August ended with a bang for ultrarunners in New England with four events scattered throughout the region, including races in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. But runners from the region also showcased their grit globally. Though UTMB’s results only list runners by nationality and thus are not included in this roundup, Vermont’s Britta Clark finished 27th in the female field (31:11:19) at UTMB and fellow Vermonter David Sinclair was the male runner-up in the 101K CCC (10:13:42). Additionally, a pair of New England women thrived at a grueling 250K, six-day stage race in Iceland with Boston resident Laura Ricci emerging as a champion. That international success leads off this edition of the roundup.

Fire and Ice Ultra

After racing the Laugavegur Ultramarathon 55K in 2022, Laura Ricci knew she wanted to return to Iceland to try another race. It took three years, but she finally made it happen with an unforgettable experience at the Fire and Ice Ultra stage race.

The 13th edition of the grueling event challenged runners to complete 250K (159 miles) on difficult trails, including steep climbs, volcanic rock, glacial river crossings, and more, all while rucking their gear for the duration. Ricci, 41, of Boston, Mass., was one of two New Englanders among the field of 18 who began the event. Elsa Cipriani, 48, of Deery, N.H., was the other.

Of those who started, just 15 successfully completed all six stages of the 159-mile journey, both Ricci and Cipriani finished on the podium with Ricci finishing first in the female field and second overall and Cipriani as the third-place female finisher at the nearly week-long event. Alan Debenham of the United Kingdom was the overall winner.

The victory was Ricci’s first at a stage race. She previously had two top-10 finishes at the Ragged 75 Stage Race in New Hampshire in 2023 and 2024. It was Cipriani’s first stage race, and the longest running adventure of her ultrarunning career. Previously, she completed the Vermont 100 in 2024, won the 2024 Hamsterwheel 24-hour race with 100 miles, and logged 94 miles in the 24-hour race while winning the 2025 White Lake Ultras.

Black Bear Trail Races

A pair of Massachusetts ultrarunners were victorious on the tough trails of New Hampshire at the second annual Black Bear Trail Races 50K on Saturday, Aug. 30, in Waterville Valley.

The event challenged runners with a rugged course with 7,700 feet of climbing, including trips to the top of Snow’s Mountain, East Osceola, Osceola and Mt. Tecumseh. Fifty-nine runners ultimately completed the race within 11 1/2 hours, and the male course record fell.

The top four runners all dipped below the previous male record, with 23-year-old Jarrod Beauregard of Acton, Mass., securing the victory in 5:54:58 in his ultramarathon debut. Montey Crummer, 39, of New London, N.H., followed seven minutes later in 6:02:04 to secure the runner-up position, and 29-year-old Matthew McDermid of Somerville, Mass., secured the final place on the podium in 6:11:46. Vincent Lyon, 36, of Dover, N.H., also broke the prior course record, finishing fourth in 6:20:11.

In the female field, 38-year-old Marissa Valz of Sudbury, Mass., posted the fourth-fastest time in course history, winning in 8:10:20. It was Valz’s ultramarathon debut, and a challenging table-setter for her first 50-miler on Sept. 20 at the Kilkenny Ridge Race, also in New Hampshire. Kimberly Shepherd, 34, of Cambrdige, Mass., was a very close second in 8:12:47, followed by Allie Jacques, 25, of North Kingstown, R.I., in 8:20:28.

The event also included a sub-ultra 23K race, and another pair of Massachusetts residents swept the victories with course-record efforts. Matthew Reynolds, 24, of Andover, Mass., was the male winner in 1:35:47, while Andrea McNeil, 25, of Canton, Mass., was the female champion in 1:49:32.

Jay Peak 50K

The miles don’t come easy at the Jay Peak 50K. The big, burly challenge required runners to complete three 11-mile loops in the mountains with more than 9,000 feet of climbing on Sunday, Aug. 31, in Jay, Vt.

