There was plenty of rugged running on the trails of the Northeast during the Aug. 1-3 weekend, and we have those events – as well as a few more in the eastern United States – covered here in Part II of this week’s roundup. We begin in New England, where James Boeding and Christina Danosi delivered dominant three-day efforts in winning the Ragged 75 Stage Race in New Hampshire, followed by a stop in Maine where Isaac Vaccaro earned a three-peat at the Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest.

Ragged 75 Stage Race

James Boeding kicked off the 2025 racing season with a statement victory at the Traprock 50K in April. His dominant day was a precursor to what he would do at the Ragged 75 Stage Race on Aug. 1-3 in Danbury, N.H. 

Boeding, 33, of West Hartford, Conn., previously raced the event’s 50K third stage in 2023, placing 11th. This year, he tackled the entire three-day event, won all three individual stages and turned in the second-fastest three-stage performance in event history, with a combined time of 13:35:25. Boeding won the 22-mile Stage 1, which included trips to the summits of Mt. Ragged and Mt. Kearsarge, in 4:26:59. Stage 2 covered 25 miles and included a trip to the top of Mt. Sunapee, and Boeding won that stage in 3:38:02. Stage 3 covered a grueling 33 miles and 6,300 feet of climbing, with Boeding winning again in 5:30:24.

Similar to Boeding, top female Christina Danosi also won every stage, and her three-day time of 17:06:13 was the third-fastest by a female in event history. She also finished second overall in the stage race behind Boeding. Danosi previously finished seventh in the stage race in 2021, third in 2023, and sixth in 2024.

Male runner-up Vincent Lyon, 36, of Dover, N.H., was third overall in the stage race in 17:40:50, followed by Connor Hayden, 37, of Haverhill, Mass., in 17:62:48. Joining Danosi on the female podium were Alexandra Jaeger, 33, of Holliston, Mass. (25:40:29) and Moire O’Mullane, 35, of Haverhill, Mass. (26:01:17).

In the Stage 3 “heavy” 50K race, Boeing’s closest competitor was 46-year-old Brian Rusiecki of South Deerfield, Mass., who finished in 5:54:38. Rusiecki fended off 49-year-old Peter Christopher of Windham, N.H., who followed close behind in 5:57:20. Danosi dominated the female field in 6:59:54. Laney Baris, 51, of Brick, N.J., was a distant second in 9:28:51, followed by 35-year-old Sara Duncan of West Warren, Mass., in 10:08:04. Seventy-two runners finished the 50K race within 12 1/2 hours.

Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest

The third edition of the Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest saw its one and only champion once again stand atop the podium on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Blue Hill, Maine. The 50K race, which required runners to complete seven figure-eight loops of the course, saw 24 runners finish within 9 1/2 hours. Nobody was faster than 26-year-old Isaac Vaccaro. The Blue Hill local won the inaugural event in 5:37:17 and then defended his title in 2024, finishing in 5:54:11. He completed a three-peat this year with a stunning new course record performance in 5:08:29. Eric Martinson, 42, of York, Maine, was a distant second in 5:43:08, followed by 30-year-old David Ouellette of Gray, Maine, in 5:53:22.

In the female field, 44-year-old Maggie Weber of Hardeeville, S.C., finished first in 6:26:01 while also placing fourth overall. Weber set a new female course record by more than seven minutes. Jordan Mitchel, 33, of Olympia, Wash., was second in 6:50:22, followed by 27-year-old Brynn Reese of Bar Harbor, Maine, in 6:51:53.

In the event’s 25K race, 33-year-old Bennett Winsor of Stacyville, Maine, edged 56-year-old Keith Schmitt of Durham, N.H., with Winsor finishing in 2:35:00 and Schmitt in 2:35:35. Top female Kara Gaston, 41, of Toronto, Ontario, finished fourth overall in 3:07:12.

MCW Westfield Ultra

A trio of New England residents – including a former champion – put up big miles at the fifth annual MCW Westfield Ultra on Aug. 2-3 in Westfield, N.J. The time-based event took place on a 0.8-mile loop course and offered 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-hour races.

Twenty-eight runners took part in the 24-hour race, and the top five completed 100 miles or more. Eric Koch, 37, of Latham, N.Y., led all runners with 104.8 miles. Top female Colleen Drahos, 41, of Randolph, N.J., followed two loops behind with 103.2 miles and finished second overall. Ryan Hanna, 26, of West Hatfield, Mass., was the lone New England resident in the field. He finished 12th overall with 68.8 miles. It was Hanna’s third straight year taking part in the event. His winning effort of 107.2 miles in 2023 remains the course record. He returned in 2024 and placed 11th overall with 73.6 miles.

