The busiest time of year for ultrarunning in Massachusetts is under way, and the Oct. 10-12 weekend saw hundreds of runners take part in local events, between the Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K ultras that traversed the state from north to south, and the Village Ultra in New Salem. We will have those covered in separate stories, but here in this week’s roundup we catch up on other events in the region, as well as how New Englanders performed across the country. Results from the Land of Light 100K in Maine and the Devil’s Den Ultra in Vermont were unavailable at the time of publication, so we begin in Connecticut with the annual Forbidden Forest 30-Hour Ultra. Additionally, we catch up on the Cape Fear 24-hour in North Carolina and the Moab 240 in Utah.

Forbidden Forest 30-Hour Ultra

It was a three-peat for David Stawski at the Forbidden Forest 30-Hour Ultra. The eighth edition of the time-based event took place Oct. 11-12 in Stratford, Conn., and runners once again took on a 2.23-mile loop course on the trails of the Roosevelt Forest.

Stawski won the 2023 event with 118.1 miles, and then defended his title in 2024 with a record-setting 128.8-mile effort. This time, he led the field of 32 runners with 118.19 miles for his third straight victory. Aneta Zeppettella, 53, of Centerville, Ohio, was second overall with 109.27 miles, which was the second-best effort by a female in event history.

Four more runners joined Stawski and Zeppettella in completing at least 100 miles. Benjamin Simon, 43, of Glastonbury, Conn.; Ian Krynski, 25, of Easton, Md.; Michael Leon, 44, of Brookfield, Conn; and Joseph Frost, 45, of Clio, Mich., each completed 100.35 miles.

Kate Edwards, 50, of Hartford, Conn., was seventh overall and the female runner-up with 89.2 miles. Deborah Peak, 50, of Grafton, Mass., rounded out the female podium with a 73.59-mile effort.

Cape Fear 24-Hour Ultra

Amado and Rosenia Casuga were the lone New Englanders at the eighth annual Cape Fear 24-Hour Ultra on Oct. 11-12 in Lillington, N.C., but they put up some of the biggest miles. The event tested runners with a 0.59-mile asphalt loop course around a park, and they had 24 hours to complete as many loops as possible.

Of the 143 runners who took part, 93 ran a 50K or more; 55 ran at least 50 miles; 39 eclipsed the 60-mile mark. Both Casugas, of Hamden, Conn., were among the latter group. Rosenia Casuga, 50, finished 52.731 miles and placed 29th overall. Amado Casuga, 52, placed 19th with 70.4243 miles.

John Dallas, 43, of Fayetteville, N.C., and Sara Fenstermaker, 38, of Fredericksburg, Pa., went 1-2 overall and were the male and female champions with 127.237 and 111.8502 miles apiece. It was Dallas’ second straight year earning the overall victory, though he didn’t match his course record-setting 134.9304-mile effort from 2024.

Moab 240

A pair of New Hampshire residents earned gritty 200+-mile finishes at the ninth annual Moab 240 on Oct. 10-14 in Moab, Utah. Of the 266 runners who started the race, just 150 finished within the 117-hour time limit; Jonathan Rizzo and Sarah Normand were among them.

The runners took on a 240-mile course through rugged Utah trails, crossing desert canyons and multiple mountain ranges, with views of Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park along the way, all while amassing more than 31,500 feet of vertical gain.

Rizzo, 33, of Center Conway, N.H., finished 74th overall in 105:11:17. It was his first 200-miler, following successful finishes of the Bryce Canyon 100 in 2022 and Jigger Johnson 100 in 2024. Normand, 44, of Hopkinton, N.H., placed 140th overall in 115:43:27. It was her second 200-mile finish, having completed the Bigfoot 200 in Washington in 2024.

Kilian Korth, 30, of Grand Junction, Colo., led all runners in 58:45:47, winning with a 10-hour cushion. Rebecca Rick, 39, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was fifth overall and the first-place female finisher in 72:07:36.

*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.