The Oct. 24-26 weekend roundup takes us all over the country, from Maine to Tennessee, to West Virginia, to Arizona, and on to Utah, where New Englanders turned out in force. In Maine, Massachusetts resident Daniel Grip sizzled with a hard-fought 50-mile victory at the Big Brad Ultras, while in Tennessee it was Massachusetts resident Laura Ricci who raced to a runner-up performance at the No Business 100. Runners from the region also earned finishes at the Rim to River 100 in West Virginia’s New River Gorge, the Javelina Jundred in the desert of Arizona, and the slickrock trails of Moab at the Canyonlands Ultra. Additionally, we turn back the clock to Oct. 18-19 to learn about Massachusetts resident Hank Xi’s strong showing at the Bromont Ultra 100-miler in Canada. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Big Brad Ultras

The 14th and final Big Brad Ultras took place Sunday, Oct. 26, at Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, Maine, and Daniel Grip sent the event off with a big-time performance. Grip, 46, of Belchertown, Mass., dueled with 25-year-old Mykel Henry of Falmouth, Maine, for three 16.5-mile loops through the park, up and down the hills, over the rocks, and through the woods before hanging on for a hard-earned victory in the 50-mile race. Grip’s winning time of 7:50:38 ranked third in event history, just six minutes off the course record. Henry’s runner-up performance of 7:57:43 was the fifth-fastest in event history. Isaac Vaccaro, 27, of Blue Hill, Maine, was third in 8:05:12, good for eighth all-time. Top female finisher Eva Brydson, 28, of Cambridge, Mass., was eighth overall in 9:44:43 in her longest run ever. Nichole Cort, 41, of Poland, Maine, and Alyssa Lamontagne, 40, of Lebanon, Maine, rounded out the female podium in 10:41:33 and 11:17:19, respectively. Thirty runners finished the 50-miler within 13 1/2 hours.

Thirty-four runners completed the two-loop 50K race, with 30-year-old Jacob Brady of Portland, Maine, leading all runners in 4:51:20, followed closely by 29-year-old August Posch of Seattle, Wash., in 4:52:55. Matthew Moon, 46, of Yarmouth, Maine, was third in 5:16:11. Ruby Dombek, 30, of Portland, Maine, was the first-place female finisher in 6:16:31, followed by 27-year-old Caorline Rodi of Amherst, N.H., in 6:21:51, and 40-year-old Amy Wells of Limerick, Maine, in 7:03:41.

In a new feature, the event added a 25K race which saw 66 finishers. Darren Piotrow, 26, of Portland, Maine, and Mallory Raymond, 16, of Bethel, Maine, were the male and female champions in 2:01:52 and 2:45:36, respectively.

No Business 100

Barely a month removed from winning the Fire and Ice Ultra six-day stage race in Iceland, Laura Ricci shook out any lingering soreness with a big-time performance at the No Business 100 on Oct. 24-25 in Jamestown, Tenn. The event takes runners on a 102-mile loop course through the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, crossing into Kentucky for several miles on trails before returning to Tennessee. The course direction is alternated each year, with this year being clockwise. Runners amassed around 14,500 feet of climbing along the way.

Ricci, 42, of West Roxbury, Mass., was among the front-runners for the duration of the day, and she ultimately finished second in the female field in 22:40:45. She was also sixth overall out of 192 finishers within 34 hours. Anthony Groft, 38, of Portland, Tenn., led all runners in 19:31:23. Top female Michelle Magagna, 35, of Portage, Mich., was second overall in 20:27:02. The top 16 runners finished in less than 24 hours.

Ricci was one of three New England residents among the finishers. Joshua Caron, 26, of Lakeville, Mass., placed 40th in 26:53:21, and 42-year-old Tyler Seppala of Sharon, N.H., was 107th in 31:12:14.

