New champions stood tall at ultramarathons across New England during the first weekend of August, with solid results on the trails of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Additionally, runners from the region scattered across the country and earned successful finishes from the Ridge Reaper in New York to Badwater 135 in California. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest

For the first time in event history, the Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest has a new 50K champion. Isaac Vaccaro won the race during each of the event’s first three years, but this year the 27-year-old from Sedgwick, Maine, opted to race the 25K instead. He finished second at that distance, and cleared the way for a new winner to rise at the 50K distance. Brandon McCluskey filled the role in his ultramarathon debut as the 27-year-old from Grand Bay, New Brunswick, dominated the race and earned the overall win in 5:40:42. Ultra veteran Emily Spognardi, 34, of San Anselmo, Calif., topped the female field and finished second overall at her first ultra in Maine, crossing the line in 6:20:30.

Twenty runners completed the race within 11 hours. Eric Martinson, 43, of York, Maine, and Victor Wang, 41, of Middleboro, Mass., joined McCluskey on the male podium in 6:21:37 and 6:41:42, respectively, while 33-year-old Isabella Weidner of Stockton Springs, Maine, and 27-year-old Fradaric Lalancette of Girardville, Quebec, rounded out the female podium in 6:49:54 and 8:16:06.

Ragged 75 Stage Race

James Boeding and Christina Danosi reigned supreme at the 10th edition of the Ragged 75 Stage Race on July 31-Aug. 2 in Danbury, N.H. Boeding, 34, of West Hartford, Conn., and Danosi, 35, of Manchester Center, Vt., outdistanced the male and female fields to win the three-day stage race covering 75 miles with 15,500 feet of climbing on a mix of terrain ranging from technical singletrack mountain trails to dirt roads and pavement. Boeding led all runners in 13:05:07, while Danosi topped the female field and finished fifth out of 28 finishers in 18:16:33. Erik Brooks, 37, of Lincolnville, Maine, and William Ren, 27, of Hanover, N.H., joined Boeding on the male podium with collective three-day times of 14:42:16 and 17:01:40, respectively. Ben Ulmer, 26, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Jordan Clark, 28, of Clinton, Mass., completed the male top five in 18:14:36 and 18:55:23, respectively. Kimberly Quedado, 50, of Morgantown, W.V., and Julia Fuller, 30, of Cambridge, Mass., completed the female podium in 18:41:30 and 18:55:14, respectively. Arlee Hiskey, 32, of Colchester, Vt., and Catherine Ricks, 46, of Brewster, Mass., were fourth and fifth in 23:49:17 and 23:55:54.

In addition to the stage race, day three included a point-to-point heavy 50K measuring 33 miles with 6,300 feet of climbing. Eric LiPuma, 33, of Richmond, Vt., earned the victory in 4:33:32, edging Dakota Jones by about 3 1/2 minutes. Jones, 35, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was second in 4:36:56. Alex Minor, 28, of Morgantown, W.V., finished third in 4:55:09. In the female field, Maddie Leopold took top honors as the 32-year-old from Williamstown, Mass., completed the course in 5:14:20. She was joined on the podium by runner-up Renee Metivier, 44, of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Lindsay Allison, 30, of Telluride, Colo, who followed in 5:35:47 and 5:50:27, respectively.

Moosalamoo Ultra

A pair of first-time ultrarunners were victorious at the Moosalamoo Ultra on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Goshen, Vt. The 36-mile course is always challenging to veterans and newcomers alike, with its mix of difficult climbs, stinging nettles and sticky mud, and the 15th edition of the event was no exception. Still, 46 runners managed to complete the course within 12 hours, including 25-year-old Isaac Hillman of Wardsboro, Vt., and 33-year-old Genevieve Laliberte of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, who finished 1-3 overall and were the male and female champions in 6:15:31 and 6:31:18, respectively. It was the first ultramarathon–and first ultra victory–for both runners.

Hillman held off 35-year-old Siqi Wu of Bloomington, Ind., who was just two weeks removed from a fifth-place finish at the Vermont 100 (16:52:39). The Vermont 100 was the third leg of Wu’s attempt at completing the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning this year. He previously was the runner-up at the Old Dominion 100 (17:42:00) on June 6, and then finished 59th overall at the Western States Endurance Run 100-miler (20:39:29) on June 27. Wu will close out the Grand Slam at the Wasatch 100 in September. Moosalamoo regular and two-time champion (2014, 2015) David Herr, 61, of Canaan, Vt., was the third-place male and fourth overall finisher in 6:35:24. Lorenzo Atocha, 19, of Lincoln, Vt., followed in 6:40:59 for his first ultramarathon finish.

Lily Weinstein Terry, 20 of Norwich, Vt., was the female runner-up in 7:05:32. She was followed by Rachael Balinski, 32, of Bristol, Vt., in 7:18:51, and Kate Ripley, 32, of Bristol, Vt., in 7:19:57.

Ridge Reaper Trail Runs

New York’s newest trail ultramarathon had a handful of New England residents secure places on the podium at the inaugural Ridge Reaper Trail Runs on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Cross River, N.Y. The event offered both 50-mile and 50K ultras on technical singletrack trails and carriage roads through the woods at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Runners in the 50-mile race had to complete two 25-mile loops while those in the 50K race had to complete two 25K loops.

