Hale Education in Westwood, Mass., was the busiest place for ultrarunners to gather in New England during the March 20-22 weekend as the Trail Animals Running Club played host to the To Hale and Back 6-hour ultra, but it wasn’t the only hot spot in the region. Runners also gathered at the Roosevelt Forest in Stratford, Conn., for another time-based opportunity at the Enchanted Forest Ultra Run. Several New Englanders also ventured outside the region to race, including New Hampshire’s Erica Notini and Massachusetts resident Scot DeDeo who placed on the podium at the Southern States 200- and 100-mile races in Alabama. Bay Stater Shannon Mellett tied for the win in the 12-hour race at the Dogwood Ultras in Virginia, and New Hampshire’s Ryan Montgomery secured a podium finish at Big Alta in California. We have all that and more covered in this week’s roundup.

Enchanted Forest Ultra Run

The first time David Stawski took on the Enchanted Forest Ultra Run he ended with a victory. That was in 2024 when Stawski completed 43.7 miles within the six-hour time limit and posted the second-best performance in event history. Stawski returned to the Roosevelt Forest for the 10th annual Enchanted Forest Ultra on Saturday, March 21, in Stratford, Conn., and he found himself in a familiar position by the end of the day. Stawski, 44, of Manchester, Conn., again handled the 2.3-mile loop course and its nearly 200 feet of climbing just fine and was victorious with 41.39 miles – the fourth-best mileage tally in event history.

Michael Marcolini, 27, of Foxboro, Mass., was second overall with 36.79 miles, followed by 29-year-old Chase Arsenault of Westerly, R.I., with 34.5 miles to complete the male podium.

Joining Arsenault with 34.5 miles was first-place female Debra Kubas, 41, of Wallingford, Conn. Her mileage tally was the fourth-best by a female runner in event history. Erin MacDaniel, 33, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the female runner-up with 29.9 miles, while 39-year-old Anastasia Rizik, and 45-year-old Tiffany Sivco, both of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., tied for third with 27.6 miles apiece.

Other top performers at Enchanted Forest included Liam Callahan, 29, of Milford, Conn.; Augie Bourgois, 33, of Narragansett, R.I.; Anthony Ryan, 19, of New Milford, Conn.; and Eric Rutter, 38, of Stratford, Conn., who completed 33.2 miles apiece.

Fifty-seven runners took part in the event and 17 surpassed the marathon distance.

Southern States

A pair of New Englanders earned podium finishes at the third annual Southern States ultras on March 18-21 in Delta, Ala. The 200-mile and 100-mile races took place on the Pinhoti Trail, with 200-milers amassing nearly 28,000 feet of climbing and 100-milers 16,000 feet along their journeys.

In the 200-miler Erica Notini of Hillsborough, N.H., was one of 38 runners who started the race and 28 who ultimately finished within 100 hours. Notini did so well ahead of the cutoff. In fact, the 32-year-old was among the fastest overall finishers. 

Notini ran her first 100-miler at the 2024 Bubba’s Backyard Ultra where she completed 108.5 miles. In 2025, she was the first-place female and fourth overall finisher at the Jigger Johnson 100 in New Hampshire. Southern States was her first 200-miler, and she placed seventh overall and second in the female field in 76:59:52. Emily Flinn, 41, of Lemont Furnace, Pa., was the female champion and fifth overall finisher in 71:16:34. Michael Carson, 39, of Rainbow City, Ala., led all runners in 63:59:21, followed by 52-year-old Thomas Noonan of Blauvelt, N.Y., in 65:25:35.

Another 34 runners attempted the event’s 100-mile race, and 20 finished within 52 hours. Scot DeDeo was among those who completed the race, and the 45-year-old from Belmont, Mass., placed on the podium. In his first run of 100-miles or more since completing the Tahoe 200 Endurance Run in 2024, DeDeo placed third for 100 miles at Southern States in 31:33:50. James Ebert, 38, of Huntsville, Ala., led all runners in 22:17:53, followed by 33-year-old Gustavo Rodriguez of Houston, Texas, in 30:47:13. Sarah Carrico, 28, of Atlanta, Ga., was the first-place female and sixth overall finisher in 39:08:05.

Dogwood Ultra Marathons

A handful of New Englanders earned ultramarathon finishes at the 11th edition of the Dogwood Ultra Marathons on March 20-22 in Green Bay, Va. The event offered 48-, 24- and 12-hour ultras on a loop course.

Thirty-one runners took part in the 48-hour race, including 35-year-old Darlene Gaudet of Warwick, R.I., who completed 58.99 miles. Karl O’Leary, 46, of Geneva, N.Y., and Cynthia Robb, 55, of Chesterfield, Va., were the top male and female finishers and placed 1-2 overall with 163.09 miles and 135.33 miles apiece.

Another 26 runners took part in the 12-hour race, including 27-year-old Shannon Mellett of Lawrence, Mass., who tied for seventh overall and tied for first in the female field with 38.17 miles. Will Grieme, 19, of Yorktown, Va., led all runners with 58.99 miles.

No New England residents took part in the 24-hour race.

Bullshit Backyard Ultra

A pair of New England residents logged ultramarathon mileage at the sixth annual Bullshit Backyard Ultra onMarch 21-22 in Lenoxville, Pa. The event used a 4.17-mile loop course through farmlands during the daytime, and a nighttime loop on doubletrack trails and road.

