October started fast for New England ultrarunners. There were three events here in the region during the Oct. 3-5 weekend, but New Englanders also traveled to several other ultras throughout the country for some hard-earned finishes and strong results. Here in Part I of this week’s roundup we catch up on results from the West, including ultras in Colorado, Arizona, California, Idaho and Utah. We begin in Colorado, where Connecticut’s Chase Smith outdueled his younger brother for a victory and course record.

Above the Clouds 50K

The Smith brothers put on a show at the fourth annual Above the Clouds 50K on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Woodland Park, Colo. Older brother Chase Smith, 28, of Stamford, Conn., and younger brother Cole, 26, of Boulder, Colo., went toe-to-toe at the front of the field while blasting along the singletrack trails at Rampart Reservoir, on to Rampart Range Road, and into a National Forest, taking in views of Pikes Peak along the way.

Fifty-four runners finished the race within 8 hours, but the Smith brothers rewrote the record book as they finished 1-2 overall with the top two performances in course history. Chase Smith won in 4:31:23, and Cole Smith followed five minutes behind in 4:36:54. Top female Madeline Wighardt, 24, of Golden, Colo., was sixth overall in 5:00:54, setting a new female course record for her effort.

Saddles 100

Maddie Kaplan is officially a 100-mile finisher. Kaplan, 28, of Canton, Mass., made her debut at the distance at the third annual Saddles 100 on Oct. 4-5 in Prescott, Ariz. She took on a challenging course, and on a weekend where about 35 percent of the field didn’t finish, Kaplan did. Out of 158 starters, 103 finished within 35 hours. Kaplan placed 70th in 30:52:40.

Johnny Ramos, 28, of Tucson, Ariz., and Lindsay Wagner, 40, of Durango, Colo., set new male and female course records with their victories in 17:57:26 and 22:36:59, respectively.

The event also offered a 50-mile distance, and 123 runners finished within 17 1/2 hours. Eli Nixon was among that group, and the 28-year-old from Portland, Maine, placed on the podium. He was among the frontrunners all day, and ultimately finished second overall in 7:34:57. Stian Dahl Sommerseth, 28, of Oslo, Norway, won in a course record-setting time of 6:45:37. Vida Nakrosiute, 34, of London, UK, finished 12th overall and was the first-place female in 8:46:42.

Nixon was one of four New England residents among the 50-mile finishers. Brett Nevin, 39, of Manchester, Vt, placed 26th in 10:08:04; Mark Duane, 31, of Pittsfield, Mass. was 43rd in 10:50:39; and Devin Bradley, 29, of Quincy, Mass., finished 69th in 12:19:03.

Wild Wild West Ultra

Hannah Goodman is officially an ultrarunner. The 23-year-old from Lexington, Mass., made her ultra debut at the 46th annual Wild Wild West Ultra on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Lone Pine, Calif. The multi-distance event has evolved through the years, and this marked the 24th edition of its 50K and 10th edition of its 50-mile race. Goodman opted for the 50K, and she took on trails through the Alabama Hills.

Ultimately, Goodman finished 13th overall out of 38 runners within 11 hours. Her time of 7:16:38 was good for fourth place in the female field, less than five minutes off the podium. Joshua Goldstein, 42, of Los Angeles, Calif., and Sophie Phillips, 26, of Berkeley, Calif., finished 1-3 overall and topped the male and female fields in 5:37:33 and 5:57:35, respectively.

Another 22 runners completed the event’s 50-mile race; no New England residents competed at that distance.

Cuyamaca 100K

Three New England residents were among the finishers of the Cuyamacak 100K on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Julian, Calif. – and one of them earned redemption.

Ethan Kilgore took on the challenging race course with its three distinct loops, big climbs, and trip to the summit of 6,500-foot Cuyamaca Peak in 2024, but his race ended early. He returned this year for the 13th edition, and the 32-year-old from Malden, Mass., had a strong day of running. Of the 205 finishers within 19 hours, Kilgore was in the top 25% of the field, placing 51st overall in 13:26:37. Additional New Englanders who finished were 46-year-old Takafumi Takai of Cambridge, Mass. (61st, 13:36:40), 50-year-old Olivia Carrick of Westwood, Mass. (201st, 18:43:09). 

Jesus Topete Jr., 40, of San Diego, Calif., and Katherina Laan, 46, of Mill Valley, Calif., were the top male and female finishers in 8:58:26 and 11:50:28, respectively.

Moscow Mountain Madness

In her first ultra of 2025, ultramarathon veteran Molly Karp added a tough and scenic result to her resume when she completed the eighth running of the Moscow Mountain Madness 50K on Sunday, Oct. 5, in Moscow, Idaho.

The race took runners along the rugged spine of Moscow Mountain, and they navigated a mix of technical singletrack trails and logging roads. Thirty-one runners finished the race within 10 hours; Karp, 43, of Natick, Mass., was 28th in 8:17:41.

Cash Robinson, 23, of Moscow, Idaho, and Diana Salguero, 32, of Pullman, Wash., were the top male and female finishers in 5:21:59 and 6:24:48, respectively.

Arches Marathon 50K

A trio of New Englanders were among the finishers at the fourth offering of a 50K race at the Arches Marathon on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Moab, Utah.

Carita Wegner, Molly Fraher and Jason Ryan all took on trails near the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area, with views of the La Sal Mountains. They had to endure the effects of altitude–the entire course is above 4,500 feet–while navigating manageable climbing (approximately 3,000 feet of gain), on their way to earning places among the 84 finishers within nine hours.

Wegner, 52, of Salem, Mass., placed 46th overall in 7:07:53; Fraher, 37, of Goshen, Conn., was 55th in 7:19:22; and Ryan, 52, of Portland, Maine, finished 58th in 7:24:11. Jacob Kobrin, 28, of Lakewood, Utah, and Lucie Rathbun, 31, of Grand Junction, Colo., finished 1-2 overall and were the male and female champions in 4:27:05 and 4:40:12, 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.