More than 500 runners gathered in Carlisle, Mass., for the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 6. While that event – which will be covered in a separate recap – was the region’s largest ultramarathon event during the Sept. 5-7 weekend, it was far from the only one taking place in New England. Four more ultras were held throughout the region, with two events apiece in Connecticut and Maine. We have all of that New England goodness covered in this edition of the roundup.

Megunticook Trail Festival 50K

The last time Erik Brooks raced the 50K at the Megunticook Trail Festival, he finished with a victory and course record. Two years later, he tackled the distance again and ended in a familiar place at the sixth annual Megunticook Trail Festival on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Camden, Maine.

Brooks, 37, of Lincolnville, Maine, didn’t re-set his course record – he was 22 minutes faster two years ago – but he still turned in a gritty performance on the formidable course with more than 7,600 feet of climbing on highly technical trails throughout Camden Hills State Park. Brooks pushed hard, finished strong, and once again stood atop the podium as the winner in 5:25:28. Nicholas Fortin, 31, of Roxbury, Maine, was the only other sub-6-hour finisher, placing second in 5:51:41. In a tight battle for third, 33-year-old William Olsen of Portland, Maine, edged 31-year-old Eric Wesolowski of Honolulu, Hawaii, by seven seconds with Olsen finishing in 6:06:09 and Wesolowski in 6:06:16.

Erica Zaveta won comfortably in the female field. The 36-year-old from Brevard, N.C., cruised to the win in 6:25:55, amassing a 52-minute cushion over her closest competitor. Zaveta was the runner-up in 2024 and improved her performance by six minutes. Annie Preston, 33, of Lewis, N.Y., was second in 7:16:57, followed closely by 28-year-old Cassandra Gates of Moodus, Conn., who was third in 7:22:47.

Sixty-six runners finished the race, most in less than 11 hours.

Cherry Hill Farm Ultra

The Cherry Hill Farm Ultra has only been around for three years, but it is a tempting place for ultrarunners to throw down fast times. The event uses a flat, fast 2.6-mile loop course around Cherry Hill Farm that runners must complete 12 times for a 50K finish. Runners pushed the pace, and a course record fell at the third annual event on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Gorham, Maine.

Nobody hammered the course harder than Michael Degeorge. The 27-year-old from Albany, N.Y., dominated the race, winning by 30 minutes and clipping four minutes off of the previous course record with his winning time of 3:57:00. Brian McMahon, 35, of Charleston, S.C., was second in 4:27:00, followed by 48-year-old Jeff Mansir of Gardiner, Maine, in 4:43:00. Fourth-place Jacob Seeker, 24, of Falmouth, Maine, came in just over the 5-hour mark, finishing in 5:01:00.

In the female field, former champion Erika Hamel reclaimed her crown. After winning the inaugural event two years ago in 5:37:00, the 39-year-old from Nashua, N.H., returned to the top of the podium with a win in 5:22:00. It was Hamel’s final tune-up before running the Yeti 100-Mile Endurance Run on Sept. 26 in Virginia. Joining Hamel on the podium were 32-year-old Haley Acker of Portland, Maine, and 29-year-old Katie Quinn of Buxton, Maine, who followed in 5:30:00 and 5:56:30, respectively. Jo Ann Peterson, 64, of Milford, N.H., was a close fourth in 6:02:00.

Twenty runners finished the race within 8 hours.

Macedonia Trail Race 50K

A year ago, Amanda Jett finished third at the Macedonia Trail Race 50K. This year she returned for a second crack at the course and stood atop the podium at the eighth annual event at Macedonia Brook State Park on Sunday, Sept. 7, in Kent, Conn.

Jett and 30 other runners took on a course that consisted of three loops on technical singletrack trails with plenty of climbing, including a trip to the summit of Cobble Mountain on each loop, amassing more than 7,000 feet of climbing by the time they reached the finish.

Twenty-two runners ultimately finished, with Jett, 35, of Burlington, Conn., finishing first in the female field and seventh overall in 7:35:52. She was joined on the podium by Kalina Emaus, 28, of Bennington, Neb., and Erin Mingey, 25, of Middlebury, Conn., who finished in 8:56:06 and 9:11:13, respectively. In the male field, 24-year-old Reymar Cris Pasquito of Elmhurst, N.Y., finished first in his ultramarathon debut in 6:21:16, followed by 41-year-old David McGrath of West Hartford, Conn., in 6:27:07. Cooper Puls, 32, of Salisbury, Conn., was third in 6:35:52, followed by 36-year-old Robert Wheeler of Marshfield, Mass., in 6:47:33.

Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health Awareness

The Cross-Connecticut Run for Mental Health Awareness was first held in 2019 with the goal of raising money for Mental Health Connecticut. Free of charge, the event instead encouraged runners to make a donation or raise funds for the organization. Now in its seventh year, the latest edition of the event took place on Saturday, Aug. 6, and runners once again traversed the state from north to south on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, beginning in West Suffield and finishing in New Haven, Conn.

Twenty-five runners attempted the 56-mile run, and 15 finished within 17 hours. Leo Clinard-Emonet, 16, of New Haven, Conn., earned the overall win in 9:38:00, a nearly two-hour improvement from his 2024 performance when he placed fourth. Clinard-Emonet used the run as a tune-up for his 100-mile debut in October at Midstate Massive. The fastest female, 44-year-old Rachel Spurrier of West Hartford, Conn., was second overall in 9:49:00. Tyler Gagnon, 34, of Manchester, Conn., and Christian Stockinger, 34, of West Haven, Conn., followed in 10:01:00 and 10:56:00, respectively, rounding out the male top three. Julia Smith, 44, of Torrington, Conn., and Charity Smith, 46, of Avon, Conn., tied for second in the female field by finishing together in 11:29:00.

*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.