The weather was unseasonably pleasant, but the summer ultramarathon racing heated up in New England and beyond during the Aug. 8-10 weekend. In Massachusetts, that meant the popular BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour was the place to be in Pittsfield. We’ll have that covered in a separate recap. But here in this week’s roundup we begin in New England where runners ran into – and through – the night at Rhode Island’s Anchor Down Ultra, and also stop in Vermont for the Lover’s Lane time-based races. Then we head West where a teenager from New Hampshire dazzled at the Bigfoot 200, before closing out with the Wy’East Trail Fest.

Anchor Down Ultra

Extreme heat, thick humidity and a dash of rain are hallmarks of the Anchor Down Ultra, but none of those weather-related challenges presented themselves at this year’s 24-, 12- and 6-hour event. Instead, the runners enjoyed a remarkably pleasant weekend of running and took advantage of it to log major miles on the 2.45-mile loop course at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I.

All three races began at 7 p.m., so the 6-hour runners charged into the night before stopping shortly after midnight. Carter Mikkelsen maximized the opportunity. Mikkelsen, of Holliston, Mass., hammered the loop 19 times and set a course record with 46.55 miles in 5:44:46, breaking a course record that had stood since 2016. Christopher Azar of Brooklyn, N.Y., followed two loops behind with 41.65 miles, while Stephen Hetterich of New York, N.Y., was third with 36.75 miles. Josh Baranoff of North Kingstown, R.I., was fourth with 14 laps and 34.3 miles in 5:35:24.

Shortly after Baranoff finished, top female Alison Andersen of Somerset, Mass., completed her 14th lap for a winning tally of 34.3 miles in 5:40:35. She was joined on the female podium by Jacqueline Francisco of East Freetown, Mass., and Ashley St. Jean of Coventry, R.I. Francisco finished 13 laps and 31.85 miles in 5:52:32, while St. Jean logged 12 laps and 29.4 miles in 5:47:38. Audra Cannizzaro of Wallingford, Conn., and Jen Huber of Middletown, R.I., followed within 90 seconds to place fourth and fifth.

Seventy-five runners took part in the 6-hour race, and all completed three or more laps.

In the 12-hour race, 49 runners ran through the night and stopped after sunrise. Jason Geroux rarely stopped for more than a snack or a sip. Geroux, of Orrington, Maine, cruised through 29 laps and 71.05 miles in 11:41:49, tying the course record for most miles in 12 hours but missing Joe Baldasare’s time of 11:28:08 by 13 minutes. Billy Martin of West Islip, N.Y., was second with 27 laps and 66.15 miles in 11:34:34. Mackenzie Boutin of Johnston, R.I., was the third-place male and fifth overall with 23 laps and 56.35 miles in 11:52:18. Jeffrey Wohlen of Lakeville, Mass., followed with 21 laps and 51.45 miles in 11:23:43 to finish fourth in the male field.

Just ahead of Boutin, the top two female runners dueled for the win and finished less than two minutes apart. Kimberly Fitzgerald of East Haven, Conn., and Kelsey Miller of Portsmouth, R.I., each finished 23 laps and 56.35 miles, with Fitzgerald doing so in 11:44:07 and Miller in 11:45:32. Sarah Korenbaum of North Attleboro, Mass., and Meaghan Geroux of Orrington, Maine, followed a lap behind with 53.9 miles apiece, Korenbaum in 10:09:22 and Geroux in 11:35:36. Kathleen Shoda and Emma Gray also eclipsed the 50-mile mark, with Shoda, of Satellite Beach, Fla., doing so in 11:30:52, and Gray, of Scituate, Mass., in 11:42:29.

Eighty-five runners started Friday evening and ran all the way until Saturday evening in the 24-hour race. None of them took greater advantage than Jason Bigonia. He led from wire to wire, hitting the 63.7-mile mark in just over 11 hours. He was the first to reach 100 miles, and he rolled all the way to a 50-lap, 122.5-mile effort in 23:11:12 to finish first overall. Dwight Waugh of Taunton, Mass., also delivered a massive effort, placing second with 49 laps in 23:49:58. Alexander Burke of Newton Highlands, Mass., was third with 47 laps and 115.15 miles in 23:44:16, followed by Brendan Chambers of Taunton, Mass., with 46 laps and 112.7 miles in 23:46:39. Course record holder Chris Cappellini (129.85 miles, 2016) was fifth with 45 laps and 110.25 miles in 23:12:54. Timothy Scott of Jamestown, R.I., followed in sixth place with 44 laps and 107.8 miles in 23:37:21.

Bigona may have had the most miles of anyone, but Kathy Jacques toppled a course record – her own – in the 24-hour race. Jacques, of Norton, Mass., won the 2023 race with 105.35 miles to set the course standard. She returned in 2024 and won again, this time with 100.45 miles. Jacques broke her own female course record in 2025 by one lap, completing 44 laps and 107.8 miles in 23:38:31. She outdistanced the field by 17 miles.

Joining Jacques on the female podium were Lynn McElroy of Cranston, R.I., and Paula Slinko of Providence, R.I., who each completed 37 laps and 90.65 miles. McElroy did so in 23:24:13 and Slinko in 23:48:46. Jessica Racusin of Middlebury, Vt., was fourth with 35 laps and 85.75 miles in 23:13:40, and Christina Noetzel of Akron, Ohio, was fifth with 34 laps and 83.3 miles in 23:16.

