A big weekend of ultramarathon racing in New England with four events across three states. In Maine, the 10th and final running of the Riverlands 100 took place, as did the Big A 50K. In New Hampshire, the White Lake Ultras attracted hundreds of runners to do laps around the water. In Connecticut, technical trails were aplenty at the Blue 2 Blue Challenge 50K. Results from Big A and Blue 2 Blue were unavailable at the time of publication, but we have the other events – as well as more from beyond the region – covered in this edition of the roundup.

Riverlands 100

Runners have encountered a little bit of everything at the Riverlands 100, from freezing temperatures to extreme heat, to pouring rain. Challenging and unpredictable conditions have been a part of the Riverlands story from the beginning. The 10th and final edition offered perhaps the best conditions in race history on May 2-3 in Turner, Maine. There was still some mud and plenty of rocks to be overcome, as well as a deceptive amount of climbing, and all of it took its toll as runners made their way through four out-and-backs on a mix of singletrack trails and ATV trails at Androscoggin Riverlands State Park.

Of the 94 runners who started the race, 42 finished within the 32-hour time limit. Michael Conley, 42, of Gorham, Maine, led all runners in 21:00:10 and was one of two sub-24-hour finishers. Benjamin Niebla, 29, of Manchester, N.H., was the other. After placing fourth in 2025, Niebla improved by around three hours and finished in 22:35:49. Joshua Robison, 35, of Hudson, N.H., was third in 25:36:42, followed by 30-year-old Jacob Brady of Portland, Maine, who avenged a 2023 DNF by finishing in 25:48:20.

The female field saw a pair of Riverlands first-timers place 1-2, followed by a runner out for redemption. Jessical Crandall, 47, of Berlin, Conn., earned the victory while finishing fifth overall in 26:57:02. Eliza Broughton, 26, of Broad Run, Va., was a distant second in 28:49:13, while 32-year-old Jessica Hawkes of Halifax, N.S., bounced back from a DNF in 2025 to finish third this year in 29:25:08.

White Lake Ultras

A weekend of good weather greeted runners at the eighth running of the White Lake Ultras on May 2-3 in Tamworth, N.H. The pleasant conditions and good footing meant that big miles were logged by many of the runners who took on the two-mile loop course around the lake in White Lake State Park in the 24-, 12- and 6-hour races.

Peter Bonito, 40, of Westmoreland, N.H., and Jason Kaplan, 44, of Boston, Mass., led all runners with 108 miles apiece, but Bonito got it done the fastest and earned the overall win. Andrew Moore, 42, of Wolfeboro, N.H., was third with 104 miles, while 41-year-old Kevin Ellis of Richmond, N.H., also logged 104 miles but placed fourth. In the female field, three of the best performances in event history were turned in by the trio of Erica Bash, Erica Notini and Anna Miller as they all broke or tied the previous female course record of 94 miles. Bash, 35, of Sewell, N.J., became the first female at White Lake to hit the 100-mile mark, ultimately winning with 102 miles. Notini, 32, of Hillsborough, N.H., became the second as she finished with an even 100 miles. Miller, 47, of Lexington, Mass., rounded out the podium with 94 miles. The top trio all crossed the finish line of their final lap together, capping an impressive weekend of racing.

Seventy-four runners raced the 12-hour event, and the top 20 achieved at least 50 miles. Cole Houser, 35, of Laconia, N.H., earned the overall victory with 72 miles. He was joined on the male podium by 38-year-old Justin Ellison of Rochester, Mass. (68 miles), and 25-year-old Willie Ondrey of Wells, Maine (62 miles). In the female field, 30-year-old Ashley Youland of Raymond, Maine, won comfortably with 64 miles while finishing third overall. She was joined on the podium by Clorice Reinhardt, 31, of Burlington, Vt., and Sarah Bam Logan, 44, of Norwich, Vt., with 52 miles apiece.

