The snow has finally melted across southern New England, and that freed up the trails for ultramarathon running during the March 13-15 weekend. Up north was a different story. Snow remained, which made ideal conditions for another ultra event – though on skis – at the TruStrength “Uphill Will” 24-Hour Skimo race in Maine. We have both covered here in Part I of this week’s roundup.

F.I.T. Rock

Runners gathered for a half-day of running on a relentless 5-mile loop at the F.I.T. Rock 12-Hour Ultra on Saturday, March 14, in Cumberland, R.I.

Five competitors completed 10 laps and 50 miles within the time limit, led by Martin Mitchell who did so in 10:55:19. Less than three minutes later, top female Katerina Koudelkova crossed the finish line in 10:58:09. Ross Minkov was third in 11:25:36, followed by Peter Panagedes in 11:36:09. Dane LeBlanc rounded out the 50-mile finishers in 11:47:23, finishing fifth overall.

Koudelkova was joined on the female podium by Farrah Douglas who completed 40 miles in 9:16:45, and Kylee Polok who finished 30 miles in 5:54:19.

Twenty-nine competitors took part in the 12-hour race, and 10 finished at least 30 miles.

TruStrength “Uphill Will” 24-Hour Skimo

Though not an ultramarathon run, competitors at the fifth annual TruStrength “Uphill Will” 24-Hour Skimo race put ultramarathon distance miles – and vertical – on their legs during the grueling event on March 14-15 in Greenwood, Maine. Competitors took on an approximately 1,000-foot climb on a pre-determined route, and then could pick their path to ski back to the bottom before climbing again. 

Justin Lagassey won the inaugural event in 2022 with a course-record 44 laps. He returned to the event this year and once again stood as champion by the time all was done. Lagassey, 34, of Plymouth, N.H., led all competitors with 42 laps and around 42,000 feet of vertical gain. He was pushed throughout by 49-year-old Mark Trahan of Millville, Mass., who was second with 40 laps, nearly 40,000 feet of vertical gain and around 80 miles of skiing.

Lagassey and Trahan outdistanced the field of 45 competitors by several laps. Chance Simonton, 33, of Plymouth, N.H., Lawrence Perera, 48, of Yarmouthport, Mass., and Sampson Alley, 26, of Morrisville, Vt., tied for third with 35 laps apiece. TJ Farnum, 48, of Milton Township, Maine, was the top female competitor with 30 laps, earning her third straight victory in the event. Tracyn Thayer, 57, of Albany Township, Maine, was second with 25 laps, and Brielle Weinstein, 37, of Philadelphia, Pa., was third with 20 laps.

*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.