Just 28 runners finished within 11 1/2 hours, and Aliza Lapierre was the top performer among the New Englanders in the field. The 45-year-old from Richmond, Vt., finished fourth overall and was first place in the female field in 7:43:27. She was joined on the female podium by 18-year-old Ella Hoy of Surry, N.H., who was sixth overall in 8:24:27, and Catie Markesich, 40, of Milton, Vt., who was seventh overall in 8:29:13.

A trio of men from Quebec, Canada, swept the male podium with 38-year-old Jerome Treignier earning the win in 6:28:35, followed by 40-year-old Francis Royal in 7:10:26, and 55-year-old Benoit Beaupr in 7:31:54. Chris Brandi, 42, of Milton, Mass., was fourth in the male field and fifth overall in 8:11:51.

Five Fields Farm Races

David Herr has been running and winning trail races and trail ultramarathons in New England for more than 25 years. During that time, he has completed countless races on courses throughout the region and left his mark along the way. When the Five Fields Farm Races offered an inaugural 50K on Sunday, Aug. 31, it was no surprise to see Herr standing on the starting line in Bridgton, Maine.

Herr was one of a dozen runners who attempted the course, and 10 of them ultimately finished what proved to be a stiff challenge. The new event packed plenty of punch with a difficult course that required runners to complete three 10+-mile loops of technical singletrack trails with steep climbs and more than 1,300 feet of climbing per loop while taking runners through the Bald Pate and Holt Pond Preserves.

Herr, 60, of Canaan, Vt., and Jake Chambers, 34, of Portland, Maine, ran much of the first loop in close contact and completed it just seconds apart. Herr used a decisive second loop to take control, building a 14-minute lead that he continued to expand during his third trip through the course. Ultimately, Herr won the race in 5:07:00. Chambers was second in 5:37:27, and 17-year-old Ronan Brown of Waterford, Maine, rounded out the top three in 5:57:06.

Similar to the male frontrunners, female leaders Andrea Leonard and Melissa Andersen ran together for the first loop and finished side by side. Leonard inched ahead during the second loop and built a four-minute lead before adding to it slightly during her final trip through the course. Leonard, 51, of Bartlett, N.H., topped the female field in 7:18:28, while Andersen, 38, of Steep Falls, Maine, was second in 7:26:58. Jennifer Whynot, 42, of Windham, Maine, rounded out the podium in 8:59:42.

Last Man Standing Ultramarathon

After winning the Last Man Standing Ultramarathon in 2023 with a 147-mile performance, Ryan Metivier reclaimed his crown at the ninth annual event on Aug. 30-31 in New Gloucester, Maine.

A crowd of 171 runners gathered for the noon start, prepared to take on a 4.2-mile loop course on doubletrack trails at Pineland Farms. Their mission was to complete the loop once per hour, every hour, and the event would go on until only one person remained in the field. All runners lasted for at least two hours, and 121 surpassed the marathon distance by running for at least seven hours. From there, the field gradually whittled as runners achieved ultramarathon goals or personal records, or simply ran out of energy or desire to continue.

Fourteen runners lasted for 24 hours and achieved at least 100.8 miles, but seven of them kept going. Metivier was among them, and the 49-year-old from Auburn, Maine, had plenty of miles left in his legs.

Alec Molloy tacked on one additional loop and ended his run after 105.0 miles. A few hours later, female runner-up Wesam Elhayek stopped after a 113.4-mile performance. Two hours later, final female Jasmine Fowler stopped after 121.8 miles, dropping the field to just four runners. They continued on for quite a while. Eventually, Brendan Ciano reached his stopping point at 142.8 miles, dropping the field to three. Dan Marchese was the next to stop after 151.2 miles. That left Metivier and Jonathan Plummer, 38, of New Gloucester, Maine, to vie for the win. Plummer had two prior top-five finishes at the event – he was third with 105 miles in 2022 and fourth with 134.4 miles in 2023. This time, Plummer had his best finish yet with 176.4 miles, earning the assist for a mighty runner-up effort. Metivier lasted one lap longer, securing his second win at the event with a course record 180.6 miles.

*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.