Fifty-eight runners took part in the 6-hour race, and the top 11 all surpassed the marathon distance. In the female field, 36-year-old Taylor Miller of Gilford, N.H., earned the victory with 36 miles, joined by runner-up Alexandria Leveille, 32, of Londonderry, N.H., who also finished 36 miles. Mikala Merzweiler, 31, of Acton, Maine, rounded out the podium with a 34-mile effort. In the male field, 28-year-old Thomas Hanlon earned the victory decisively with 44 miles, followed by 36-year-old Ryan Murphy of Dedham, Mass., with 36 miles, and 43-year-old Mike Lucey of Haverhill, Mass., with 30 miles.

Thames Path 100

Laura Ricci has spent the past few years tackling multiple 100-mile races in New England and a few beyond the region. In 2025, she took her big mileage dreams global to Iceland and finished as the first-place female and third overall performer at the 250K, multi-day Fire and Ice Ultra. That race tested Ricci with 159 miles of running, including steep climbs, volcanic rocks, river crossings, and more.

For 2026, Ricci once again headed overseas to race, but she opted for more accommodating terrain when she took part in the 15th edition of the Thames Path 100 on May 2-3 in the United Kingdom. The race started in Richmond Upon Thames, London, and finished at Oxford University, following the Thames River the entire way on a flat, fast course. Of the 300 runners who took part, 200 finished within the 30-hour time limit on a weekend that included sunny and humid conditions at the start, evening rain, and sun the next morning.

Ricci, a resident of Boston, Mass., had a very strong weekend of running against an international field and was among the top competitors for the duration. While Matt Gallagher led all runners and topped the male field handily in 15:39:32, the female field was close throughout. Karla Borland led from mile 38 through the finish, topping the female field and placing third overall in 17:21:56. She was joined on the podium by sixth overall finisher Zoe Smith (18:00:10), and Ricci, who was the third-place female and 13th overall finisher in 20:33:46.

Up next for Ricci is the Ragged 75 Stage Race in New Hampshire in July, followed by the Jigger Johnson 50-miler in August.

San Diego 100

Takafumi Takai got to know the trails of Lake Cuyamaca quite well in 2025. He completed the Cuyamaca 100K in October 2025, and then returned in December and finished the Anza Borrego Cuyamaca 50-miler.

Takai, 47, of Cambridge, Mass., returned for more miles of fun when he took part in the 25th edition of the San Diego 100 on May 1-2 in Lake Cuyamaca, Calif. The race offered a loop course on the singletrack trails of the Lake Cuyamaca Recreation Area, Anza Borrego State Park, the Mt. Laguna Recreational Area, Noble Canyon and part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Takai and his fellow runners had to overcome 15,400 feet of climbing and faced a 32-hour time limit.

Of the 188 runners who started, 126 finished within the time limit. Takai had a strong race and placed 43rd overall in 28:28:26. It was his second 100-mile finish; the first came in November 2025 at the Hamsterwheel 24-hour race in New Hampshire.

Juan Rocha, 44, of San Diego, Calif., led all runners in 19:54:05, while Laura Liedle, 32, also of San Diego, finished first in the female field and 11th overall in 23:26:23.

WausaUltra

Kurt Brunner kicked his trail legs into gear in March when he logged 24.5 miles at the To Hale and Back 6-Hour trail race in Massachusetts. The 44-year-old resident of Brookline, Mass., built upon that performance in a big way at the seventh annual WausaUltra on May 1-3 in Wausau, Wisc.

Brunner was the lone New England resident in the field at the last-person-standing event. It used a traditional backyard ultra format with runners completing a 4.167-mile loop course with a new loop starting on the hour, every hour, until one runner remained. Eighty-four runners took part in the event and completed at least one lap of the 4.167-mile course. Brunner tied for 17th with 70.839 miles completed.

Thirteen runners lasted for at least 24 hours and 100 miles. Mark Dowdle, 29, of St. Paul, Minn., was the last person standing with 129.177 miles. Mark Rosen, 24, of Bloomington, Minn., earned the assist with 125.01 miles.

*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.