 302 total finishers, and one of two in the top five. Mead Binhammer of Brookfield, Vt., placed fifth in 9:13:49, while Nick Fitzsimmons of Watertown, Mass., was 110th in the male field in 14:57:13.

In the female championship race, Claudine Soucie of Gatineau, Quebec, secured the top spot and the Canadian victory in 10:02:22, but she was pushed by a New Englander. Britta Clark of Goshen, Vt., was in contention throughout and finished second in 10:20:32.

Around 300 runners took part in the event’s longest race, the 135K, but just 117 overcame its 18,000+ feet of climbing to finish within 32 hours. Three New England residents were among that group. Ryan Hunter of Concord, N.H., was 23rd in the male field in 23:09:24; Tobias Tello of Cheshire, Conn., was 39th in 25:27:21; and Craig Leaman of Andover, N.H., finished 54th in 27:28:08. Xavier St-Cyr of Saint-Lambert, Canada, won the men’s race in 17:18:05, while Maryline Nakache of Greasque, France, was the winner of the women’s race in 19:11:41.

Just one New Englander was among the 466 finishers of the 50K. Kate O’Toole of Saco, Maine, finished 73rd in the female field in 9:35:05. Canadian Elisa Morin of Montreal finished first in the female field and second overall in 5:09:43 while fellow Canadian Dany Racine of Victoriaville led the male field in 4:46:25.

Finger Lakes 50s

A pair of New Englanders secured hard-earned victories at the 35th edition of the Finger Lakes 50s on Saturday, July 5, in Hector, N.Y. Runners once again raced on the event’s classic 16.5-mile, multi-loop course for 50 miles or 50K in the Finger Lakes National Forest, and a New Englander won at both distances.

In his ultramarathon debut, 32-year-old Christopher Petroff of Cheshire, Conn., cruised to the overall victory with a 25-minute cushion, winning in 7:43:28. Of the 44 runners who started the race, 22 finished within 12 1/2 hours. Petroff was one of two runners from the region who were among the finishers. Bryce Sady, 48, of Concord, Mass., placed 10th overall in 11:19:00, while 26-year-old Makena Bement of Ledyard, Conn., was 21st overall and fourth in the female field in 12:22:04. Beatrice Boussell, 23, of Colorado, Springs, Colo., was the top female finisher in 11:19:00.

In the 50K race, 34-year-old Emma Horton of Burlington, Vt., finished first in the female field and 10th overall in 5:31:22. She topped the female field by a 9-minute cushion in her first ultra since placing second at the Canyonlands 100K in Moab, Utah, in 2024. Elizabeth Doughterty, 57, of Marlborough, Mass., was 10th in the female field and 34th overall in 7:46:55. Of the 78 total finishers within 11 1/2 hours, 42-year-old Audun Dahl of Ithaca, N.Y., led the way in 4:43:46.

Afton Trail Run

A pair of New Englanders were among the finishers of the 32nd edition of the Afton Trail Run 50K on Saturday, July 5, in Afton, Minn. Runners took on two 25K loops of singletrack and doubletrack trails in Afton State Park with more than 4,600 feet of climbing. Vegard Nygaard, 55, of Stamford, Conn., finished 130th overall in 6:52:15, while 46-year-old Henry Rivera of New Bedford, Mass., was 226th in 8:52:11.

Alex Forte, 24, of Chicago, Ill., led the field of 229 finishers in 3:39:35 while top female Jess Guile, 48, of Woodbury, Minn., finished 25th in 5:32:31. 

*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.