The Aug. 22-24 weekend saw dozens of runners gather in Egremont, Mass., for challenging miles at the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s (BURCS) Jug End Loop Ultra. We’ll have that covered in a separate recap, but here in this week’s roundup we catch up on results from the Firebird Trail Races in Maine, as well as the Green Lakes Endurance Runs in New York which saw New Englanders atop the podium. We then catch up on Midwest States in Wisconsin, the Continental Divide Trail Run in Colorado, and then return to New York to close out with the Winona Forest Backyard Ultra.

Firebird Trail Races

Mainers swept the male podium while a Massachusetts woman topped the female field at the seventh annual Firebird Trail Races on Saturday, Aug. 23, in Windham, Maine. Runners had to complete three loops of the 10-mile course on rocky, root-covered singletrack trails through the Lowell Preserve and Falmouth Community Forest.

Michael Conley, 41, of Gorham, Maine, led all runners and topped the male field, followed by 26-year-old Oliver Ellerkamp and 31-year-old Nicholas Toole, both of Portland, Maine. In the female field, 30-year-old Emma Dixon led the way while placing seventh overall. Dixon was one week removed from winning the TARC Summer Classic 50K in Massachusetts. She was joined on the female podium by 33-year-old Alicia Tozier of Freeport, Maine, and 31-year-old Eliza Jacobs of Brunswick, Maine. Twenty runners finished the race.

*Editor’s Note: Times for the Firebird Trail Races have been omitted from this report because they appear to be loaded in error on UltraSignup, potentially reflecting the time of day the runner finished rather than official finishing time.

Green Lakes Endurance Runs

Rochelle Bilow brought a victory back to New England at the 19th annual Great Lakes Endurance Runs on Saturday, Aug, 23, in Fayetteville, N.Y. The event challenged runners to complete multiple laps of an 8-mile loop course. Those in the 100K had to complete it eight times, while 50K runners had to finish four laps.

No New England residents were among the six finishers of the 100K. Bilow was the lone New Englander in the 50K, and the 38-year-old from Stowe, Vt., stood atop the podium as the female champion and third overall finisher in 5:04:51. Shizhong Yang, 44, of Syracuse, N.Y., led the male field in 4:05:24. Fifty-seven runners finished the race, with most doing so within nine hours.

In addition to the distance-specific races, a 12-hour race also was offered. Thirty-five runners took part, including three New Englanders. Todd Baum, 67, of Essex Junction, Vt., led the regional contingent by tying for second overall with 59 miles completed. Noah Sims, 28, of Cazenovia, N.Y., led all runners with 62.1 miles. Kuan Yu Hsieh, 32, of Danbury, Conn., was the top female finisher and fifth overall with 52.8 miles. Additionally, 47-year-old Melissa Hooke of Windham, Vt., finished 12th overall and fifth in the female field with 40.4 miles.

Midwest States

Bridget Hall had a fantastic first ultra when she took on the 50K distance at Midwest States on Aug. 23-24 in Westboro, Wisc. The third annual event also offered 100-mile and 100K distances, though no New England residents took part in those offerings.

Hall, 23, of Arlington, Mass., took on parts of the historic Ice Age Trail in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest and ran among the front-runners throughout. She ultimately finished fifth in the female field in 6:34:17, just two minutes back of fourth place, and 11th overall out of 79 finishers. The top two female finishers placed 2-3 overall, with Rachel Reyes, 38, of Joliet, Ill., earning the win in 5:26:32, and 44-year-old Anna Gunderson of Menomonie, Wisc., following three minutes later in 5:29:32. Dustin Parrish, 32, of Watertown, Wisc., was the top male and led all runners in 4:28:22.

Continental Divide Trail Run

After kicking off his 2025 racing season by traveling to California for the Big Alta 50K in March, Andrew Warner headed West again to race the 10th annual Continental Divide Trail Run 50K on Saturday, Aug. 23, in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Warner, 31, of New Haven, Conn., took on a challenging course with around 5,500 feet of climbing and scenic views throughout. Warner placed 20th overall out of 120 finishers in 5:37:45.

A Steamboat Springs local, 26-year-old Michael Mitchell, led all runners in 4:18:44. Top female Kristina Mascarenas, 36, of Colorado Springs, Colo., placed fourth overall in 4:36:04.

Winona Forest Backyard Ultra

Dylan Ascolese’s first backyard ultra experience didn’t see him achieve last person standing status, but he was among the final few at the second annual Winona Forest Backyard Ultra on Aug. 23-24 in Mannsville, N.Y. Ascolese, 43, of Sudbury, Mass., was one of 60 runners who took part in the event, and he was among the last 10 in the race at the Winona Forest.

In traditional backyard ultra format, runners took on a 4.167-mile loop course and had one hour to do so and return to the starting line to begin the next lap on the hour, every hour, until only one runner remained standing. Every participant lasted for at least three hours and 12.5 miles. More than half the field – 33 runners – surpassed the 30-mile mark. Matthew Pfahl, 38, of Madison, Conn., tied for 23rd when his day ended after 45.84 miles. He was the only other New England resident in the field. Only nine runners surpassed the 60-mile mark, and Ascolese was one of them. His race ended after 18 hours and 75 miles of running in a tie for sixth place.

The top four runners all surpassed the 100-mile mark, with 28-year-old Daniel Teabo of Auburn, N.Y., as the last runner standing after 112.51 miles. Vincent Kennedy, 30, of Red Bank, N.J., and Scott Hayes, 49, of Woodstock, N.Y., earned the assist with 108.34 miles apiece.

*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.