Ryan Hunter couldn’t have asked for better conditions to make his 100-mile debut. The Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100 is difficult under the best of conditions, with the bulk of its climbing and technicality in the burly front half. The mountains of southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts end many a runner’s day early, before they ever make it to the more friendly footing of roads and trails in the back half of the race to Massachusetts’ southern border.

Hunter and his fellow runners were gifted with a gorgeous weekend when they gathered on Saturday, Oct. 11, for the seventh annual event at the Windblown Cross Country Ski Area in New Ipswich, N.H., and prepared to begin their journey south to Douglas State Forest in Massachusetts.

Mostly dry trails and seasonably comfortable temperatures from the low-40s to mid-60s awaited, as did plenty of fall foliage that made the adventure extra-spectacular. Hunter began in the last of the event’s wave starts, giving him less daylight to work with. The experienced mountain runner wasn’t deterred by the challenge of added darkness. He deftly handled it, as did fellow wave eight starters Nicholas Wirz, 37, of Leonardtown, Md., and Benjamin Niebla, 28, of Manchester, N.H., who were 100-mile veterans. Wirz knew the course well, having won the race in 2021. He also entered on a high note, having won the Massanutten 100 in Virginia earlier this year. Meanwhile, Niebla won the Pawling 24-Hour Trail Running Festival in September with 107.52 miles, and that followed a victory at the Notchview 100.7-miler in July and a third-place finish at the grueling Jigger Johnson 100 in August.

Ultimately, it was Hunter who topped the field, earning the overall victory in 19:29:12. His performance was the fourth-fastest in event history. Wirz finished second overall in 19:51:58, 23 minutes faster than his winning time four years earlier. Niebla was a distant third in 21:36:18.

While Hunter was a 100-mile rookie, female champion Aliza Lapierre was a seasoned veteran of the distance and beyond. Lapierre, 45, of Richmond, Vt., spent nearly two decades dominating races from 50K to 100 miles, including five top-10 finishes at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, before shifting her focus to 200-mile races. In 2023, she was the female runner-up at the Cocodona 250 and the Bigfoot 200, and she placed seventh at Cocodona in 2024. This year she returned to the 100-mile distance, placing eighth in the female field at the Hardrock 100 in July before pivoting to Midstate Massive. The New England standout shined throughout the weekend and cruised to victory in 23:16:11.

Sarah Nelson, 49, of Florence, Mass., was the female runner-up in 27:05:43. It was Nelson’s first time running the 100-miler at Midstate Massive, but third time completing one of the event’s races and third time placing second. She was the 30-mile runner-up in 2021 and 50-mile runner-up in 2022. Heather Simon, 45, of Manville, N.J., was a close third in 27:07:14. Nikki Dealy, 40, of Flagstaff, Ariz., finished fourth in 27:44:55, and 46-year-old Amy Rusiecki of South Deerfield, Mass., rounded out the top five in 28:17:53.

Among the event’s other top performers were sub-24-hour finishers Randy Faiges, 34, of Point Pleasant, N.J. (23:41:58); Shawn Bubany, 47, of Delhi, N.Y. (23:42:10); and Ryan Barresi, 44, of Setauket, N.Y. (23:49:16). Nicholas Davis, 36, of Cos Cob, Conn. (24:18:57); Tim Tapply, 50, of Sherborn, Mass. (24:22:19); and Brian Butterfield, 46, of Southborough, Mass. (24:48:26) rounded out the overall top 10.

The 75 total finishers within 33 hours were the second-most in event history; 82 runners completed the 2022 edition. Fourteen female runners completed the 100-mile race, tying the record for the event.

Leveille Victorious in Return to Midstate Massive, Franchi Tops Male Field

A year ago, Alexandria Leveille made her ultrarunning debut at Midstate Massive, placing fifth in the female field for 30 miles. That performance kickstarted what has been a sizzling year for the 31-year-old from Londonderry, N.H. Leveille opened the 2025 season with a fifth-place finish in the 12-hour race at the White Lake Ultras, throwing down 53.183 miles. She followed it up with wins at the Drummer Hill 25K in June and the Pisgah Mountain 50K in September.

Building on the momentum from back-to-back wins, Leveille returned to Midstate Massive to tackle the 50-mile race. She ran her winning streak to three, placing sixth overall and first in the female field in 9:49:42. Her performance was the sixth-fastest in course history. Her closest competitor, 30-year-old Grace Woroch of Burlington, Vt., followed an hour later in 10:51:53. Marit Pywell, 49, of Reading, Mass., was third in 11:05:48.

In the male field, 30-year-old Nick Franchi of North Grafton, Mass., won comfortably in 8:23:44. Runner-up Jeff Uzzel, 40, of Easthampton, Mass., followed in 8:49:49. Uzzel previously finished 17th overall at the Midstate Massive 50-miler in 2023, completing the course that year in 11:31:19. Midstate Massive was Uzzel’s second podium finish of the year. In May, he won the Tails and Trails State Forest Run 50K in Pittsfield, Mass. Steven Migridichian, 33, of Chesapeake, Va., was a close third in 8:53:10. It was Migridichian’s ultramarathon debut. Arthur Lagaron, 36, of Arlington, Mass., and John Dewolf, 37, of Pittsfield, Mass., also broke the 10-hour barrier, finishing in 9:31:19 and 9:34:18, respectively.

Ninety runners finished the 50-miler, with most doing so within 17 hours.

Beavin, Collins Cruise to Wins in 50K

Zack Beavin closed out the 2024 racing season with a victory at the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival 100K, and then went mostly quiet. He didn’t race an ultra in 2025 until September, when he finished third overall at the TARC Fall Classic 50K. A strong showing there served as a tune-up for Beavin’s Midstate Massive debut, and he dazzled by blasting to victory in the 50K race, earning the overall win in 4:09:32. Maxim Harris, 36, of Durham, N.H., was a distant second in 4:35:40 after fending off Luke Legendre during the late miles. Legendre, 41, of Uxbridge, Mass., was third in 4:39:11. Jay Inzenga, 30, of Epping, N.H., and Luke Kaplan, 37, of Boston, Mass., followed in 4:45:25 and 4:52:41, respectively.

Madison Collins was the final runner to finish in less than five hours. Collins, 28, of Cambridge, Mass., was the female champion in 4:57:09. Her closest competitors were nearly an hour back, and they finished seconds apart. Katherine Leaman, 35, of Andover, N.H., and Shan Tie, 36, of Watertown, Mass., rounded out the podium in 5:53:19 and 5:53:22, respectively. 

Sixty-five runners finished the 50K race, most within 10 hours.