A wet and wild weekend of ultrarunning kicked off November in New England. In Maine, the Bold Coast Bash was canceled due to heavy rainfall that risked damaging the trails, but the popular Hamsterwheel rolled on in New Hampshire, and a trio of events in Massachusetts–the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival, the Beast Coast Race for DFL, and the inaugural Fall Frolic 8-Hour–went off without a hitch. We’ll have the Bay State events covered in separate recaps, but the Hamsterwheel gets top billing in this edition of the roundup.

The Hamsterwheel

It was a soggy and spirited weekend at the 12th annual Hamsterwheel Ultras on Nov. 7-8 in New Boston, N.H. Rain before and during the event soaked the New Boston Rail Trail, making for a challenging weekend of running out-and-backs on the otherwise mostly smooth and flat surface–save for one hill at the end. Runners once again had 30-, 24-, 12- and 6-hour options to choose from. Despite the weather, more than 400 runners took part across the various solo and relay opportunities.

The 30-hour race is the main event at the Hamsterwheel, and 176 runners took part. Of that group, 46 completed at least 25 loops for 100 miles or more, earning the coveted belt buckle featuring a red-eyed hamster. Benjamin Niebla led all runners with 36 loops and 144 miles in 29:52:03. Only Andy Daggett and Ian O’Reilly have ever done more, with both completing 148 miles at the 2025 event. Geoffrey Howe was second with 34 loops and 136 miles in 29:08:54, and Michael Lo Presti completed the male podium with 29 loops and 116 miles in 28:12:47. In the female field, Amanda Vicinazo had a huge day, finishing third overall and first in her division with 30 loops and 120 miles in 29:09:52. Vicinazo tied the female course record that was established by Laura Ricci at the 2022 race. She was joined on the podium by Chelsea Loy and Anna Miller who also turned in some of the top performances in event history, with Loy completing 29 loops and 116 miles in 28:52:55, and Miller finishing 28 loops and 112 miles in 28:08:57. Other top performers in the 30-hour race included Adam Stillson and John Saffioti, who completed 27 loops and 108 miles apiece, Stillson in 21:07:04 and Saffioti in 29:49:43.

Fifty-three runners took on the 24-hour option; six of them completed 100 miles or more. Keith Nadeau led all runners with 27 loops and 108 miles in 23:24:24. Top female Lesley Rossi was second overall with a female course record-tying 26 loops and 104 miles in 22:48:49. Male runner-up Carey Patrick Wertz was third overall with 25 laps and 100 miles in 20:42:09, followed by female runner-up Kate Colburn who logged 100 miles in 23:20:45. Richard Matthiesen and James Gardner also finished 100 miles apiece, Matthiesen in 23:41:18 and Gardner coming in just over the time limit in 24:10:35. Rossi and Colburn were joined on the female podium by Laura Somerville who finished 18 loops and 72 miles in 23:08:07.

In the 12-hour race, 66 runners took part and 12 surpassed the 50-mile mark. Michael Kennedy topped the field with 16 laps and 64 miles in 12:14:38. Top female performers Elsa Cipriani and Mallory Ranck were second and third overall with Cipriani finishing 60 miles in 11:4:21 and Ranck completing 56 miles in 11:52:24. Tyler Cichowlas followed with 56 miles in 12:10:38, earning runner-up status in the male field. Ryan Fleming completed the male podium with 13 laps and 52 miles in 10:32:10, and Audrey Timmons was the third-place female with 52 miles in 12:18:07.

An additional 32 runners took part in the 6-hour race, and 15 completed at least seven loops for ultra mileage. Margreta Doerfler led all runners with nine loops and 36 miles in 6:00:47, taking the overall win. She was joined on the female podium by Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello and Amy Jordan who completed 32 miles apiece, Duclos-Orsello in 5:34:36 and Jordan in 5:56:58. Johan Keller led the male field and was second overall with 36 miles in 6:22:33. Kyle Thibault and Thassio Lacerda were second and third with 32 miles apiece, Thibault in 5:50:44 and Lacerda in 5:58:54.