Rim to River 100

Serena Blacklow kicked off her 2025 ultramarathon racing season with a top-10 performance at the highly competitive Black Canyon 100K in Arizona. She closed it out with a top-10 finish in her 10-mile debut at the sixth annual Rim to River 100 on Oct. 25-26 in New River Gorge, W.V. The event took runners on an out-and-back journey through the gorge on a mix of singletrack trails, rail trails, and pavement, climbing up and down the gorge multiple times. Of the 235 runners who started the race, 174 finished within 32 hours. Blacklow, 29, of Cambridge, Mass., ran hard and earned a seventh-place finish in the female field (28th overall) in 21:20:47.

Logan Kerby, 27, of Huntington, W.V., and Justyna Wilson, 50, of Fairless Hills, Pa., finished 1-3 overall and set new male and female course records in 14:49:58 and 17:15:17, respectively.

Blacklow was one of five New England residents among the finishers. Daniel Sullivan, 48, and Allison Sullvan, 39, of Bartlett, N.H., ran the race together and tied for 80th overall in 25:42:37. Additionally, 45-year-old Belinda Nyakowa of Leominster, Mass., and 39-year-old Danielle Mackowiak of Dudley, Mass., placed 105th and 107th in 26:50:46 and 26:56:38, respectively.

Javelina Jundred

Fast times were aplenty in the desert at the 23rd edition of the Javelina Jundred 100-mile and 100K trail ultramarathons on Oct. 25-26 at McDowell Mountain Regional Park in McDowell, Ariz. The largest ultrarunning halloween party once again tested runners to complete either five or three loops through the rolling singletrack trails of the Sonoran Desert.

It was a record-smashing weekend for the 100-miler, which saw 775 starters and 492 finishers within the 30-hour time limit. Course records crumbled in both the male and female fields. Tara Dower, 32, of Durango, Colo., toppled the female record by 28 minutes with her victory and seventh overall finish in 13:31:47. Meanwhile, the top three male runners all broke the previous course standards with Will Murray, 30, of Blairstown, N.J., winning in 12:10:12, followed by 37-year-old David Roche of Boulder, Colo., in 12:18:06, and 32-year-old Canyon Woodward of Franklin, N.C., in 12:19:58.

Though they didn’t crack the record boards, 16 New England residents earned 100-mile finishes on a hot weekend in the desert. Two weeks removed from a DNF at the Moab 240, 19-year-old Brody Chisholm of Salem, N.H., earned redemption with a strong run at Javelina, placing 75th overall in 20:36:50. Other top performers from the region included 61-year-old Mark Blakeley of Norton, Mass., who finished 127th in 22:20:47; Annika Pettersson, 44, of Warren, Vt., and Adam Grinovich, 44, of Beverly, Mass., who tied for 133rd in 22:28:30; and 48-year-old Durgesh Mankekar of Medford, Mass., who was 159th in 23:00:24. Additional finishers were Dan Knauss, 39, of Stockbridge, Mass. (221st, 24:16:43); Gwenyth Taradash, 25, of Dartmouth, Mass. (245th, 25:15:09); Kou Vang, 38, of Littleton, N.H. (267th, 25:45:32); Brian Krisler, 54, of Newburyport, Mass. (267th, 26:18:34); Brian Connor, 58, of Wrentham, Mass. (293rd, 26:27:37); Madeleine Ryan, 67, of Glen, N.H. (294th, 26:29:21); Raiel Barlow, 45, of Colchester, Vt. (317th, 27:02:38); Shamba Mukherjee, 36, of Taunton, Mass. (349th, 27:40:52); Theodora Textor, 44, of Brookline, Mass. (365th, 27:55:56); Sean Maggs, 50, of Sandwich, Mass. (402nd, 28:24:07); and Jodie Davis, 33, of Boston, Mass. (415th, 28:35:35).

