What was slated to be a busy closing weekend of September became a relatively quiet one in New England, save for the howl of the wind and the pattering of rain. A nor’easter rolled into the region and forced the cancellation of three New England ultras during the Sept. 25-27 weekend, including both the MetroWest Backyard Ultra and Race for the Refuge in Massachusetts and the Farm to Farm Ultra in Maine. Only the historic Vermont 50 took place on a rain soaked-weekend in West Windsor, Vt. For many New Englanders who made it to the starting line, the weather meant leaving the region for more accommodating weather conditions. We have some of those efforts covered–as well as the Vermont 50–in this edition of the roundup.

Vermont 50

A nor’easter didn’t prevent the 33rd edition of the Vermont 50 from taking place on Sunday, Sept. 27, in West Windsor, Vt., but the storm did make the 50-mile and 50K races soggy and muddy affairs. The races take place on trails and dirt country roads, so the multiple days of rain turned the typically hard-packed footing into more squishy and slippery terrain that added an extra degree of difficulty to the event.

The 50-mile race had 105 finishers within the 12-hour time limit. Keith Nadeau, 37, of Rutland, Vt., rolled to the overall win in 6:44:03. Alexander Jinks, 40, of Montpelier, Vt., was a distant second in 7:22:50, followed by 29-year-old Nathan Lalonde of Huntington, Vt., in 7:32:03. Calvin Dixon, 30, of Stowe, Vt., was the final sub-8-hour finisher in 7:53:20. Jarrod Beauregard, 24, of Acton, Mass., rounded out the top five in 8:00:54. Evelyn Needham, 29, of Somerville, Mass., topped the female field and placed eighth overall in 8:21:41. Needham narrowly fended off runner-up Grace Woroch, 31, of Burlington, Vt., who followed seconds behind in 8:22:05. Solange Saxby, 32, of White River Junction, Vt., rounded out the female podium in 8:52:50. Jody Dicicco, 28, of Plymouth, N.H., and Sarah Bam Logan, 45, of Norwich, Vt., rounded out the top five in 8:57:33 and 8:58:23, respectively. Erzsebet Nagy, 31, of Burlington, Vt., topped the nonbinary field in 8:56:59 and finished 18th overall.

An additional 166 runners completed the 50K race. Keith Lundquist, 40, of Contoocook, N.H., led all runners in 4:08:46. Peter Quayle, 34, of South Portland, Maine, was second in 4:20:11, and 20-year-old Ben Raser of Glen Rock, N.J., completed the male podium in 4:26:46. Will Coughlin, 18, of Newburyport, Mass., and Simon Abramson, 25, of Waterbury, Vt., completed the male top five in 4:39:26 and 4:43:50, respectively. Madeline Wolfe, 24, of Grantham, N.H., finished fifth overall and dominated the female field in 4:42:11. She was joined on the podium by Kate Mingle, 34, of North Conway, N.J., and Ananya Ramkumar, 24, of Palo Alto, Calif., who followed in 5:02:22 and 5:06:58, respectively. Crystal Ross, 45, of Carver, Mass., was fourth in 5:14:16, and Ashley Kernan, 42, of Centerville, Utah, was fifth in 5:23:21. Limei Janik, 28, of Westford, Vt., placed 11th overall and first in the nonbinary division in 5:02:02.

Parallel of Latitude

Two New Englanders earned ultramarathon finishes at the third annual Parallel of Latitude Endurance Race on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Dryden, N.Y. The time-based event challenged runners to complete as many approximately 3.45-mile out-and-backs as they could on the Dryden Lake rail trail within an 8-hour time limit.

Forty-five runners took part in the event, and the top four eclipsed the 40-mile mark. Todd Baum, 68, of Essex Junction, Vt., was the top New Englander in the field and second overall finisher with 45.25 miles. Harshil Shah, 23, of Livermore, Calif., led all runners with 49.25 miles. Top female April Barnes, 64, of Canton, N.Y., was third overall with 41.55 miles.

Sam Coleboum, 23, of Somerville, Mass., also had a strong day of running and finished in a tie for fifth with 39.15 miles. Adrienne Okon, 49, of North Falmouth, Mass., tied for 13th overall and seventh in the female field with 34.5 miles.

The Bear

Fifteen 100-milers in 15 years – that’s Jack Bailey’s impressive streak. The only hiccup along the way came in 2020 when Bailey’s Western States Endurance Run dream was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey ultimately ran–and finished–Western States in 2021, snagging his intended 2020 race before finishing the Grindstone 100 in Virginia later that year.

Bailey’s 15th and latest successful 100-miler came at the 28th edition of The Bear 100 from Sept. 25-26, starting in Logan, Utah, and finishing in Fish Haven, Idaho. It was familiar territory for Bailey. The 47-year-old from Medway, Mass., previously completed the race in 2024 in 28:23:18, in what was his 13th 100-miler.

Bailey was one of 350 starters at this year’s race, which began in Logan, Utah, and ended just across the border in Fish Haven, Idaho. The point-to-point course took runners on a journey through the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and the Bear River Range and challenged them with more than 20,000 feet of climbing on rugged, remote trails. Ultimately, 254 runners finished within the 36-hour time limit, including Bailey who placed 48th overall in 26:23:01–a 2-hour improvement over his 2024 run.

Bailey was one of two New Englanders among the finishers. Nick Harreld, 39, of Ellsworth, Maine, finished 69th in 27:46:44. It was Harreld’s fourth time finishing a 100-mile race. He previously finished the Grindstone 100 twice and the Leadville Trail 100 once.

Sidney Noble, 30, of Mount Vernon, Ore., led all runners and won in 17:39:23 while turning in the second-fastest time in course history. Kristin Johnson, 36, of Salt Lake City, Utah, finished third overall and set a female course record in 18:50:37.

