New Englanders had a big weekend of ultra racing from Sept. 18-20, scattering across the country to earn finishes from 50K to 108 miles. That included the rugged Kilkenny Ridge Trail Race in New Hampshire, as well as the Wild Goose Trail Festival in New Jersey where Maine’s Jennifer Whynot logged more miles than anyone, as well some hard-earned 100-mile finishes in the West.

Kilkenny Ridge Trail Race

The eighth edition of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail Race once again tested runners with tough running on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Stark, N.H. The three-distance event offered 25-mile and 25K races, but the main event was the 50-mile out-and-back race on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail, starting and ending in Stark with a turnaround in Jefferson, crossing over two of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks–Mt. Waumbek and Mt. Cabot–along the way.

The 50-miler tested runners not just with challenging trails, but also 15,000 feet of climbing. Ultimately, 30 runners started the 50-miler and 23 finished.

In the male field, 34-year-old Chris Paquette of Waterford, Conn., won comfortably with a cushion of more than an hour, finishing in 11:24:55. Peter Bonito, 41, of Westmoreland, N.H., was second in 12:36:29, and 42-year-old Schuyler Timmons of Richmond, Vt., was third in 13:13:44. Zach Leeds, 29, of Canaan, N.H., and Mark Szeliga, 40, of Gilead, Maine, were the only other sub-15-hour finishers, completing the course in 13:40:06 and 13:44:39, respectively.

In her 50-mile debut, Monika Pasieka, 30, of New York, N.Y., topped the female field in 19:14:19. She was joined on the podium by 35-year-old Phoebe White of Croton On Hudson, N.Y., and 38-year-old Stacey Mumford of Rochester, N.H., who followed in 19:59:54 and 20:59:23, respectively. Lauren Linekin, 28, of Portland, Maine, and Tierney Beauregard, 28, of Portland, Maine, followed in 21:00:29 and 21:00:30.

In addition to the 50-miler, two sub-ultra distances were also offered, a 25-miler and 25K. In the 25-mile race which had 7,500 feet of climbing, 23-year-old Shane Skiff of Williston, Vt., won in 4:23:40 and set a new course record. Kelly Snyder, 33, of Somerville, Mass., finished first in the female field and fifth overall in 6:30:48. Another 49 runners completed the 25K race, with 26-year-old Owen Glover of Somerville, Mass., taking the overall win in 2:50:30, while 33-year-old Haley Heinrich of Newbury, N.H., finished third overall and first in the female field in 2:55:33. It was Heinrich’s third straight win in the 25K.

Wild Goose Trail Festival

Several New Englanders put up big mileage–and two earned victories–at the fifth annual Wild Goose Trail Festival on Sept. 19-20 in Ringwood, N.J. After taking place at Wawayanda State Park for the first four years, the event moved to Ringwood State Park but still offered an

Moved from Wawayanda State Park to Ringwood State Park event lineup that included 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultras as well as a 36-hour race.

Jennifer Whynot, 43, of Windham, Maine, led all runners in the 36-hour race with a winning tally of 108 miles. Top male Michael Massoni, 37, of South Amboy, N.J., was second with 102.5 miles, along with second- and third-place female finishers Rebecca Gordon, 32, of Larksville, Pa., and Mindy Yard, 46, of Hanover, Pa. Fifteen of the 65 runners in the 36-hour race achieved triple-digit mileage, including Sarah Shaver, 33, of Bethany, Conn., and Scott Johnson, 45, of Jefferson, Mass., who ran 102.5 miles apiece. Julia Magnusson, 54, of Maynard, Mass., completed 61.75 miles, and Mary Newell, 76, of New Haven, Conn., completed 43.75 miles.

Two New Englanders were among the 40 finishers of the 100K race, including overall winner Brady Kezal, 21, of Saco, Maine, who won with a 46 minutes in 9:43:53. Matt Sicotte, 47, of Georgia, Vt., was seventh overall in 14:06:43.

Justin Kousky, 46, of Westport, Conn., and his 10-year-old daughter, Ellowyn Kousky, ran the 50-mile race together and finished together in 20th place out of 44 finishers in 11:59:01. Additionally, 30-year-old Sarah Brenner of Cambridge, Mass., placed 22nd in 12:12:36; 51-year-old Ruben Figueroa of Burlington, Conn., placed 24th in 12:34:13; and 41-year-old Alyssa Freeze of Boxborough, Mass., was 26th in 13:17:27.

In the 50K race, two New Englanders were among the 59 finishers, including 42-year-old Aaron King of New Haven, Conn., who placed second in 4:33:33. Gregory Pease, 29, of Jersey City, N.J., earned the win in 4:27:08. Additionally, Leah Glennon, 30, of Cheshire, Conn., placed 28th in 7:12:53.

No New Englanders were among the 25 finishers of the 100-mile race.

Mountain Lakes 100

A strong weekend of racing by female runners highlighted the 12th edition of the Mountain Lakes 100 on Sept. 19-20 in Olallie Lake, Ore., and two Massachusetts women were among those finishers. The race offered a mix of technical and flowy terrain, including 60 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, with around 12,000 feet of climbing and plenty of views of mountains and lakes along the way. Ultimately, a stout female field blasted through the course the fastest, with the entire female podium placing in the top five.

Jessica Quinn, 32, of Issaquah, Wash., and Katie Adams, 38, of Sandpoint, Idaho, led all runners and finished 1-2 overall in 18:38:56 and 19:28:41, respectively. Top male Shawn Ross, 48, of Draper, Utah, was third overall in 19:56:45. Third-place female Elisabeth Phillps-Jones, 36, of Grants Pass, Ore., was fifth overall in 21:44:28. Just off the podium, 39-year-old Rachel Bainbridge of Concord, Mass., placed fifth in the female field and 14th overall in 23:07:54. It was Bainbridge’s 100-mile debut. Additionally, 100-mile veteran Amy Rusiecki, 47, of South Deerfield, Mass., finished 54th overall and 14th in the female field in 27:48:45.

