From the earliest hours of the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra, Berkshire County was under a severe thunderstorm watch.

Heavy storms moved across New York and inched closer to Clapp Park in Pittsfield, Mass., where 74 runners and walkers gathered to pile up miles on a .355-mile cinder and dirt track. BURCS events are no stranger to severe weather events–most notably the 2023 Notchview Ultra where monsoon-like conditions soaked the course in nearby Windsor–and Sweltering Summer has experienced rain on a few occasions, causing water to pool on the track.

Still, for this, the 14th edition of Sweltering Summer on Saturday, Aug. 8, the only soggy conditions experienced by runners came in the form of sweat. They spent a humid day running under partly cloudy skies, with the temperature climbing from the low 70s to low 80s. Some walked the loop in small groups, chatting and laughing along the way. Others pushed the pace, including Michael DeGeorge and Garrett Ramsey, who together delivered the biggest threat to Greg Soutiea’s course record of 61.48 miles that has stood since 2018.

Shortly after the race concluded, a deluge of rain dumped on Clapp Park as people scurried to their cars. The storm held off just long enough for the event to be a success and for several big performances to be completed.

Both DeGeorge, 28, of Albany, N.Y., and Ramsey, 33, of Pittsfield, Mass., pushed each other throughout but didn’t quite catch Soutiea’s record. They posted the fourth- and fifth-best mileage tallies in event history, with DeGeorge winning with 57.86 miles and Ramsey finishing as the runner-up with 56.44 miles. Soutiea owns the top three efforts (61.48 miles in 2018; 59.703 miles in 2016; 57.926 miles in 2017). Anthony Ryan, 19, of New Milford, Conn., completed the male podium with 52.18 miles. For Ryan, the performance came one week after logging 86.4 miles at the MCW Westfield Ultra 24-hour race in New Jersey.

Kehr Davis also pushed the pace and delivered a big effort. Davis, 49, of Pittsfield, Mass., typically opts for mountain races and other events with plenty of climbing. She took on such courses earlier this year when she won the Traprock 50K in Connecticut, finished fifth at the Worlds End 100K in Pennsylvania, and finished seventh at the Cascade Crest 100-miler in Washington. At Sweltering Summer, Davis ditched the mountains for a flat course and proved to be plenty fast on the more friendly terrain. She finished fourth overall and placed first in the female field with 47.57 miles, good for the ninth-best effort by a female in event history. Davis outdistanced her closest competitor by eight miles. Anna Miller, 47, of Lexington, Mass., was the female runner-up with 39.40 miles, and 55-year-old Wendy Cordeiro of New Bedford, Mass., placed third with 37.63 miles.

In total, 29 runners completed 30 miles or more, and eight eclipsed the 40-mile mark.

Sweltering Summer Honors First Two Members of 500-Mile Club: Sweltering Summer Race Director Benn Griffin tracks runners’ lifetime mileage at various BURCS events, including Sweltering Summer. Two runners became the first members of the 500-mile club at Sweltering Summer, and Griffin honored both with personalized plaques. Pete Colaizzo, 61, of Hyde Park, N.Y., has taken part in all 14 editions of the event. His 31.24-mile effort this year gave him 527.7666 lifetime miles at Sweltering Summer. Bill Odendahl, 61, of Trumbull, Conn., missed the first two years of the event but has amassed mileage steadily over 12 years. He finished fifth overall at this year’s race with 45.44 miles, moving his lifetime tally at Sweltering Summer to 522.876 miles.

Wally Laps Raise Funds for AYJFund: A Sweltering Summer tradition is that for each loop that runners carry the BURCS’ mascot, Wally Watermelon, Griffin will donate an extra dollar to the event’s benefactor. This year runners carried the watermelon for 47 laps–or 16.68 miles–meaning Griffin donated an extra $47 to AYJ Fund, a northern Berkshire County nonprofit organization that provides support and services to children battling cancer. In addition to Wally Laps, the event raffled off two watermelon-themed gift baskets with the proceeds from the raffle going to AYJ Fund.