Fifty-two competitors took part, and 30 surpassed the marathon distance, lasting at least seven hours and 29.19 miles. Elizabeth Cohen, 38, of Madison, Conn., took part in the event for the fourth time, and she tied for 26th with 29.19 miles. Additionally, 20-year-old Harold Nerrow of Concord, Mass., took part in the event, and he had a big day while earning his first ultramarathon finish. Narrow tied for sixth overall with 66.72 miles. Narrow will look to build off of the performance by running both the Cayuga Trails 50 and Jigger Johnson 50-miler later this year.

Dan Marchese, 32, of Belmar, N.J., was the last person standing with 25 hours of running and 104.25 miles. Daniel Teabo, 29, of Auburn, N.Y., earned the assist with 24 hours of running and 100.08 miles. Top female Mary Namestnik, 31, of Downers Grove, Ill., was third overall with 91.74 miles.

Big Alta

Ryan Montgomery delivered a dynamite performance at the third annual Big Alta trail races on Saturday, March 21, in Marinwood, Calif. Montgomery battled in podium position throughout the event’s 50K race, and the 31-year-old from Hanover, N.H., ultimately finished there, placing third in the male field in 3:57:50. Montgomery trailed only David Norris, 35, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Drew Holmen, 33, of Boulder, Colo., who finished in 3:43:07 and 3:50:24, respectively. Klaire Rhodes, 27, of Anchorage, Alaska, topped the female field and placed sixth overall in 4:12:41.

Montgomery is building up to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. It will be Montgomery’s fourth straight year competing at the historic event, including two top-10 finishes in the past three years.

Finishing just off the female podium was Jenna Gigliotti, 32, of Amherst, Mass., who was fourth in the female field and 14th overall in 4:27:17. Additionally, Shannon Corliss, 44, of Deer Isle, Maine, placed 106th in 6:49:02, and Jamie Miller, 43, of North Haven, Conn., was 132nd in 7:14:11. There were 196 finishers within 8 1/2 hours

Additionally, the event offered a 100K distance for the first time, and there were 216 finishers within 17 hours. Kellen Blumbert, 33, of San Diego, Calif., and Robyn Lesh, 32, of Durango, Calif., were the top male and female finishers in 8:18:28 and 9:45:34, respectively, but two New Englanders also finished. Bonnie Lathrop, 34, of Amherst, Mass., placed 58th overall and 15th in the female field in 11:55:03. Brian Baynes, 50, of Winchester, Mass., finished 133rd in 14:11:34. For Baynes, the race was part of his build-up to the IMTUF 100-miler in September in Idaho.

HAT Run 50K

Kirsten Woody earned her first ultramarathon finish of the season at the 37th edition of the HAT Run 50K on Saturday, March 21, in Havre de Grace, Md. Woody, 57, of Bow, N.H., took on a course consisting of a mix of singletrack trails, dirt roads, and pavement with 4,400 feet of climbing.

There were 231 finishers within the 9-hour time limit, and Patrick Blair, 44, of Catonsville, Md., and Caroline Bauer, 42, of Elkridge, Md., were the male and female champions in 3:58:49 and 4:52:12, respectively. Woody placed 136th in 7:08:49.

Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker

Several New Englanders got a taste of what trail running is like in Old Fort when they took part in the fourth annual Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50-mile and 55K ultras on Saturday, March 21, in Old Fort, N.C. – and a few of them will return there soon. Both distances tested runners with a variety of terrain, from technical singletrack trails, to gravel, to doubletrack dirt, along with plenty of climbing. Though the course was a reroute from the original version due to extensive damage from Hurricane Helene, it was still plenty punishing with multiple trips to the summit of 6,000-foot peaks.

In the 50-miler, 38-year-old Leah Nicholson of Lebanon, N.H., had a dandy of a day as she conquered the course, finished sixth overall and won the female field in 10:06:33. It was a solid tune-up for Nicholson, who will return to Old Fort in May to run the Hellbender 100. Devon Brodmyer, 23, of Brevard, N.C., led all runners in 8:17:27. There were 118 finishers within 16 1/2 hours.

Nicholson wasn’t the only New Englander among the 50-miler finishers. Kristyn Kleman, 35, of Bristol, Maine, placed 51st in 12:47:48; Christopher Lay, 45, of Somerville, Mass., was 68th in 13:42:23; and Sarah Duncan, 35, of West Warren, Mass., finished 90th in 14:55:27. Kleman is preparing to run the Jigger Johnson 50-miler in August in New Hampshire while both Lay and Duncan will return to Old Fort for the Hellbender 100 in May.

In the 55K race, 41-year-old Josh Force of Oakdale, Conn., successfully earned his first ultramarathon finish by placing 97th in 10:11:37. There were 126 finishers within 13 hours. Male and female champions Brent Bookwalter, 42, and Jaimie Bookwalter, 40, both of Montreat, N.C., finished 1-5 overall in 4:59:01 and 6:00:23, respectively.

Camp Croft Ultras

Jason Haley turned in a solid performance at the third annual Camp Croft Ultras on March 21-22 in Spartanburg, S.C., but it was part of his buildup to something bigger.

Haley, 52, of South Hamilton, Mass., is preparing to run his first 100-miler in May when he takes on the Iron Will Backroads 100 in Kansas. But first, he needed a 50-mile run to make sure his legs were ready. He found it at Camp Croft.

The event offered 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K ultramarathons that all took place on a 10.05-mile trail loop course with around 700 feet of climbing per loop.

No New England residents were among the five 100-mile finishers or 27 50K finishers, but one runner from the region was among the 19 who successfully completed the 50-mile race. That was Haley, who finished ninth overall in 13:21:54. Ian Forsythe, 18, of Pickens, S.C., led all runners in 9:37:18 while Jenna Carroll, 29, of Asheville, N.C., was the first-place female in 12:25:11.

*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.