May 15-17 was a big weekend for ultramarathon running in New England with a pair of ultras in Massachusetts and a few more throughout the region. We will have the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s Tails & Trails State Forest Run and the Free Spirit 50K covered in separate recaps, but in this week’s roundup we catch up on other results from throughout the region, as well as across the country. New Englanders took part in at least 14 other ultras from coast to coast, and we have results from several of them included here.

Manchester 2 Monadnock

Thirty runners successfully completed a mixed-terrain adventure at the 11th edition of Manchester 2 Monadnock on Saturday, May 16, in Manchester, N.H. The race took runners on a journey from downtown Manchester to Jaffrey and the 3,165-foot summit of Mt. Monadnock, and then down to the finish line at the base. Along the way they covered a mix of dirt roads, pavement and trail with 50 miles and around 6,000 feet of climbing.

A pair of Manchester 2 Monadnock newcomers earned the victories. Joseph Anzo, 30, of Berlin, N.H., topped the male field in 8:50:16, and 24-year-old Allison Bean of Boise, Idaho, was the top female and fourth overall finisher in 10:22:52.

Anzo was joined on the male podium by Chris Pabian, 50, of Monroeville, Pa., (9:50:15), and Alex April, 35, of Manchester, N.H. (10:21:04). Bean was joined on the female podium by 27-year-old Madison Brooks of Nashua, N.H. (10:54:47) and Michelle Zahn, 48, of Bellingham, Mass. and Maria Chevalier, 51, of Cumberland, R.I., who tied for third (13:41:09). Brooks was one week removed from winning the TARC Wapack and Back 50-miler on the rugged Wapack Trail. Chevalier finished Manchester 2 Monadnock for the sixth time.

Forgotten Forest 9-Hour

Ken Kaplan had a dynamite first ultramarathon at the 11th annual Forgotten Forest 9-Hour Ultra on Saturday, May 16, in Stratford, Conn. Kaplan, 26, of Vernon, Conn., secured a hard-earned victory among a field of 36 runners who took on the approximately 2.2-mile loop course on the singletrack and doubletrack trails of the Roosevelt Forest.

Kaplan went toe-to-toe with ultra veterans Nathan Schiller, 42, of New York, N.Y., and two-time defending champion David Stawski, 44, of Manchester, Conn. Ultimately, both Kaplan and Schiller completed 48.4 miles, but Kaplan did so slightly faster. Kaplan covered the distance in 8:44:32, earning the victory by five minutes on Schiller, whose time was 8:49:20. Stawski placed third with 46.2 miles in 8:49:21. Anthony Ryan, 19, of New Milford, Conn., was fourth with 46.2 miles in 8:53:30. Anthony Tieuli, 53, of Northbridge, Mass., rounded out the overall top five with 44 miles in 8:42:55.

Bernadette Smith, 50, of Floral Park, N.Y., was first place in the female field with 32.99 miles in 7:53:27. Lauren Griffin, 58, of Marlborough, Conn., was second with 30.79 miles in 7:56:54, followed by Adrienne Okon, 49, of North Falmouth, Mass., with 30.79 miles in 8:25:12. Brittany Deroehn, 30, of East Hampton, Conn., also completed 30.79 miles, finishing fourth in 8:40:47. 

SMR Mayapple Trail Runs

Brady Kezal was victorious in his ultrarunning debut at the seventh edition of the SMR Mayapple Trail Runs 50-mile and 50K ultras on Saturday, May 16, in Millburn, N.J. Kezal, 20, of Saco, Maine, opted for the 50K option, and he hammered the multi-loop course on the trails of South Mountain Reservation, ultimately winning in 5:18:19. Kezal’s time was the second-fastest in course history. Twenty-five runners finished the race within 10 hours, and Kezal was the lone New England resident among the field.

Additionally, eight runners completed the 50-miler, including 47-year-old Jason Reynolds of Greenwich, Conn., who placed fourth overall and third in the male field in 11:49:58. Timmy Zhou, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., led all runners in 10:31:17 while top female Chloe Vesper, 26, of North Wales, Pa., placed second in 11:23:14.

Trails to the Sky 50K

A pair of Connecticut men earned ultramarathon finishes at the second annual Trails to the Sky 50K on Saturday, May 16, at Voorhees State Park in Glen Gardner, N.J. They took on a 10K loop course with 900 feet of gain that they had to complete five times.

Trevor Meinke, 43, of Monroe, Conn., placed sixth overall in 6:29:33. He will next race the Centurion Ultra Trail 33-Hour in Connecticut in June, followed by the Jigger Johnson 100-miler in New Hampshire in August. Peter Mumola, 55, of Norwalk, Conn., was 16th in 8:27:07.

Twenty-three runners finished the race, with 43-year-old Michael Dixon of Highland Park, N.J., and 41-year-old Lee-Anne Zinetti of Jersey City, N.J., leading the male and female fields in 4:23:21 and 6:23:22, respectively.

Massanutten Mountain Trails 100

The Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 has long been a popular draw for New England ultrarunners, and the 30th edition of the event once again drew a large crowd of nearly a dozen runners from the region on May 16-17 in Fort Valley, Va. The course is always challenging, with its rugged trails through the Massanutten Mountains of the Shenandoah Valley with around 18,000 feet of climbing, and this year it took a large toll. Of the 183 runners who started the race, 103 finished within 38 hours – including three New Englanders.

