It’s late August, and surprisingly calm on the ultrarunning scene in New England. After several jam-packed weekends of racing, just two ultras took place in the region during the Aug. 20-22 weekend. One was the Jug End Loop Ultra in Massachusetts, which we have covered in a separate story. The other took place in Maine where Michael Conley blazed to a new course record and successful title defense at the Firebird Trail Races 50K. We have that race covered along with an ultra in nearby New York in this edition of the roundup.

Firebird Trail Races

A year ago, Michael Conley stood atop the podium of the Firebird Trail Races 50K following a dominant performance where he won by 53 minutes. Conley returned for the eighth edition of the event on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Windham, Maine, and found himself in a familiar place–but he got there much faster.

Conley, 42, of Gorham, Maine, successfully defended his title on the 50K race, which required he and his fellow runners to complete three trips through a 10-mile loop course at the Lowell Preserve, navigating plenty of rocks and roots along the way. Conley not only won the race, but also set a new course record in 4:18:11, going 27 minutes under the previous mark.

The win adds to what has already been a big year for Conley. He started the season by winning the Riverlands 100-miler in Turner, Maine, and followed it up by defending his title at 6 at the Springs in Poland, Maine in June.

Conley was joined on the male podium at Firebird by runner-up Challender Melton Mowray, 23, who finished second in 5:00:37, and third-place Geoffrey Howe, 43, of Lebanon, Maine, in 5:25:15. Hailey Skiff, 27, of Boston, Mass., placed first in the female field in 5:55:19, followed by 20-year-old Kaylee Feeney of Winthrop, Maine, in 6:20:55, and third-place Anne Olson, 39, of South Portland, Maine, in 6:50:20. Lindsey Iman, 36, of Denver, Colo., topped the nonbinary field in 7:18:27.

Twenty-six runners completed the race within nine hours.

Green Lakes Endurance Runs

A handful of New Englanders took part in the 20th edition of the Green Lakes Endurance Runs on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Fayetteville, N.Y. The event offered several distances, including 100K and 50K ultramarathons and a 12-hour race on the trails of Green Lakes State Park

Four runners finished the 100K race, which required them to complete eight loops of the course. Brett Patnaude, 44, of St. Albans, Vt., was the lone New Englander in the field. He topped the male field and placed second overall in 13:37:38. Top female Rebecca Dottolo, 39, of Baldwinsville, N.Y., led all runners in 13:19:01.

Another 45 runners completed the four-loop 50K course, led by male and female champions Derek Prosser, 30, and Emily Elbers, 32, both of Syracuse, N.Y., who finished 1-2 overall in 4:05:31 and 4:17:09, respectively. Todd Baum, 68, of Essex Junction, Vt., led the New England contingent by placing 14th overall in 5:36:22. Additionally, Emily Burley Fox, 31, of Worcester, Mass., and Craig Fox, 35, of Swampscott, Mass., finished in 9:24:57 and 9:53:21, respectively.

Melissa Hooke, 48, of Windham, Vt., was the lone New Englander among the 46 finishers of the 12-hour race. Hooke placed 15th overall with 40.4 miles, also earning eighth place in the female field. Nicholas Jeror, 37, of Rome, N.Y., led all runners with 65.25 miles, while female winner Grace Depaull, 26, of Syracuse, N.Y., placed second overall with 62.1 miles.

*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.