Lover’s Lane

Big miles and good times were aplenty as 80 New Englanders battled a 1.8-mile loop course with 280 feet of climbing for hours on end at the fifth edition of the Lover’s Lane 12- and 6-hour ultra on Saturday, Aug. 9, in Chester, Vt.

Nineteen runners took part in the 12-hour race, with 24-year-old Elijah Putnam fending off 46-year-old Michael Martinez of Manchester, N.H., for the overall win after a day of close racing. Putnam led all runners with 55.8 miles, while Martinez followed a loop behind with 54.0 miles. A close race also unfolded among the female field, with 42-year-old Jamie Smith of Keene, N.H., edging 63-year-old Ali Lopez of Shelburne, Vt. for the win. Smith finished 48.6 miles and placed third overall, while Martinez logged 45.0 miles and placed fourth overall. Third-place male Tim Richmond, 50, of Williston, Vt., also completed 45.0 miles, while third-place women Krista Alderdice, 48, of West Windsor, Vt., and Sarah Lathum, 41, of Newbury, Mass., finished 43.2 miles apiece.

In the event’s classic 6-hour race, 27-year-old Benjamin Jones of North Pomfret, Vt., held off the competition by one loop, winning with 36.0 miles. Dave Champoux, 60, of Florence, Mass., Kevin Ellis, 41, of Richmond, N.H., Sean Meissner, 52 of Perkinsville, Vt., and Michael Barrett, 54, of Amherst, Mass., all followed with 34.2 miles apiece.

Elisa Garner, 34, of Surry, N.H., led the female field in the 6-hour race, completing 30.6 miles. She was followed by Abbie Castriotta, 26, Jennifer Crawford, 45, of Essex Junction Vt., and Kristina Siladi, 40, of Perkinsville, Vt., who each completed 28.8 miles.

Bigfoot 200

Brody Chisholm may be just 18 years old, but the resident of Salem, N.H., continues to make a massive early impression on the ultrarunning world. Chisholm completed his first ultra as a 16-year-old in 2023 when he finished the Elden Crest 36-miler as part of the Cocodona 250 event. A year later, the then-17-year-old finished 12th overall at the event’s signature distance: the 250-miler.

This year, Chisholm set a monumental goal by signing up for the Triple Crown of 200s, as well as the Cocodona 250. Though Cocodona and the Tahoe 200 ended as DNFs, Chisholm bounced back with a dynamite run at the second leg of the Triple Crown: the Bigfoot 200.

Chisholm was one of 216 runners who gathered at the starting line of the Bigfoot 200 on Friday, Aug. 8, near Mt. St. Helens, Wash. By the time the point-to-point journey through the mountains was over, 159 runners had finished within 107 hours. When the finish line closed, Chisholm had been done for days. He needed just 45:45:40 to finish, and placed second overall behind 30-year-old Kilian Korth of Grand Junction, Colo., who won in 45:03:41. Avery Collins, 33, of Silverton, Colo., was third in 47:53:50. Top female Ashley Paulson, 44, of St. George, Utah, was seventh in 57:00:08. Korth, Chisholm and Collins logged the second-, third- and fourth-fastest times in course history, while Paulson turned in the second-fastest time ever by a female in the event’s 11-year history.

Chisholm will return to the starting line in October when he races the Moab 240 in Moab, Utah.

Wy’East Trail Fest

A handful of New Englanders took on a scenic, tough mountain festival when they tackled the 50-mile and 50K ultra distances at the seventh annual Wy’East Trail Fest on Aug. 9-10 in Mt. Hood, Ore.

Leading the way with a stellar run in the challenging 50-mile race was Jennifer Britz. The 47-year-old from Bar Harbor, Maine, is a three-time winner of the Capes 100 in Cape Chignecto, NS (2019, 2022, 2023). She handled the 10,650 feet of climbing just fine at Wy’East and added another podium finish to her impressive ultra resume by placing second in the female field and 13th overall in 11:27:18. Case Vander Ploeg, 27, of Boise, Idaho, and Madison Hart, 28, of San Francisco, Calif., finished 1-4 overall and were the top male and female finishers in 8:58:09 and 9:58:41, respectively.

Joining Britz among the finishers were New Englanders Luca Dennan and Patty Higgins. Dennan, 19, of Manchester Center, Vt., placed 41st overall in 14:19:38 in his ultra debut, while ultra veteran Higgins, 61, of York, Maine, followed close behind in 42nd place overall in 14:22:42. Fifty-six runners finished the race within 16 hours.

An additional 155 runners completed the event’s 50K race and its 6,900 feet of climbing, including 26-year-old Austin Frank of Bolton, Conn., who finished 15th overall in 6:22:05, and 27-year-old Kendall Gray of Newmarket, N.H., who was 23rd overall and ninth in the female field in 6:32:59. Jackson Cole, 29, of Missoula, Mont., and Heather Jackson, 41, of Bend, Ore., finished 1-5 overall and were the male and female champions in 4:24:14 and 5:20:41, respectively.

*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.