A hot New England weekend saw ultrarunners take on several events from Aug. 7-9 throughout the region, including the hottest Anchor Down Ultra ever in Rhode Island and the Lover’s Lane 12- and 6-hour races in Vermont, as well as a pair of Massachusetts ultras–the TARC Summer Classic and the BURCS Sweltering Summer 8-Hour Ultra. We have the two Massachusetts races covered in separate recaps, but in this edition of the roundup we begin in Rhode Island and Vermont before catching up on how New Englanders performed at other ultras across the country, including Tobias Tello’s victory and course record at the Murderkill Ultramarathons in Virginia.

Anchor Down Ultra

Hundreds of runners took part in the hottest Anchor Down Ultra on record on Aug. 7-8 in Bristol, R.I. They endured temperatures in the 90s and heavy humidity while completing as many laps of the 2.45-mile loop as they wanted for 24-, 12- or 6-hour intervals.

Of the 85 runners who took part in the 24-hour race, 70 completed at least 21 laps and 51.45 miles, 31 completed at least 25 laps and 61.25 miles, and eight completed at least 41 laps and 100.45 miles. Carter Mikkelsen of Holliston, Mass., and Alexander Burke of Dedham, Mass., led all runners with 45 laps and 110.25 miles apiece. Mikkelsen covered the distance in 21:47:17 and earned the overall win while Burke completed his run in 23:44:50. Adrian Ramirez of Norton, Mass., completed the male podium with 43 laps and 105.35 miles in 23:33:54. Additionally, Christopher Cappellini of Lincoln, N.H., finished 42 laps and 102.90 miles in 23:29:27; and Gregory Dorchies of Jericho, Vt., Philip Pannenko of Mystic, Conn., and Ryan Danby of Providence, R.I., each completed 41 laps for 100.45 miles, Dorchies in 23:08:37, Pannenko in 23:28:00 and Danby in 23:39:09. In the female field, Allison Bartak of Sunapee, N.H., was the lone 100-mile finisher. Bartak completed 41 laps and 100.45 miles in 23:25:57. Jennifer Burris of Kohler, Wisc., was the female runner-up with 29 laps and 71.05 miles in 23:27:11, followed by third-place Sarah McWhirter of Brookline, Mass., with 28 laps and 68.60 miles in 23:10:17.

Fifty-four runners took part in the 12-hour race, and the top six all surpassed the 50-mile mark. Colton Simmons of Fairhaven, Mass., led all runners with 25 laps and 61.25 miles in 11:45:55. Top female Jasmine Fowler of Morrill, Maine, matched Simmons’ mileage output and finished second overall in 11:52:52. Female runner-up Kelsey Miller of Portsmouth, R.I., placed third overall with 23 laps and 56.35 miles in 11:38:04. Male second- and third-place finishers John Saffioti of Meriden, Conn., and Rob Fowler of Morrill, Maine, followed with 23 and 22 laps apiece, Saffoti completing his 56.35 miles in 11:48:26 and Fowler finishing his 53.90 miles in 11:37:30. John McDonough of Ledyard, Conn., was fourth in the male field and sixth overall with 21 laps and 51.45 miles in 11:42:07. Kimberly Fitzgerald of East Haven, Conn., completed the female podium with 20 laps and 49.0 miles in 11:15:26.

Finally, 72 runners took part in the 6-hour race, and the top three surpassed the 30-mile mark. Steve Brightman of Providence, R.I., led the way with 14 laps and 34.3 miles in 5:37:20. Holly Koksel of Madison, N.J., was second overall and the first-place female with 13 laps and 31.85 miles in 5:28:16. Adam Greeney of Providence, R.I., matched Koksel’s mileage and was third overall and the male runner-up in 5:34:44. Stephen Hetterich of New York, N.Y., followed with 12 laps and 29.40 miles in 5:34:07. Christine Borowy of Tiverton, R.I., also finished 12 laps and 29.40 miles in 5:50:17. Jen Huber of Middletown, R.I., completed the female podium with 11 laps and 26.95 miles in 5:38:08.

