Runners taking part in the Race for the Refuge had to wait four extra weeks due to a nor’easter that soaked New England, but it was worth the wait.
When the second annual event took place on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, Mass., runners were treated to an absolutely gorgeous fall day to run for 6 hours, 30K or 10K. After a chilly start near 30 degrees, the day evolved into a calm, comfortable day with 60-degree temperatures and sunny skies. Combined with the colorful foliage, it made for a picture perfect fall day on the trails.
Late October was busy in New England with three ultramarathon events in Massachusetts. One was the popular Womp Romp 50K and another was the second edition of Race for the Refuge which was postponed from September due to a nor’easter. The third was the inaugural Dead Last Ultra, the latest in an increasingly crowded lineup of backyard ultra format events in the region. Results from Dead Last were unavailable at the time of publication, and we’ll have Womp Romp and Race for the Refuge covered in separate stories, but here in this week’s roundup we are catching up on how several New Englanders fared who ventured beyond the region to race during the Oct. 23-25 weekend. None had a bigger performance than Boston’s Laura Ricci, who earned another podium finish at the No Business 100 in Tennessee.
The second annual Race for the Refuge 6-hour, 30K and 10K trail races took place on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, Mass. The event had originally been scheduled for Sept. 27, but was canceled due to a nor’easter. The event was later rescheduled.
The Village Ultra was created in 2017 to use running as a way to raise funds to support worthy causes and organizations. Given that it takes place in New Salem, Mass., and allows runners to explore the quaint town on foot, it was fitting that the 10th edition of the Village Ultra sought to preserve a critical piece of New Salem history.
The 10th annual Village Ultra took place Oct. 10-11, 2026, on the New Salem Town Common in New Salem, Mass. Runners and walkers had 24 hours to complete as many miles as they wanted on a variety of mini-loops through the town, with proceeds from this year’s event benefiting the historic New Salem 1794 Meetinghouse.
New Englanders scattered across the country to run ultras from New Jersey to Missouri and California, but most stayed close to home during the Oct. 16-18 weekend. That’s because there were two regional ultras to race, and one was a major attraction. Some runners took part in the Little Duck 50K on Sunday, Oct. 18, in Windham, Maine, results of which were unavailable at the time of publication. Meanwhile, in Brookline, N.H., more than 550 runners took part in the weekend-long Ghost Train Trail Race on the Granite Town Rail Trail. The spooky-themed event is the largest Halloween ultrarunning party in New England, and it featured plenty of scary decorations and a hauntingly fast performance by Jason Kaplan that rewrote the record books. His effort leads off this edition of the roundup.
The Midstate Massive Ultra Trail Races began with picture-perfect fall leaf-peeping conditions when runners in the event’s 100-mile race departed the Windblown Ski Area in New Ipswich, N.H., on Saturday morning, Oct. 10. The 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K races concluded a day later with participants attempting to outrun the approaching rain as they made their way to the finish line at Douglas State Forest in Douglas, Mass.
For some, it was a mix of the most ideal and most challenging conditions that runners have encountered during the event’s eight years of testing runners as they traversed Massachusetts from north to south. For all, it was a scenic and punishing run, regardless of the distance chosen.
A busy October of ultrarunning continued during the Oct. 9-11 weekend with five ultras in New England and runners from the region traveling to at least 15 more across the country, including the Moab 240 in Utah which was canceled partway through as heavy rains and dangerous course conditions made parts of the course impassable. We will highlight both the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail and the Village Ultra from Massachusetts in separate recaps, but here in the roundup we have as much covered as possible from the other events. That starts with the inaugural Downeast Trail Festival in Maine, followed by the always tough Devil’s Den Ultra in Vermont.
The eighth annual Midstate Massive Ultra Trail took place Oct. 10-11, 2026, offering 100-mile, 50-mile and 50K distances on a point-to-point course along the Midstate Trail. Runners in the 100-miler started at the Windblown Cross Country Ski Area in New Ipswich, N.H., and crossed Massachusetts from north to south before finishing at Douglas State Forest on the state’s southern border in Douglas, Mass. The 50-mile race began in Rutland, and the 50K started in Spencer.
