The Sept. 5-7 weekend was plenty busy in New England, and Part I of this week’s roundup focused on the regional events. Here in Part II we catch up on how New Englanders fared at ultras outside the region. We start in Arizona, where Connecticut’s Jared Dybas had a strong showing at the Mogollon Monster 100-miler. Then we stop in Pennsylvania where Maine’s Christopher Towle secured a podium finish at the Pine Creek Challenge. We finish up in California where Massachusetts resident Takafumi Takai earned his third ultramarathon finish of the year with a speedy run at the Noble Canyon 50K. Additionally, New Englanders traveled to race the Backcountry Rise 50K in Washington, the Superior 100- and 50-mile trail races in Minnesota, and the Wasatch Front 100-miler in Utah, though results from those events were not available at the time of publication.

Mogollon Monster

Three New Englanders headed West and took on a tough course with big climbs and altitude impacts all along the way at the 14th annual Mogollon Monster 100 on Aug. 6-7 in Pine, Ariz. The race tested runners with 101 miles of running and more than 17,000 feet of climbing, including six long climbs to the top of the Mogollon Rim, with low points of 5,500 feet and climbs to nearly 8,000 feet above sea level while running through desert and forest.

Of the 202 runners who started the race, 128 finished within 38 hours, including New Englanders Jared Dybas, Chad Laflamme and Luke Robbins. Dybas, 25, of Groton, Conn., pushed hard and finished among the top 10 percent of the field placing 12th overall in 26:39:56. Jeremy Humphrey, 46, of McCall, Idaho, led all runners in 21:07:51. His time was the fourth-fastest by a male runner in event history. Top female Colleen Moffatt, 44, of Philadelphia, Pa., placed 21st overall and her time of 27:52:30 was the sixth-fastest by a female ever on the course.

Laflamme, 41, of Tamworth, N.H., placed 79th overall in 34:56:42, and Robbins, 45, of Jericho, Vt., was the 104th finisher in 36:29:32.

Pine Creek Challenge

The mostly flat and fast Pine Creek Challenge has tempted ultrarunners for years to push the pace and pursue personal records at 100-mile, 100K and 50-mile distances on the Pine Creek Rail Trail. That was once again the case at the 15th annual event on Sept. 6-7 in Wellsboro, Pa.

Runners raced out-and-back on the crushed stone rail trail, including a couple of New England residents.

Christopher Towle highlighted the weekend for the New Englanders. The 46-year-old from Chebague Island, Maine, had a big day in the 100K race, finishing second overall among the 29 finishers. Towle’s time of 11:50:51 was second only to 38-year-old CJ Morales of Woodside, N.Y., who won in 9:36:17. Mindy Yard, 45, of Hanover, Pa., was fourth overall and the first-place female in 12:31:55.

No New Englanders were among the 45 finishers of the 100-miler, but one was among the 46 finishers of the 50-miler. Lynn Garrity, 55, of Longmeadow, Mass., finished sixth in the female field and 24th overall in 12:21:31. The fastest female, 20-year-old Kaylee Frederick of Johnstown, Pa., was also the fastest overall finisher, winning in 7:29:00. Top male Eric Kosek, 45, of Wellsboro, Pa., was second overall in 7:29:01.

Noble Canyon 50K

Takafumi Takai only started running ultras this year, but he has already added three to his resume. He ran his first on Jan. 5 at the Del Dios Trail Race 50K in Escondido, Calif., followed by a top-10 finish at the Edge Hill 50K in June in Ashfield, Mass. Takai’s most recent ultra came at the 18th annual Noble Canyon 50K on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Pine Valley, Calif.

Takai joined a large field of runners who took on a challenging course on singletrack trails with rewarding views. Of the 222 runners who finished within the 12-hour time limit, Takai cracked the top 30. Takai, 46, of Cambridge, Mass., finished 29th overall in 6:04:37. Olivia Horgan, 26, of San Diego, Calif., led all runners in 4:53:07, recording the second-fastest time by a female in course history with her effort. Top male Anthony Fagundes, 35, of Fair Oaks, Calif., was close behind in second overall in 4:53:51.

Takai isn’t done racing ultras for the year. He will take on his longest distance yet when he runs the Cuyamaca 100K on Oct. 4 in Julian, Calif.

*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.