Lover’s Lane

Four weeks ago, Katy Kelly delivered a masterpiece of a performance at the Notchview Ultra 100.7-mile race, completing 53 laps of the 1.9-mile loop course and its approximately 200 feet of climbing per loop to win the race outright in 21:44:00.

On Saturday, Aug. 8, Kelly took on a similar event when she took part in the Lover’s Lane Ultra in Chester, Vt. The race offered 12-hour and 6-hour races on a 1.8-mile loop course on singletrack trails, doubletrack trails and jeep roads and around 280 feet of climbing per loop. Kelly opted for the 12-hour race, and dominated the 30-runner field, winning the race outright with an overall course record 59.4-mile effort. David Champoux, 61, of Florence, Mass., was second overall and the top male finisher with 54.0 miles. Patrick O’Toole, 38, of Chester, Vt., was the only other runner to surpass the 50-mile mark, finishing third overall with 50.4 miles. Mark Daniels, 41, of Fort Fairfield, Maine, completed the male podium with 46.8 miles.

Kelly was joined on the female podium by April Farnham, 59, of Plainfield, Vt., and Carita Wegner, 53, of Salem, Mass., who completed 39.6 and 36.0 miles apiece. Eighteen runners completed 30 miles or more in the 12-hour race.

An additional 32 runners took part in the 6-hour race. Ian MacLauchlan, 42, of Wallingford, Vt., led all runners with 28.8 miles. Andrew Arsenault, 46, of Milton, N.H., and top female Jessica Redmond, 53, of Hinesburg, Vt., followed with 27.0 miles apiece. Suzanne Craige, 59, of East Barre, Vt., and Caitlin Rossi, 42, of Torrington, Conn., completed the female podium with 25.2 miles apiece, while Dave Bryan, 63, of Ormond Beach, Fla., was third in the male field with the same mileage tally.

Murderkill Ultramarathons

Tobias Tello was the lone New Englander at the Murderkill Ultramarathons, but the 22-year-old from Cheshire, Conn., delivered the biggest performance. The event offered 50-mile and 50K ultras as well as a 12-hour race. Tello opted for the 12-hour race and tied for the biggest mileage output of any runner at the second annual event on Saturday, Aug. 8, in Felton, Del.

Racing on an approximately 3.1-mile dirt loop course at Killen’s Pond State Park, Tello and 55-year-old Cynthia Robbs of Chesterfield, Va., matched each other’s mileage and were the male and female champions with a course-record 55.8 miles apiece. Twenty-four runners took part in the race, but both Tello and Robbs ran 12 more miles than any other runner in the field.

Wyoming Range 100

Joel Pepin took on a big, burly ultra and secured a hard-earned finish at the sixth annual Wyoming Range 100 on Aug. 7-9 in Wyoming. The race took place on the Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail, journeying through high alpine terrain with around 24,000 feet of climbing and an average elevation of 8,600 feet.

Of the 91 starters, 58 runners finished within the 48-hour time limit. Pepin, 40, of Standish, Maine, finished 16th overall in 36:09:39. He was the lone New Englander in the field, and it was at least his fifth time completing a race of 100 miles or more.

Cody Poskin, 24, of Cedar Hill, Mo., was the overall champion in a male course record time of 25:38:02. Female champion Ginny Robbins, 40, of Victor, Idaho, finished third overall in 28:41:48 and earned her fourth victory at the race. She owns the four fastest times ever by a female on the course.

Kesugi Ridge Traverse

Amelia Donahey waited four years to run her second ultramarathon, and she traveled a long way for it. Donahey, 40, of White River Junction, Vt., traveled cross-country to take part in the 14th edition of the Kesugi Ridge Traverse on Saturday, Aug. 8, at Denali State Park in Alaska. Donahey was one of 38 runners to successfully complete the 30-mile course traverse within 9 1/2 hours, finishing 18th overall and seventh in the female field in 7:32:06.

Axim Khatsenko, 32, of Boulder, Colo., led all runners in 5:14:13. Yvonne Jeschke, 29, of Anchorage, Alaska, finished second overall, defended her title in the female field and broke her own female course record in 5:14:53.

*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.