Of the 157 runners who started the race, 91 finished within the 30-hour time limit.

Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival (IMTUF)

Persistence paid off for Brian Baynes. After failing to finish the Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival 100-miler during each of the past two years, the 50-year-old from Winchester, Mass., gave it one more try at the 15th annual event on Sept. 19-20 in McCall, Idaho. This time, he got it done.

Baynes was one of 181 runners who started the race, of which just 107 would ultimately finish within the 36-hour time limit. Along the way, they had to climb 22,000+ feet while navigating the rugged, remote trails of the Salmon River Mountains. Ultimately, Baynes finished 39th overall in 30:12:58.

Benjamin Stout, 32, of Los Alamos, N.M., led the field of 107 finishers in 18:46:47. Top female Ginny Robbins, 40, of Victor, Idaho, placed eighth overall in 23:07:03. Both set course records.

Bryce Canyon Ultras

A pair of New Englanders earned victories at the 14th annual Bryce Canyon Ultras on Sept. 19-20 in Bryce Canyon, Utah. The event offered 100-mile, 50-mile, 60K and 50K ultras on singletrack trails with plenty of altitude to deal with as the majority of the races took place above 7,000 feet. The New Englanders who won took part in the shorter ultra distances.

In the 60K race, 34-year-old Derek Kachadurian of Truro, Mass., led the field of 79 finishers by winning in 6:26:58. His closest competitor, 30-year-old Avery Hohenstein of Dallas, Texas, followed four minutes behind in 6:31:00. Annika Fouch, 36, of Buena Vista, Colo., led the female field in 7:40:24. Reilly Dahlquist, 26, of Somerville, Mass., joined Kachadurian in the top 10, placing 10th overall and eighth in the male field in 8:24:54. Andrew Patterson, 40, of Wilton, Conn., also had a strong day of racing and placed 17th overall in 8:54:34. Also among the finishers were Michael Lepore, 50, of Marlborough, Mass., and Elizabeth Masterjohn, 46, of Hudson, Mass., who tied for 56th in 11:59:16; David Backus, 55, of Fairfield, Conn., who finished 62nd in 12:23:41; and Amy Costandi, 39, of Cumberland, R.I., who finished 74th in 13:51:14.

While Kachadurian won the 60K, another New Englander topped the 50K podium. Gabrielle Dionne, 27, of Central Falls, R.I., was second overall and the first-place female finisher in the 50K race in 6:29:01. Leslie Starley, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the male winner in 6:18:51. Two more New Englanders were among the 102 finishers. Braden Depetris, 20, of Guilford, Conn., finished 14th in 8:15:43, and Gregory DePetris, 52, of Guilford, Conn., placed 29th in 8:51:32.

In the 100-mile race, a trio of New Englanders were among the 57 finishers within 36 hours. Benjamin Howard, 24, and Zach Howard, 26, both of Westport, Conn., cracked the overall top 10 with Benjamin placing seventh in 26:54:52 and Zach finishing ninth in 28:04:10. Additionally, 40-year-old Brett Nevin of Manchester, Vt., placed 12th in 28:53:19. Maxime Bondue, 41, of Allauch, France, and Payton Osborne, 25, of Palo Cedro, Calif., finished 1-2 overall and led the male and female fields.

In the 50-mile race, 120 runners finished within 18 hours and a New Englander cracked the top five. Jamie Leahy, 41, of Bethlehem, N.H., placed fourth overall in 9:41:24. Thibaud Meynieux, 36, of Saint Eustache, France, led all runners in 9:02:04, and Jessie Eoff, 25, of Aurora, Colo., was the female champion in 9:52:37. Leahy wasn’t the lone runner from the region to finish the race. Nisa Webster, 43, of Vineyard Haven, Mass., finished 27th overall and was the third-place female finisher in 11:58:51. Additionally, 53-year-old Alycia Leduc of Marlborough, Mass., finished 44th overall in 12:53:51; 30-year-old Mark McGoldrick of Boston, Mass., finished 55th in 13:28:05; and 35-year-old Alex Lam of Edgartown, Mass., placed 77th in 14:40:47.

Barkley Fall Classic

A pair of New Englanders finished the Barkley Fall Classic for the fourth time apiece Saturday, Sept. 19, at Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, Tenn.  Melissa De Fabrizio, 38, of Stratford, Conn., finished 45th overall and ninth in the female field in 12:50:23, and 55-year-old Jay Doubman of Winchester, Mass., followed in 46th place in 12:52:46.

Sixty-two runners finished the event within 13 1/2 hours. Seth King, 27, of Columbia Falls, Mont., led all runners in 10:20:07, winning by 10 minutes. Top female Lauren Hendrickson, 32, of Louisville, Ky., was fifth overall in 10:59:53 and won her race by 48 minutes.

Iron Will 100

Cale Layman earned his first ultramarathon finish at the Iron Will 100 on Sept. 19-20 in Junction City, Kan. The fifth annual event offered 100-mile, 50-mile, 50K and 36-hour ultras on a flat, fast out-and-back trail along a river. Layman, 24, of Williston, Vt., was the lone New England resident at the event, and he took part in the 36-hour race and earned a place on the podium. Of the 13 runners in his event, Layman placed third overall with 80 miles. Paul Rabek, 41, of New Cambria, Kan., led all runners and topped the male field with 105 miles while 40-year-old Erika Brown of Manhattan, Kan., was the first-place female finisher and second overall with 101 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.