More than 390 runners took part in the event’s three-loop 100K race, and 324 ultimately finished. Seven New England residents were among that group, led by 53-year-old Will Swenson of Andover, Mass., who placed 20th overall in 11:02:35. Brendan Morrison, 35, of Marlborough, Mass., followed within the hour, placing 31st in 11:53:10. Jordan Maddocks, 39, of Draper, Utah, and Corinne Shalvoy, 43, of Castle Rock, Colo., were the top male and finishers in 8:29:40 and 8:52:10, respectively.

Joining Swenson and Morrison among the New Englanders who finished were Susan Collins-Pulick, 57, of Topsfield, Mass. (85th, 14:20:14); Abigail Anderson, 50, of Marblehead, Mass. (87th, 14:30:01); Marc Anderson, 51, of Marblehead, Mass. (180th, 17:12:05); Kathleen Brown, 50, of Vineyard Haven, Mass. (194th, 17:39:18); and Scott Leppert, 53, of Glastonbury, Conn. (312th, 23:28:58).

Canyonlands Ultra

Just a few months removed from completing his first ultramarathon in June at the Back Cove Backyard Ultra, Ben Hagelin earned his second ultramarathon result – and farthest ever – when he ran the 100K at the third annual Canyonlands Ultra on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Moab, Utah. The race took runners through a variety of technical doubletrack trails and sandy washes with rewarding views of the La Sal Mountains as they raced through Moab. Hagelin, 29, of Portland, Maine, battled hard and finished 21st overall in 16:16:24. Eric Alexandres, 35, of Lockport, Ill., and Katarzyna Kays, 37, of Lebanon, Va., led the male and female fields in 11:32:29 and 12:46:04, respectively. Twenty-three runners finished within 17 hours.

Another 79 runners finished the event’s 50-mile race, led by 26-year-old Micah Anderson of Salt Lake City, Utah, in 7:36:46. Top female Madeline Lipton, 30, of Aspen, Colo, was fifth overall in 8:52:36. Two residents of Somerville, Mass., were among the finishers, with 34-year-old Nicholas Heath placing 51st in 13:17:22, and 39-year-old Jennifer Yee finishing 57th in 13:48:57. No New Englanders were among the 101 finishers of the 50K race.

Bromont Ultra

Since completing his first 100-miler at the 2024 TARCtic Frozen Yeti, Hank Xi has dialed in his performance at the distance. He followed up the Frozen Yeti with a sub-24-hour effort at the Vermont 100, finishing in 23:03:23. He returned to Vermont in 2025 and did even better, placing in the top 30 in a speedy 20:43:19.

Xi built off of those experiences by taking on a tough mountain 100-miler when he raced the Bromont Ultra on Oct. 18-19 in Bromont, Quebec. Bromont tested Xi and his fellow runners with a two-loop course on popular ski mountains with more than 21,000 feet of climbing. Xi ran strong throughout and picked his way through the field, and the 43-year-old from Malden, Mass., ultimately earned an 11th place overall finish in 26:23:07.

Sixty-three runners finished the race within 36 hours, led by 22-year-old Philippe Poulin of Beauceville, Quebec, in 18:47:27. He fended off Jacob Couture, 30, of Are-beatrix, Quebec, who was a close second in 18:55:10. Top female Fanny Giardin, 30, of Orford, Quebec, was sixth overall in 23:22:41.

Xi was one of two New England residents among the 100-mile finishers. Mark Szeliga, 39, of Gilead, Maine, placed 26th in 29:26:55.

In addition to the 100-miler, the event also offered 80K (50-mile) and 55K races. No New England residents were among the 270 finishers of the 80K race, but one runner from the region was among the 393 who completed the 55K race. Greeta Soderholm, 48, of Underhill, Vt., placed 59th overall and 11th in the female field in 7:10:34. Philip Rouleau, 28, of Montreal, Quebec, led all runners in 5:29:12, while 30-year-old Melodie Gilbert of Bromont, Quebec, led the female field in 5:42:09.

*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.