September opened with a jam-packed slate of ultrarunning opportunities in New England, with the TARC Fall Classic in Massachusetts and a pair of events in Maine. The Fall Classic will be featured in a separate story, but this week’s roundup begins in Maine where runners took part in both the Cherry Hill Farm Ultra in Gorham and the Last Man Standing Ultramarathon at Pineland Farms. From there we head beyond the region and catch up on how New Englanders fared at ultras in Washington and Florida. Welcome to September and the start of the busiest part of the year in ultrarunning.

Cherry Hill Farm Ultra

Fast times and close finishes were turned in at the fourth annual Cherry Hill Farm Ultra 50K on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Gorham, Maine. The race required runners to complete 12 loops around the farm on a flat, non-technical course, and 28 runners finished within 9 hours.

Donald Frost, 32, of West Baldwin, Maine, and Savannah Bell, 29, of Concord, N.H., were neck and neck at the front of the field, and they ultimately finished 1-2 overall with Frost topping the male field in 4:27:00 and Bell leading the female field in 4:29:00. Bell set a new female course record with her performance. Frost was joined on the male podium by Jacob Seeker, 25, of Falmouth, Maine, and Stephen Westbrook, 63, of North Waterboro, Maine, who finished in 4:32:00 and 5:02:00, respectively. Bell was joined by Lauren Finelli, 49, of Portsmouth, N.H., and Katie Quinn, 30, of Buxton, Maine, who completed the race in 4:44:00 and 5:38:00, respectively.

Last Man Standing Ultramarathon at Pineland Farms

For those who can’t get enough of the Pineland Farms trails during the annual Pineland Farms Trail Festival in late spring, Back 40 Events offers a chance to spend even more time there with the late-summer Last Man Standing Ultramarathon at Pineland Farms. The latest edition began at noon on Saturday, Sept. 5, in New Gloucester, Maine. When it would end was up to the runners.

The event used a typical backyard ultra format, with runners taking on a 4.2-mile loop course on rolling doubletrack trails. A new lap began on the hour, every hour, and would continue until only one runner remained. This one took a while. Of the 203 runners who took part in the event, 149 completed at least seven hours and 29.4 miles for ultramarathon distance; 85 runners completed at least 12 hours and 50.4 miles of running; and the top 21 performers ran for at least 24 hours and 100.8 miles.

Only 12 runners went beyond 24 hours, and the field quickly whittled down after what, cutting to eight after the 25th hour and then down to six runners after the 26th hour. The remaining half-dozen runners hung on for quite a while. Of that group, Pedro Nogueira was the next to stop, doing so after 29 hours and 121.8 miles of running. An hour later, both Jason Geroux and Jordan Clark stopped with 126 miles apiece. That dropped the field to just Ryan Metivier, Clemente Carranza and Jason Bigonia who battled for a few more hours. Begonia stopped after 33 hours and 138.6 miles of competing, leaving Metivier and Carranza to duel for the win.

Metivier ultimately prevailed after 36 hours of running with 151.2 miles on his legs. Carranza earned the assist with a 147-mile effort and 35 hours of competing.

Dark Divide Trail Races

A pair of New Englanders took on a rugged Pacific Northwest challenge when they entered the 100-mile race at the Dark Divide Trail Races on Sept. 4-6 in Randle, Wash. The sixth annual event took place on the trails of the 70,000-acre Dark Divide Roadless Area within the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and the Cascades of central Washington. Rugged and remote, the race tested runners with more than 26,000 feet of climbing, but both Aliza Lapierre and Shamba Mukherjee were up to the task.

Of the 123 runners who started the race, 103 finished within the 48-hour time limit. Lapierre was among the fastest. The 46-year-old from Richmond, Vt., placed 21st overall and fourth in the female field in 30:30:03. Kyle Moss, 35, of Broomfield, Colo., led all runners in 21:04:10 and set a male course record. Lauren Albert-Lebrun, 37, of North Vancouver, B.C., placed first in the female field and sixth overall, and she set a new female course record. Mukerjee also got it done as the 37-year-old resident of Taunton, Mass., finished 96th in 44:12:50.

An additional 13 runners completed the event’s 100K race, and another 29 finished the 50K race. No New England residents took part at either of those distances.

Wildcat Ultras

Jack Hernon earned his first 100-mile finish at the Wildcat Ultras on Sept. 5-6 in Pensacola, Fla. Hernon ran his first ultra in 2024 and has gradually increased his distance since then. For his first 100-mile attempt, the 24-year-old from Canton, Mass., opted for the 13th annual event which uses a 2.5-mile loop course on trails and grass at the Escambia County Equestrian Center.

Twenty-six runners completed the 100-miler within 38 hours, including Hernon who finished eighth overall in 27:19:21. Will Rabon, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., led all runners in 21:26:06.

An additional 11 runners completed the event’s 100K race, 50 runners finished the 50-miler, and 56 runners completed the 50K race. No New Englanders took part in any of those races.

Pinellas Trail Challenge

In his build-up to his 100-mile debut at the Tampa Bay 100 in November, Joseph Kennedy did a tune-up run at the 13th annual Pinellas Trail Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 6, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The event tested runners with a 46-mile race on an out-and-back course on the Pinellas Trail.

Of the 144 runners who started the race, 91 finished within 13 hours. Kennedy was among the finishers and placed in the top third of the field. The 28-year-old from Byfield, Mass., placed 28th overall in 10:07:37. Marc Burget, 52, of Jacksonville, Fla., led all runners in 6:16:17. Joanne Fisher, 45, of Sanford, Fla., was the fastest female finisher, placing seventh overall in 7:50:01.

*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.