Scott Benerofe, 30, of Richmond, Vt., entered with a prior 100-mile finish to his credit, having won the 2024 Devil’s Den 30-Hour Ultra in Vermont with 102.4 miles. Benerofe placed 11th at Massanutten and ninth in the male field in 24:07:03. The top 10 overall finishers went sub-24. Bryan McCusty, 37, of Simsbury, Conn., finished 53rd in 31:23:34. It was McCusty’s first 100-mile finish. Additionally, Eric Wester, 39, of Glastonbury, Conn., finished 56th in 31:50:18. It was Wester’s seventh time completing 100 miles.

Andrew Simpson, 37, of Wrightsville, Pa., led all runners in 18:26:17. Ninth overall finisher Cali Janulis, 29, of Randolph, N.J., finished first in the female field in 23:35:34 and topped her closest competitor, 29-year-old Nora Jodrey of Bethesda, Md., by 13 minutes (23:48:58).

Cruel Jewel Ultras

Several New Englanders took on big climbs and technical terrain at the 13th edition of the Cruel Jewel 100-mile and 50-mile ultras on May 15-17 in Blue Ridge, Ga. The 100-miler measured 103.54-mile out-and-back journey in the Chattahoochee National Forest, from Blue Ridge to Blairsville and back with more than 33,000 feet of climbing, and two New Englanders were among the top performers. Lukas Janulaitis, 24, of Gorham, N.H., led the New England contingent with an eighth-place finish in 27:29:50. Additionally, Catie Markesich, 40, of Milton, Vt., finished 24th overall and second in the female field in 30:48:37.

Brian Kallhof, 45, of Fort Myers, Fla, and Rachel Doxey, 26, of Charlotte, N.C., finished 1-9 overall and were the top male and female finishers in 25:04:28 and 27:45:53, respectively. Of the 197 runners who started the race, 143 finished within 48 hours.

Janulaitis and Markesich weren’t the only New Englanders to complete the 100-miler. Drew Jett, 39, of Burlington, Conn., placed 26th in 31:01:00; Matthew Betten, 35, of Marlborough, Mass., finished 32nd in 32:21:57; andKristijan Begic, 40, of Waterbury, Conn., finished 47th in 34:08:58, a two-hour improvement on his 2024 finish. Additionally, Elizabeth Nesbitt, 44, of Burlington, Vt., finished 71st overall in 36:30:10; former Massachusetts resident Dane LeBlanc, 68, finished 112th in 41:41:56, more than an hour faster than his 2024 performance; and Tek Ung, 44, of Cranston, R.I., finished 130th in 44:56:03. It was her third time finishing the race, having previously done so in 2019 and 2024.

An additional 90 runners completed the Cruel Jewel 50-mile race, which spanned 57.5 miles of point-to-point running from Blairsville to Blue Ridge with more than 17,000 feet of climbing. Aliza Lapierre, 45, of Richmond, Vt., was the lone New Englander among the finishers. She placed 10th overall and fourth in the female field, just four minutes off the podium. Cody Bare, 25, of Broomfield, Colo., topped the male field in 12:02:11, and Holly Adams, 48, of Marietta, Ga., was the top female in 14:03:25. The top four females were separated by less than 20 minutes.

Iron Will Backroads Ultra

Jason Haley didn’t just earn his first 100-mile finish at the Iron Will Backroads Ultra, he also earned his first ultramarathon victory. Haley, 52, of South Hamilton, Mass., was the lone New England resident who took part in the fourth annual Iron Will Backroads Ultra on May 16-17 in Enterprise, Kan. The event offered 100-mile, 100K and 50K distances, and Haley opted for the farthest option. That required runners to complete nine loops of the 11.15-mile course on a mix of gravel roads and rail trail.

Though it was Haley’s first attempt at the distance, he was up to the challenge. Of the eight runners who attempted the 100-miler, three finished and Haley did so the fastest. His winning time of 26:27:00 was the second-fastest in event history. Jeremiah Merriman, 23, of Elkhorn, Neb., was second in 34:37:00, and event creator Will Sprouse, 57, of Enterprise, Kan., was third in 35:21:00.

Ram Party

A handful of New Englanders headed to Colorado to party on the trails at the fifth annual Ram Party trail races on Saturday, May 16, in Colorado Springs. The event offered five distances, including 55-mile, 60K and 50K ultramarathons.

In the 60K race, defending female champion Lauren Puretz, 43, of Colorado Springs, won the race outright in 5:08:22, seven minutes ahead of top male David Burroughs, 37, of nearby Manitou Springs (5:15:48). Jackson Beil, 17, and Leah Mink, 41, both of Danbury, Conn., ran and finished together in 8:26:04, tying for 35th out of 65 finishers. Alex Rosati, 44, of Portland, Maine, followed shortly after in 39th place in 8:33:40. Additionally, 39-year-old Leigh Mastin of Portland, Maine, finished 61st in 10:47:09.

In the 50K race, 24-year-old Daniel Finger of Boulder, Colo., and 33-year-old Molly Thomsen of Superior, Colo., finished 1-2 overall and topped the male and female fields in 3:17:17 and 3:57:38, respectively. DJ Beil, 49, of Danbury, Conn., was the lone New Englander among the 71 finishers, placing 63rd in 8:07:40.

No New Englanders were among the 49 finishers in the 55-mile race. Addie Bracy, 39, of Buena Vista, Colo., led all runners in 8:02:18, winning by more than an hour and breaking the female course record by more than an hour. Bracy’s time was the second-fastest by any runner ever on the course. 

*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.