Forty-eight runners completed the 50K race, but 21-year-old Brady Kezal of Saco, Maine, was the fastest. After winning his ultra debut in May at the SMR Mayapple Trail Runs 50K, Kezal made it two-for-two by winning the Ridge Reaper 50K in 5:13:30. He fended off runner-up Justin Kaufmann, 30, of New York, N.Y., by less than two minutes, as Kaufmann finished in 5:15:10. Fellow New Englanders Daniel Ferris, 22, of North Andover, Mass., and Chuck Greb, 48, of Burlington, Conn., joined him in the male top 10, placing seventh and 10th, respectively, in 5:51:25 and 6:26:05. In the female field, 34-year-old Staci Thornton of Ashburn, Va., earned the victory in 6:23:45 and finished 10th overall. Molly Fraher was the top female finisher from New England. The 38-year-old from Goshen, Conn., finished fourth in 8:11:34.

Another 26 runners completed the 50-miler, led by Brian Dalpiaz, 41, of Sayville, N.Y., in 8:47:40. Matty Jones, 28, of Brookfield, Conn., snagged the final spot on the podium with a  third-place finish in 11:28:21. Matthew Barnett, 39, of East Hampton, Conn., and Matt Knight, 40, of Granby, Conn., were fifth and sixth in the male field in 11:42:32 and 11:44:14, respectively. Emorie Keimig, 32, of Gainesville, Fla., finished first in the female field and fifth overall in 11:34:28. Lauren Edelman, 46, of Stamford, Conn., was fourth in the female field in 12:29:58, and Abigail Hanlon, 26, of Naugatuck, Conn., was fifth in 13:20:00.

Rodeo Valley Trail Run

Katherine Fair was the lone New Englander in the field at the Rodeo Valley Trail Run 50K, but she made her presence felt at the 15th edition of the event on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Sausalito, Calif. Fair, 34, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., was one of the fastest runners in the field and earned a place on the podium.

Fair had a strong day of running on the trails of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Of the 75 finishers within nine hours, Fair finished 11th overall and second in the female field in 5:20:38. Jewel Ghoul, 36, of Mill Valley, Calif., topped the podium and placed third overall in 4:43:58 while 33-year-old Luke Masefield of London, U.K., led all runners in 4:20:55.

Waldo 100K

The only New Englander at the 24th edition of the Waldo 100K was one of the fastest on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Oakridge, Ore. Jared Dybas, 26, of Groton, Conn., finished 20th out of 131 runners on the challenging loop course through the mountains that started and finished at the Willamette Pass Ski Area and took runners on a variety of singletrack trails through remote wilderness. Dybas finished in 12:19:17.

Anthony Fagundes, 36, of Fair Oaks, Calif., led all runners in 9:29:31. Jennifer Schmidt, 34, of Auburn, Calif., was the first-place female finisher and sixth overall in 10:46:07.

Volcanic 50

Briana Horgan traveled cross-country to secure a hard-earned ultramarathon finish at the Volcanic 50. The 15th edition of the event took place on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Cougar, Wash., and it once again included a full circumnavigation of Mt. St. Helens with runners earning a heavy 50K finish for their effort. Of the 194 finishers within 13 hours, Organ, 40, of Rye, N.H., placed 121st in 9:45:13.

Matthew Bigman, 33, of Portland, Ore., and Sarah Allaben, 27, of Hood River, Ore., finished 1-2 overall and topped the male and female fields in 5:19:15 and 5:37:22, respectively.

Badwater 135

Cole Crosby completed one of the hardest footraces on the planet when he finished the Badwater 135 on July 27-29 in Lone Pine, Calif. Crosby was one of more than 90 runners who took on the 135-mile run from the Badwater Basin in Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level to the 8,360-foot Whitney Portal near Mt. Whitney, overcoming extreme heat along the way. Ultimately, 88 runners finished within 45 hours. Crosby, 37, of Cranston, R.I., placed 14th overall and 11th in the male field in 26:37:45.

Max Jolliffe, 34, of Costa Mesa, Calif., led all runners in 20:53:41 and set a new overall course record. Carmen Maria Perez, 44, of San Juan de Requena, Spain, was second overall and set a new female course record in 21:05:32.

The Summit 200

A pair of New Englanders were among a small group of runners who successfully completed The Summit 200 from July 27-30 in Frisco, Colo. Both Eojin Kim and Tek Ung got it done, and both entered with prior 200-mile successes on their legs.

The third annual event had a 108-hour time limit, giving runners 4 1/2 days to complete a single 200-mile loop around Summit County, Colo., running on a variety of terrain ranging from trails to forest roads to pavement. The entire course was at 9,000 feet above sea level or higher, including a high point of nearly 13,000 feet.

Of the 40 runners who started the race, 27 ultimately finished. Kim, 27, of Somerville, Mass., placed ninth overall and seventh in the male field in 79:49:40. The Summit was Kim’s third time completing a 200-mile race. He previously finished the Bigfoot 200 in both 2022 and 2023. Ung, 44, of Cranston, R.I., finished 26th in 105:26:27. She previously finished The Summit 200 in 2025 in 105:20:42.

Ryan Lange, 29, of Arvada, Colo., led all runners in this year’s race in 62:47:18, while Bethany Madson, 40, of Baton Rouge, La., led the female field and finished seventh overall in 77:04:22.

*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.