A few scattered showers weren’t enough to dampen the day or deter runners at the Watuppa Trail Races. Instead, a spirited day of running played out at the 12th annual event on the trails of Watuppa Reservation on Saturday, May 9, in Fall River, Mass. Around 150 runners gathered at the starting line on an overcast morning to take on one, three or five loops of a 10K course on a mix of terrain that varied from pavement to utility line grassy trails, to dirt roads and rooty singletrack. The loop provides ample opportunity to go fast, and plenty of runners took advantage.

In the 50K, a familiar face at Watuppa once again found himself in the mix. Alexander Burke placed second a year ago, and this time he was once again near the front for the duration. Burke, 30, of Dedham, Mass., settled in with a comfortable 50-minute first loop. He was in fourth place at that point, behind early leader Padraig Mullins (47:20), John Gailius (47:34) and Sean Smialek (49:38). Burke picked up the pace with a 47:58 second loop, during which time he passed both Smialek and Gailus and closed the gap with Mullins by one minute. Burke pushed even harder during loop three; his 46:29 split was by far his fastest of the day. By the time he reached the 30K mark, Burke was in first place with a 51-second gap. He was never fully able to shake Mullins during the final two loops, but held on for the win in 4:09:37. Mullins, 44, of Norton, Mass., followed less than four minutes later in 4:13:17, placing second. Smialek, 28, of Boston, Mass., was third in 4:25:13. Tino Fidalgo, 55, of Acushnet, Mass., finished fourth in 4:34:07. It was Fidalgo’s third finish in four years, as well as his fastest. After being among the front-runners, Gailius, 36, of Raynham, Mass., finished ninth overall in 5:07:25.

While the male field had a familiar face at the front, a Watuppa newcomer–and first-time ultrarunner–dominated the day. Emma Cucchiara was a distance standout at Leominster High and ran track in college at Worcester State, but it was only recently that she transitioned to running longer distances. She completed her first marathon in the fall at the Bay State Marathon, and then turned her focus to ultras. Cucchiara spent almost the entire day running among the top 10 overall runners, and she led the female field for the duration. The 26-year-old from Leominster, Mass., built a three-minute lead during the first loop and continued to expand her advantage during the next few. Ultimately, she finished first in 5:00:05. Katie Deane, 38, of Middleboro, Mass., finished second in 5:32:16, and Sarah Smialek, 26, of South Dartmouth, Mass., completed the podium in 5:42:48.

Thirty-four runners started the 50K, and 29 finished within 8 1/2 hours.

Carroll, Gadbery Top 30K Field

The first time Jacob Carroll raced at Watuppa was in 2024. That year, he took on the 50K and finished third. This time, Carroll opted for the 30K distance and ended his day atop the podium. Carroll, 25, of Plymouth, Mass., led the three-loop race nearly from start to finish. He spent the first look running shoulder-to-shoulder with 26-year-old Elliot Shoemaker of Woodstock, Vt., and they closed out the first 10K side-by-side in 43:51. From there, Shoemaker soon fell off the pace while Carroll never looked back. Carroll went on to win in 2:12:40. Adam Morales, 35, of Somerset, Mass., moved into second place during the final loop and finished as the runner-up in 2:21:03, followed by Shoemaker in 2:23:00. Carroll’s father, 48-year-old Plymouth resident Ryan Carroll, was fourth in 2:24:57.

Danielle Gadbery also had a dominant day. In what was her Watuppa debut, the 39-year-old from Boston, Mass., led the female field for the duration and won in 2:47:38. Sarah Chapin, 53, of Providence, R.I., was second in 3:09:20, and 36-year-old Sarah Motte of Wareham, Mass., completed the podium in 3:19:39.

Of the 34 runners who started the 30K, 31 finished within 5 hours.

Bailotti Earns 10K Four-Peat

Ademir Bailotti continued his mastery of the Watuppa 10K. For the fourth straight year, Bailotti blasted through the single-loop race faster than anyone and earned the overall win. Though he didn’t match the speed of his course record-setting 38:03 performance in 2023, the 40-year-old Fall River resident won comfortably in 39:24. Fellow Fall River resident Alex Tripoli, 37, was second in 41:01, and 38-year-old Jasper Frank of Providence, R.I., rounded out the male podium in 42:06. Lauren Chalmers, 39, of Kingston, Mass., was first in the female field in 45:53, two minutes ahead of runner-up Rebecca Laliberte, 38, of South Dartmouth, Mass., who finished in 47:51. Laliberte placed fourth in the 50K in 2025. Parker Bauernfeind, 15, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., rounded out the female podium in 48:10.

Eighty-two runners completed the 10K race, all within 2 hours.