Late July brought a trio of New England ultras, with two in Vermont and a new 100-mile offering in Rhode Island. We’ll have them all covered in Part II of this week’s roundup, but here in Part I we look to the West where several New Englanders took on tough courses and secured hard-earned finishes. No New Englander shined brighter than Shane Berry, whose ultramarathon debut resulted in a podium finish at the Standhope 60K in Idaho. He leads off this edition of the roundup.

Standhope Ultra Challenge

Shane Berry’s ultramarathon debut ended by standing on the podium. Berry, 25, of Milton, Mass., took part in the 13th edition of the Standhope Ultra Challenge on July 25-27 in Ketchum, Id. The event offered 100-mile and 60K ultra distances; Berry opted for the 60K and had a sizzling performance. Faced with 37.2 miles of running and 9,000 feet of climbing, including steep ascents and ridgeline running, Berry placed second out of 73 finishers within 15 hours, crossing the line in 6:48:42. Only Joseph Pendleton was faster as the 32-year-old from Hailey, Idaho, won in 6:34:40. Pendleton and Berry ran the third- and fourth-fastest times in course history. Top female Alexis Crellin, 39, of Sandy, Utah, placed seventh overall in 8:07:37 and recorded the third-fastest time by a female in event history.

No New England residents were among the 12 runners who finished the 100-miler and its 23,000+ feet of climbing.

Hood Hundred

Four New Englanders collected hard-earned 100-mile finishes at the second annual Hood Hundred on July 26-27 in Mt. Hood, Ore., and three of them were first-timers at the distance.

Andrew Zoller, Serena Blasius, Erin O’Toole, and Peter Daniels all overcame 17,300 feet of climbing on the trails around Mt. Hood and were among the 179 finishers within the 34-hour time limit.

Zoller, 36, of Woburn, Mass., placed 34th overall in 23:42:35 in his 100-mile debut. He was one of 38 runners who finished in less than 24 hours. Blasius, 23, of Waterville, Maine, finished 78th in her 100-mile debut in 27:34:32, while O’Toole, 40, of Biddeford, Maine, was 141st in her first 100-miler in 30:51:51. Daniels, 31, of Nashua, N.H., placed 162nd in 32:56:31 for his second 100-mile finish.

Kevin Stewart and Erin Brunner topped the male and female fields in course record times, with Stewart, 35, of Gilroy, Calif., finishing in 16:08:32, and Brunner, 36, of Bellingham, Wash., finishing in 21:44:49.

Crazy Mountain 100

Alex Sutliff didn’t ease into 100-mile running when he raced the Teanaway Country 100 in 2024. The race in Washington state included extensive climbing and presented a mighty test. For his second 100-miler, Sutliff again selected a daunting course when he took part in the fourth annual Crazy Mountain 100 on July 25-26 in Lennep, Mt. Sutliff, 27, of Savoy, Mass., was the lone New England resident among the 200 starters.

By the time the 36-hour time limit expired, 144 runners were finishers with 23,000 feet of climbing on their legs. Sutliff was among them, having finished 97th overall in 33:34:23.

Brandon Benefield, 43, of Spokane, Wash., defended his title and set a new male course record in 20:41:51. He was one of four sub-24-hour finishers. Top female Cassi Knight, 37, of Bozeman, Mont., placed 10th overall in 25:49:40.

Pikes Peak Ultra

Altitude and panoramic views tempted a trio of New Englanders to take part in the 11th edition of the Pikes Peak Ultra on Saturday, July 26, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event’s 50-mile and 50K distances took place on the crushed granite trails of the Colorado Springs trail system, including a trip to the top of Mt. Rosa, starting and finishing at Bear Creek Regional Park. 

No New Englanders among the 45 finishers of the 50-mile race, but three were among the 146 runners who finished the 50K within 15 hours.

Asia Mercier, 23, and Morgan Nault, 22, both of Manchester, N.H., ran together and finished in 8:22:17 and 8:22:18, respectively, in 36th and 37th place overall. Additionally, 55-year-old Peter Willis of Charlestown, R.I., finished 144th in 12:08:59.

Zach Eagle, 30, of Indianapolis, Ind., won by 42 minutes in 5:29:10. Top female Regan Sikes, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo., finished third overall in 6:20:16.

*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.