Cowboy 200

Tek Ung is no stranger to putting big mileage on her legs. The 44-year-old from Cranston, R.I., has completed at least 42 races of 100 miles or more, including three 200-mile races. Her most recent of those 200-milers came at the fifth annual Cowboy 200 from Sept. 25-28 in Nebraska. The point-to-point race started in Norfolk and finished in Valentine, all of it on the flat, crushed limestone Cowboy Trail rail trail.

Ung was well prepared for the distance. She already had a 200-mile finish on her legs this year. She previously completed the Summit 200 in Colorado in both 2025 and July 2026.

Ninety runners gathered for the start of the race. Ultimately, 54 finished within the 84-hour time limit Ung placed 31st overall and 10th in the female field in 75:06:51. Matt Ramiller, 39, of Battle Creek, Mich., led all runners in 43:39:40. Kayla Straub, 37, of Newton, Kan., finished first in the female field and fourth overall in 51:16:26. Straub set a female course record by 90 minutes.

The event also included a 100-mile point-to-point race, which had 29 finishers within 32 hours. Stacey Dostie, 48, of Augusta, Maine, was among them, placing 16th overall and eighth in the female field in 27:34:47. Emily Doerfler, 36, of Fort Worth, Texas, was the top female and second overall finisher in 20:35:05. Jacob Reiman, 36, of O’Neill, Neb., led all runners in 20:01:38.

Mammoth Trail Fest

One of the biggest ultras on the West Coast was won by a runner from New England. David Sinclair, 34, of South Strafford, Vt., took on a field of 780 other runners in the 50K race at the fifth annual Mammoth Trail Fest on Sept. 25-27 in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Runners had 12 hours to complete the single-loop course with more than 7,000 feet of climbing and a high point at more than 9,000 feet above sea level. Sinclair needed less than a third of the allotted time to win, completing the race in 3:56:36 and taking 2 1/2 minutes off the course record. Chad Hall, 38, of Big Bear Lake, Calif., was second in 4:13:12. Clara Caspard, 24, of Los Angeles, Calif., was the first-place female finisher and 14th overall in 4:59:54. Caspard broke her own course record by four minutes and successfully defended her title.

Sinclair was one of four New England residents who were among the 732 finishers. Margaret Moody, 27, of Monkton, Vt., finished 138th overall in 6:56:56; Eugene Fadzeyeu, 41, of Acton, Mass., finished 317th in 7:53:27; and Alexa Nutter, 29, of Boston, Mass., finished 484th in 8:51:43.

O’Brien Trail Races

Robert Patterson escaped the New England weather and made it to the starting line of the ninth annual O’Brien Trail Races 50K on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Marine on St. Croix, Minn. Patterson, 61, of Calais, Vt., was the lone New Englander in the race, and he successfully completed two 25K loops of the course on the trails of William O’Brien State Park and cracked the top 10 in the male field. Patterson placed 10th among the men and 11th overall in 5:29:51. Patrick Larson, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn., led all runners in 3:35:03 and won by 36 minutes.

Dick Collins Firetrails

Oliver Lindhorst was the lone New Englander to take part in the Dick Collins Firetrails, a classic West Coast ultra that originated in 1983, on Saturday, Sept. 26. The 43rd edition of the event offered 100K and 50-mile ultra distances on the trails running from the Castro Valley to Lone Oak and back. Lindhorst took on the 50-mile distance, which featured more than 7,600 feet of climbing, and was one of 107 finishers within 16 hours. Lindhorst, 26, of Boston, Mass., finished in 14:53:45. Mike Helms, 47, of San Jose, Calif., led all runners in 8:22:14.

Crested Butte Ultra

Kyle Tilleman turned in a memorable performance in his first 50-miler when he completed the ninth edition of the Crested Butte Ultra on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Crested Butte, Colo. The event offered both 50-mile and 55K ultras on singletrack trails in the Gunnison National Forest.

Ninety-five runners finished the 50-miler within 15 hours, and Tilleman was one of the fastest. In his first crack at the distance, the 35-year-old from Burlington, Vt., finished seventh overall and fifth in the male field in 10:15:12. Keegan Leach, 22, of Eagle, Colo, and Claire Gibbons, 24, of Boulder, Colo., topped the male and female fields in 8:31:40 and 9:46:06, respectively.

An additional 144 runners finished the 55K race within 12 hours, though no New Englanders took part at that distance.

Ultrapalooza

Jonathan Smith ran his first 50-miler earlier this year at the Chesterfield Gorge Ultra in Massachusetts. On Sept. 26-27, he doubled the distance with his 100-mile debut at the fifth annual Ultrapalooza endurance festival in Osawatomie, Kan. The event offered 100-mile, 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultras in addition to several sub-ultra distance races, all on the Flint Hills Rail Trail. Smith, 36, of Uxbridge, Mass., was the lone New Englander at the event and one of just three who completed the 100-miler within the 30-hour time limit. Smith finished second in 28:55:10. Chris Rupe, 49, of Salina, Kan., won in 20:45:50 and set a new course record. Nataline Jones, 45, of Pittsburg, Kan., was third and the lone female finisher in 29:56:25.

Miami 100

Aljeny Santana earned his first 100-mile finish at the Miami 100 on Sept. 26-27 in Miami, Fla. Of the 34 runners who started the road race, the 29-year-old from Wallingford, Conn., was one of 28 who ultimately finished within the 32-hour time limit. Santana finished in 31:19:00.

Vincent Kennedy, 31, of Red Bank, N.J., led all runners in 18:43:00 and broke the course record by 62 minutes. Top female Randi Zuckerberg, 44, of Armonk, N.Y., placed third overall in 20:24:00 and logged the third-fastest time by a female in course history.

*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.