Eight runners took part in the 12-hour race, including 33-year-old Joe Wilson of Weymouth, Mass., who finished third overall and second in the male field with 50.4 miles. Eliyahu Scheiman, 46, of North Wales, Pa., and Cara Donohue, 30, of Hackensack, N.J., went 1-2 overall and were the male and female winners with 57.6 and 56.0 miles, respectively. An additional five runners competed in the 9-hour race, led by 32-year-old Kuan Yu Hsieh of Danbury, Conn., who finished first overall and set a female course record with 48.8 miles. Top male Daniel Jablon, 55, of Fanwood, N.J., was second overall with 41.6 miles.

No New England residents took part in the 6-hour and 3-hour races.

Loopy Looper

Joe Landry’s second 100-mile performance was similar to his first. Landry, 26, of North Attleboro, Mass., earned his first 100-mile finish in June 2024 when he completed 100 miles at the Sri Chinmoy 24-hour race in New York. On Aug. 2-3, Landry did it again, this time at the Loopy Looper 24-hour race in Pennsauken Township, N.J. The event took place on a 3.75-mile paved loop at Cooper River Park. Landry was one of 38 runners who took part in the 24-hour race, 10 of whom completed 100 miles or more. Landry ran 101.25 miles and finished eighth overall. Thomas Crayton, 61, of Frederick, Md. led all runners with 123.75 miles.

In addition to the 24-hour race, the event offered a 100-mile race and a 12-hour race. No New England residents were among the 39 finishers of the 100-miler, but two were among the 121 runners in the 12-hour race. Both Erika Hamel, 39, of Nashua, N.H., and Laura O’Neil, 37, of Sutton, Mass., earned ultramarathon mileage with Hamel finishing 46th overall and 14th in the female field with 52.5 miles and O’Neil finishing 60th overall and 21st in the female field with 45.0 miles. Nick Schroeder, 33, of Blackwood, N.J., led all 12-hour runners with 86.25 miles while top female Emmi Simon, 22, of Baltimore, Md., finished third overall with 71.25 miles.

Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail 50K

A seasoned ultramarathon veteran and a first-timer represented New England at the 17th annual Dahlgren Heritage Rail Trail 50K on Saturday, Aug. 2, in King George, Va. Adam Pinyoun, 54, of Stratham, N.H., had a dozen ultra finishes to his credit while 40-year-old Jay Steinhardt of Plainville, Mass., sought his first. Both ran fast on the mostly flat and smooth rail trail and its out-and-back format.

Of the 119 finishers, both finished in the top half of the field. Pinyoun placed 13th overall in 4:31:12; Steinhardt was 49th in 5:37:57. Linford Fritz, 29, of Arlington, Va., led all runners in 3:25:17. Top female Katherine Phillips, 33, of Milton, Fla., finished second overall in 3:39:50 and missed matching the female course record by just 24 seconds.

Badger Trail Races

Dan Nogar knows the Badger Trail Races course extremely well. The 53-year-old from Portland, Maine, successfully ran 100 miles at the event in both 2022 and 2023. After a year away, he returned to the seventh edition of the event on Aug. 2-3 in Belleville, Wisc., and tried out a new distance. The event offered 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultramarathon distances, all on a pair of flat rail trails, the Badger State Trail and Jane Addams Trail. This time, Nogar opted for the 100K. He was the lone New Englander at the event, and he finished 49th out of 70 runners in the 100K in 19:41:12. Michael Braun, 30, of Hudson, Ill., led all runners in 6:26:06.

In addition to the 100K, another 111 runners completed the 100-miler, 19 finished the 50-miler, and 71 finished the 50K.

Bob’s Big Timber Backyard Ultra

Matthew Pfahl earned his third 100-mile finish and first in a backyard ultra format when he competed at the seventh edition of the Bob’s Big Timber Backyard Ultra on Aug. 2-4 in Glenmont, Ohio. The race used the traditional backyard format while running on a family farm.

Of the 114 runners who took part, 24 ran for at least 24 hours and completed 100 miles or more. Pfahl, 38, of Madison, Conn., was among the eight who completed exactly 100 miles before stopping. The top two runners surpassed the 200-mile mark, with 34-year-old Levi Yoder of Dundee, Ohio, setting a new course record with 208.33 miles, surpassing the previous record by one lap. Michael Stutzman, 37, of Millersburg, Ohio, earned the assist with 204.16 miles.

Prior to Bob’s Big Timber, Pfahl previously completed the 112-mile Connecticut Ultra Traverse in 2024 and the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100-miler in 2022.

*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.