August unfolded with New England ultrarunners scattering from coast to coast to take on a variety of trails, terrain and distances. Multiple ultras took place close to home, and we will have them covered in Part II of this week’s roundup. Here in Part I we head West where New Englanders took part in several ultras along the coast, beginning with the classic Angeles Crest 100-miler.

Angeles Crest 100

Keith Hoffman added another of trail ultrarunning’s original 100-milers to his resume when he completed the Angeles Crest 100 on Aug. 2-3, in California. The event is one of the sport’s original five 100-milers; its first running took place in 1986. The 35th annual event once again tested runners with a point-to-point course through the San Gabriel Mountains, starting in Wrightwood and finishing in Altadena.

Hoffman, 34, of Newton, Conn., previously completed the sixth-oldest 100, the Vermont 100, in 2024. He handled the challenge of Angeles Crest just fine, finishing 76th in 33:48:27. There were 104 finishers within 36 hours. Max Jolliffe, 33, of Costa Mesa, Ariz., and Jian Springer, 54, of Woodland Hills, Calif., led the male and female fields in 21:23:43 and 27:57:05, respectively.

Angeles Crest was Hoffman’s fifth 100-mile finish and second of the year. He previously completed the Hellbender 100 in May in North Carolina. He will aim to add another in September when he races the Georgia Jewel 100.

Skyline 50K

Richard Schad earned his first ultramarathon finish at a classic West Coast trail race when he completed the Skyline 50K on Sunday, Aug. 3, in Castro Valley, Calif. The event was first held in 1982, and the 44th edition started and ended at Lake Chabot Marina while taking runners on a loop trail journey through the East Bay Regional Parks. Runners amassed around 4,800 feet of climbing.

Schad was the lone New Englander among the 152 finishers within 10 hours. Schad, 57, of Dayville, Conn., placed 81st in 6:38:39. Andrew Catanese, 32, of Berkeley, Calif., led all runners in 3:52:05.

Rodeo Valley Trail Run

Gordon Bailey earned a big 50K personal record at the 14th edition of the Rodeo Valley Trail Run 50K on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Sausalito, Calif. Bailey, 34, of Boston, Mass., ran his first 50K in 2023 at the Blood Root Ultra in Vermont, finishing in 7:05:26. Rodeo Valley offered a much different course, with better footing but steeper climbs with around 5,700 feet of elevation gain in the Marin Headlands. Bailey handled it all just fine and placed among the top quarter of the field, finishing 18th overall in 5:14:49. There were 74 finishers within 8 1/2 hours.

Jayson Hefner, 27, of Fairfield, Calif., and Teresita Gomez, 35, of San Jose, Calif., led the male and female fields in 4:03:53 and 4:49:37, respectively.

Bailey will attempt his first 50-miler in August at the Oregon Cascades 100 in Sisters, Ore.

Volcanic 50

A pair of Massachusetts men finished a big, burly Pacific Northwest ultra when they completed the Volcanic 50K on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Cougar, Wash. The 13th edition of the event used its traditional, tough mountain course. The “heavy” 50K race circumnavigated Mt. St. Helens with around 7,400 feet of climbing on rugged, remote singletrack trails.

Aidan Desilets, 22, of Shrewsbury, Mass., placed 59th overall in 8:52:45, while 44-year-old Derek Bugley of Boston, Mass., placed 156th in 11:47:38. There were 171 finishers within 13 1/2 hours. Andrew Bumbalough, 38, of Portland, Ore., led all runners in 5:28:47 while top female Katherine Boere, 32, of Victoria, B.C., placed fourth overall in 6:23:13.

Waldo 100K

The Waldo 100K was the longest ultra ever for one New England resident and just the latest in a decades-long career for another at the 23rd edition of the event on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Oakridge, Ore.

Jessie Keeler, 33, of West Haven, Conn., had a few 50K and 60K finishes to her credit prior to the race, but never a 100K. She added the newest addition to her resume by placing 124th in 17:49:30. To do so, she had to successfully complete a loop course that started and finished at the Willamette Pass Ski Area and took runners on a journey over several mountains on remote singletrack trails.

While it was a first for Keeler, ultra veteran Richard Collins had completed dozens of ultras prior to the race, including the Waldo 100K itself in 2017. Collins, 69, of Cape Neddic, Maine, placed 136th this year in 20:00:01, rounding out the field on the tough course.

Mario Mendoza Jr., 39, of Bend, Ore., led all runners in 9:59:31, while top female Missy Lotz, 43, of Bend, Ore., placed 18th in 12:28:11.

*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.