Memorial Day weekend was light on ultramarathon racing across the United States, but New Englanders found their way to several starting lines – including two in the region. The Drummer Hill Trail Races welcomed runners in New Hampshire, while the Trail Festival at Pineland Farms once again played host to a large endurance festival in Maine. We have both of those events covered, as well as a few others across the country in this edition of the roundup.

Drummer Hill Trail Races

Marty Nelligan spent the past few years as a cross country standout at Keene State University. Now, the 23-year-old Keene resident is tearing up the trails. Nelligan made his trail ultrarunning debut at the ninth edition of the Drummer Hill Trail Races on Saturday, May 23, in Keene, N.H., and he ended with a victory.

Drummer Hill offers a choose-your-own-adventure format, allowing runners to decide as they go along whether to complete anywhere from one to four loops of the 12.5-kilometer course. This year’s course featured a new variation from prior years, and 98 runners took part in the challenge. Of those who ran, 34 completed four loops for a 50K ultramarathon finish. Nelligan did so the fastest, winning in 4:21:28. Daniel Grip, 46, of Belchertown, Mass., finished second in 4:33:30, earning runner-up honors for the second year in a row. Four-time finisher David Herr, 61, of Canaan, Vt., finished third in 4:45:11. It was Herr’s third time placing on the podium and an improvement on his fifth-place performance in 2025. Alexander Boynton, 34, of Walpole, N.H., was the final sub-5-hour finisher, completing the course in 4:56:27.

Nelligan wasn’t the only runner who was victorious in their ultra debut. Top female Alanna April, 32, of Manchester, N.H., topped the female field and won her first ultra in 6:41:48. She was joined on the podium by Abby Bent McKie, 48, of Peabody, Mass. (6:59:05), and Allison Triola, 31, of Winooski, Vt. (7:01:09). Katja Fink, 51, of Cambridge, Mass., was a close fourth in 7:05:57.

Trail Festival at Pineland Farms

It was a weekend of big mileage and bigger performances at the Trail Festival at Pineland Farms on May 23-24 at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. The endurance festival included several distance and relay options, including solo 30-hour, 100K and 50K ultramarathons.

Sixty runners took part in the 30-hour race. Of that group, 55 surpassed the marathon distance, 43 surpassed 50 miles, and 10 surpassed the 100-mile mark. Ryan Hunter led all runners with 19 laps of a 6.8-mile loop course for 129.2 miles. Greg Legier was second overall with 17 laps and 115.6 miles. Top female Jennifer Whynot was third overall with 16 laps and 108.8 miles. Carey Patrick Wertz matched her mileage but needed 13 more minutes to do so, finishing fourth overall and third in the male field. Janel Goodman joined Whynot on the female podium with 102 miles, and Rachel Elizabeth Walker was third with 95.2 miles.

Twenty-four runners completed the 100K race, with Jason Bigonia leading all runners in 9:05:06. He was followed by Lance Greenwald in 10:01:36, and Xavier Gagnon in 10:29:50. Nicole Negowetti led the female field in 11:23:54, followed by Kelly Clinton in 15:00:43, and Elizabeth Dee in 16:28:19.

An additional 73 runners completed the event’s 50K race. Sapan Bhatt led all runners with a sizzling 3:30:32 performance, followed 12 minutes later by David Cowles in 3:42:43 as the only other sub-4-hour finisher. Chris Maguire rounded out the male podium in 4:05:53, followed by Matthew Edwards and Patrick Hanlon in 4:17:00 and 4:22:11, respectively. Mary Kate Czepiel and Deirdre Lowe were in a close battle for the win in the female field at the midway point, but Czepiel faded in the second half while Katie Morrison came on strong and cut 22 minutes off of Lowe’s lead. Ultimately, Lowe hung on for the win in 5:01:46, followed by Morrison in 5:08:00. Czepiel fought hard to keep the final spot on the podium in 5:16:59. Jennifer Vicenzi closed strong and finished fourth in 5:18:13.

Adrenaline Night Runs 50K

Margie Lothian is officially an ultrarunner. The 35-year-old from South Portland, Maine, earned the distinction after traveling to Arizona to take part in the Adrenaline Night Runs 50K on Saturday, May 23, in Fountain Hills.

Lothian was one of 74 runners who took on the trails of McDowell Mountain Regional Park under the cover of darkness. Fifty-seven runners ultimately completed the course within 10 hours, including Lothian who tied for 38th in 7:16:31. Lothian was also the fifth-place female finisher. Marlena Deleone, 34, of Prescott, Ariz., finished sixth overall and topped the female field in 5:23:34. Joseph Moreno, 22, of Tucson, Ariz., led all runners in 3:49:17.

West Virginia Trail Fest

Jack Dorsey earned his first ultramarathon finish at the third annual West Virginia Trail Fest on May 22-23 in Snowshoe, W.V. The multi-distance event included two ultramarathon distances: 100K and 50K. Dorsey, 25, of Shrewsbury, Mass., opted for the 50K distance. His race included a point-to-point course with 5,300 feet of climbing. Of the 73 runners who started, 70 finished including Dorsey who tied for 52nd in 8:59:13. Garrett Everton, 30, of Slaty Fork, W.V., and Kathryn Van Orden, 28, of Salem, Va., were the top male and female finishers in 5:00:02 and 5:30:11, respectively.

The 100K featured a midnight start and a rugged course with 11,500 feet of climbing. Thirty-nine runners attempted the distance, and 27 ultimately finished. No New England residents took part at that distance.

May Madness 50K

Russ Murphy traveled to Hoffman, N.C., to take part in the May Madness 50K, and he returned home to Norwell, Mass., as an ultrarunner. Murphy, 27, made his ultra debut at the eighth annual event on Saturday, May 23, at a unique event that consisted of a series of 10 5Ks, with a new timed lap beginning each hour for 10 consecutive hours. Runners’ final times were a cumulative total of all 10 laps. Of the 48 runners who took part, Murphy finished 36th in 6:25:32. Jeffrey Bochey, 44, of Cameron, N.C., led all runners in 3:47:28, followed by Jubal Stokes, 37, of West End, N.C., in 3:52:14.

*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.