While snow continues to blanket all of New England, runners from the region ventured beyond to take on trail ultramarathons during the Jan. 31-Feb. 1 weekend. Most ventured west to Arizona, Nevada and Utah, while one went south to Florida and another opted to run in the snow in nearby New York. Several New Englanders had strong showings, with a few making speedy ultra debuts, while Maine’s Tara Allen highlighted the weekend with a podium finish at the Forgotten Florida 50-miler. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Forgotten Florida

Tara Allen’s first trail race came at Forgotten Florida in 2023 when she raced the event’s 8-mile distance. A year later, she returned and completed the 50-miler for her third ultra and longest race ever up to that point. In 2025, she returned once again, this time securing her first 100-mile finish.

Allen made her fourth straight trip to Forgotten Florida on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Christmas, Fla., and she returned to the 50-mile distance at the sixth annual event. She was the lone New Englander in the field, and one of the fastest performers. Allen, 34, of Mount Desert, Maine., placed eighth overall and second in the female field in 10:31:03.

Fifty-six runners finished the 50-miler within 15 1/2 hours. Top female Luci Searels, 32, of Chattanooga, Tenn., finished second overall and set a female course record in 8:41:27 while 38-year-old Eric Langdon of Lagrangeville, N.Y., led all runners in 7:29:33.

No New England residents took part in the 100-mile race, which saw 75 runners finish within 34 hours.

Arches Ultra

Chase Dobson made a sizzling ultramarathon debut at the ninth annual Arches Ultra on Saturday, Jan. 31, in Moab, Utah The event offered both 50-mile and 50K ultra distances. Dobson, 20, of Bennington, Vt., tackled the 50K distance and took on the scenic sights and technical slickrock trails of Moab while soaking up views of Arches National Park and the La Sal Mountains along the way. Of the 239 runners who finished within 11 1/2 hours, he hammered out a dazzling top-10 performance, placing sixth overall in a speedy 4:46:55. Caleb Olson, 30, of Draper, Utah, led all runners in 3:34:22, fending off a stiff challenge from 27-year-old Gavin Prior of Boulder, Colo., who finished second in 3:35:17. Genevieve Harrison, 39, of Eagle, Colo., led the female field and finished ninth overall in 4:54:13. Dobson wasn’t the only New England resident who had a strong showing in the 50K. Justin Hetherington, 40, of Jamestown, R.I., also squeezed into the top 25, placing 24th in 5:33:21. Additionally, 34-year-old Lindsay Kingston of Charlotte, Vt., finished 109th in 5:59:11, while 33-year-old John Bucceri of Londonderry, N.H., was 134th in 7:26:09.

Three more New Englanders were among the 74 finishers of the 50-mile race within the 13-hour limit. David McGrath, 30, of Boston, Mass., led the way with a 26th-place performance in 9:54:25 in just his second ultra. James Shanahan, 34, of Farmington, Conn., was 39th overall in 10:31:24 to cap a strong ultra debut, while ultra veteran Alex Markle, 45, of Burlington, Mass., followed soon after in 10:59:35, good for 45th place. Ryan Clifford, 29, of Westbury, N.Y., and Madison Armonda, 25, of Salt Lake City, Utah, led the male and female fields in 6:39:38 and 8:37:47, respectively.

Coo-Wah-Chobee 50K

Conner Breeds became an official ultrarunner when he crossed the finish line of the Coo-Wah-Chobee 50K, and he nearly snagged a spot on the podium while doing so. Breeds, 20, of Wheelwright, Mass., had a strong day of racing on the singletrack and doubletrack trails of the Carlton Preserve on Saturday, Jan. 31, in Venice, Fla. He ran among the frontrunners and finished near the front of the pack. Of the 27 runners who finished the race within 8 1/2 hours, Breeds placed sixth overall and fourth in the male field in 5:24:17.

Sean Pamer, 32, of Cape Coral, Fla., and Crystal Wheatley, 49, of Louisville, Ky., finished 1-2 overall and set new male and female course records in 4:28:52 and 4:40:20, respectively.

Bootleg Boogie

Bertram Johnson has a big year full of big miles on the calendar for 2026 with at least three runs of 100 miles or more in the plans. The first of those efforts came at the Bootleg Boogie on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Boulder City, Nev. The third annual event offered 100-mile and 50-mile ultramarathon distances on a 12.5-mile loop course at Bootleg Canyon on desert singletrack trails.

Johnson and his fellow 100-mile racers had to complete eight loops of the course and overcome 16,000 feet of climbing. Johnson had a strong weekend of running and finished in the top of the field with the 53-year-old from Burlington, Vt., placing eighth overall in 27:15:31. Ryan Keeping, 28, of Upper Tantallon, NS, led all runners and set a new course record in 20:07:05. Top female Jill Wilkins, 45, of Centerville, Utah, finished fourth overall, defended her title, and set a new female course record in 24:07:00.

Johnson will look to build upon his performance in June when he takes on the Western States Endurance Run 100-miler in California. Then he will head to British Columbia in August to race the Fat Dog 120.

Johnson was one of two New Englanders to race at the Bootleg Boogie. Fellow Vermont resident Vivien Taylor, 51, of Sharon, tackled the 50-mile distance and was one of 18 runners who completed four loops of the course while climbing 8,000 feet. Taylor placed 15th overall and was third in the female field in 14:04:12. Josh Hart, 33, of Snowflake, Ariz., and Jaide Downs, 39, of Fields, Ore., led the male and female fields in 11:27:42 and 13:44:53, respectively.

AZT Oracle Rumble

A year ago, Ted Fuell became an ultrarunner when he completed the Elephant Mountain 50K on Feb. 1 in Arizona. Nearly one year to the day he returned to Arizona and earned his third ultra finish at the AZT Oracle Rumble on Saturday, Jan. 31, in Oracle, Ariz. The ninth annual event, which also offered a 50-mile ultra, took place on the Arizona National Scenic Trail near the Santa Catalina Mountains. Seventy-eight runners ultimately finished within 10 hours, including Fuell, 35, of Andover, N.H., who placed 28th in 6:48:51. All three of his ultra finishes have taken place in Arizona; his second ultra was The “VUE” 34-miler in April 2025.

Fuell was one of two New Hampshire residents who completed the 50K. Emi Morison, 29, also of Andover, placed 67th in 9:08:35 for her first ultra finish. Peter Davidson, 40, of Tucson, Ariz., and Lauren Pierce, 34, of Flagstaff, Ariz., led the male and female fields in 4:19:03 and 5:40:02, respectively.

In addition to the 50K, another 49 runners completed the event’s 50-mile race. No New Englanders took part at that distance, which saw Meghan Macardy, 43, of Marana, Ariz., top the female field for the third year in a row while also winning the race outright in 8:58:46. Top male finisher Aaron Van Geem, 40, of Tucson, Ariz., placed second in 9:09:00.

Devil’s Shadow Winter Trail Races

Evan Adair secured a hard-earned ultramarathon finish on a snow-covered course at the third annual Devil’s Shadow Winter Trail Race 50K on Saturday, Jan. 31, in Honeoye Falls, N.Y. Adair, 44, of Newton, Mass., was one of 12 runners who successfully completed four loops of the course within nine hours on the trails of Mendon Ponds Park. Adair finished in 8:52:40, placing 11th. Jeffrey Paul, 43, of Azilda, Ontario, led all runners in 5:36:15 while Shannon Clarke, 33, of Rochester, N.Y., led the female field in 8:28:36.

*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.