The March 13-15 weekend saw two ultra distance events play out in New England, one on foot and one on skis. Both of those were covered in Part I of this week’s roundup. Here in Part II, we catch up on how New Englanders did at other ultras around the country, making stops in California, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Florida. Boston resident Tilman Dette leads it off with a strong performance at a large West Coast race.

Marin Ultra Challenge

Tilman Dette kicked off his 2026 ultramarathon racing season with an impressive performance on the West Coast. Dette, 38, of Boston, Mass., took part in the 50-mile race at the 13th edition of the Marin Ultra Challenge on Saturday, March 14, in Sausalito, Calif.

More than 200 runners took part in a race that took them on a tour of some of the most scenic trails in Marin County, including the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais, and the Muir Woods, offering a mix of smooth and technical singletrack along the way while challenging runners with around 11,000 feet of climbing. Dette was among the fastest runners in the field throughout and ultimately placed 15th overall in 9:06:03. Reed Breuer, 33, of Auburn, Calif., and Leandra Zimmermann, 29, of San Francisco, Calif., finished 1-4 overall and topped the male and female fields in 7:18:00 and 8:05:02, respectively.

Dette was one of two New England residents among the finishers. Llewellyn Jalbert, 41, of Montpelier, Vt., placed 59th in 10:46:32. Runners had 14 hours to finish, and 175 runners completed the race.

No New Englanders were among the 224 finishers of the event’s 50K race. Zander Geddes, 30, of Vancouver, B.C., and Yiou Wang, 40, of San Anselmo, Calif., were the male and female winners in 4:03:03 and 4:30:10, respectively.

Mesquite Canyon

After training in feet of snow that stuck around for two months, Art Beauregard left winter conditions behind and opened his 2026 ultramarathon racing season in the Arizona desert at the Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs on Saturday, March 14, in Waddell, Ariz.

The 17th annual event offered 50-mile and 50k ultras on technical singletrack trails with plenty of climbing. Beauregard raced the 50K, and the 47-year-old from Framingham, Mass., finished in the top third of the field. He placed 28th overall in 7:38:30. Ninety-two runners finished within 11 1/2 hours. Cody McKesson, 27, of Sedona, Ariz., and Alicia Woodside, 37, of Squamish, B.C., finished 1-4 overall and were the male and female winners in 4:32:24 and 5:23:58, respectively.

No New England residents competed in the 50-mile race, which had 19 finishers led by 40-year-old Matthew Bradner of Ames, Iowa, in 9:06:28.

Blazing Saddles Trail Race

Aaron Thompson built a relentless racing schedule to start the 2026 season. The 42-year-old from Concord, N.H., didn’t just book back-to-back weekends of racing, which can be challenging in and of itself. No, Thompson just took on his fifth ultra in five weeks when he ran the third annual Blazing Saddles Trail Race on Saturday, March 14, in Hanover, Pa. Thompson previously finished the Angela Ivory 50K in Delaware on Feb. 14; the Fire and Ice Winter Run 50K in New York on Feb. 21; the Saint Marys Lake 50K in Feb. 28, in Maryland; and the Squatchapple 50-miler on March 7 in New Jersey.

Though Blazing Saddles has offered shorter distances in prior years, it was the inaugural year for the event’s 50K offering. Runners gathered at Codorus State Park and took on a course along the Ranger Trail, with a mix of singletrack and bridle trails along the way.

Thirty-six runners finished, including Thompson who placed 21st in 6:50:55. Dave McLaughlin, 41, of Seven Valley, Pa., and Erin Collins, 29, of Mount Joy, Pa., finished 1-3 overall and were the male and female winners in 4:42:30 and 5:12:47, respectively.

Two Prairies Ultra

Samuel Hayden earned his first ultramarathon finish of the year at the third annual Two Prairies Ultra on Saturday, March 14, in Fort McCoy, Fla. The fat ass event consisted of two out-and-backs on portions of the Florida Trail while exploring the Juniper Wilderness.

Twenty-eight runners completed the race, including Hayden who was in the top half of the field. Hayden, 27, of North Clarendon, Vt., placed 14th overall in 6:10:06. The top three female finishers swept the top three overall spots, led by 45-year-old Amy Johnson of Saint Johns, Fla., who won in 3:28:56 and set a new overall course record. Top male Scott Hoover, 47, of Babson Park, Fla., was fourth overall in 4:45:32.

*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.