Pinhoti 100

Brian Burke has enjoyed plenty of success running 100 miles and beyond, with victories at time-based ultras and last person standing events, as well as a win at the 2023 No Business 100 in Tennessee. After placing eighth at a classic Southern 100-miler, the Arkansas Traveler 100, in 2024, Burke took a break from the distance.

After a two-year hiatus, he returned to the 100-mile distance at another classic Southern event: the Pinhoti 100 in Alabama. Burke took part in the 19th annual event on Nov. 7-8 and ran the point-to-point course from Heflin to Sylacauga through the Talladega National Forest on the Pinhoti Trail. Of the 246 runners who started the race, 177 finished within the 32-hour time limit. Burke was among the fastest. The 44-year-old from Northampton, Mass., finished 14th overall and was the top male finisher in the masters division, completing the course in 22:14:58.

Zach Boyle, 35, of Wildwood, Mo., and Amy Holpuch, 32, of Lorton, Va., were the male and female champions in 18:32:24 and 20:50:06, respectively.

Burke was one of five New Englanders who completed the race. A veteran of the 100-mile distance, Matthew Cadieux, 45, of Easthampton, Mass., finished 54th overall in 26:50:23. A first-timer at the distance, Daniel Cunningham-Bryant, 40, of Cambridge, Mass., placed 140th in 30:38:11. Additionally, Nicholas Fucile, 48, and Jacqueline Fucile, 42, of Stark, N.H., ran and finished together tied for 162nd place in 31:26:48.

Mamba 100

A pair of Massachusetts residents blazed to strong finishes at the fourth annual Mamba 100 on Nov. 6-7 in Memphis, Tenn. Both Robert Lynch and Judy Proteau placed in the top half of the field after completing seven laps of a 14-mile loop course consisting of singletrack trails at the Wolf River Refuge.

Lynch, 51, of Sharon, Mass., placed 21st overall in 22:43:18, and Proteau, 52, of Marlborough, Mass., finished 58th overall and 17th in the female field in 26:43:18. There were 140 finishers within 34 hours. Jon Hanson, 49, of Boulder, Colo., and Erika Ashley, 34, of North Little Rock, Ark., topped the male and female fields in 15:22:32 and 17:41:01, respectively.

The event also offered 100K and 50K ultra. No New England residents were among the 40 finishers of the 100K, but 20-year-old Giovanni Capuano of Watertown, Conn., placed 10th out of 88 finishers of the 50K in 5:26:44 in his ultra debut.

Rio Del Lago 100

A pair of New Englanders secured late-season Western States qualifiers when they successfully completed the Rio Del Lago 100 on Nov. 7-8 in Folsom, Calif. Dean Kang, 43, of Groton, Conn., placed 70th overall in 25:31:11, and Ilya Bass, 52, of Weston, Mass., finished 139th overall in 28:45:58. Of the 340 runners who started the race, 194 finished within the 30-hour time limit.

Mt. Tam Trail Run 50K

A trio of New Englanders officially became ultrarunners at the 13th edition of the Mt. Tam Trail Run 50K on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Stinson Beach, Calif. The race took them on a journey from Stinson Beach to Mt. Tamalpais and back through the Marin Headlands to Stinson Beach.

There were 100 finishers within 8 1/2 hours, led by male and female champions Jay Humphreys, 30, and Leandra Zimmermann, 29, both of San Francisco, Calif., who finished 1-2 overall in 4:24:54 and 4:39:04, respectively.

Aesclinn Donohue, 37, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., and Paige Roosa, 34 of Boston, Mass., ran and finished together in 6:48:15 and 6:48:16, placing 38th and 39th overall and 11th and 12th, respectively, in the female field. It was the first ultra for both Bonohue and Roosa. Additionally, 26-year-old Colby Magan of North Grafton, Mass., finished 66th overall in 7:13:47 for his first ultra.

Mountain Masochist

New England was represented well at the 43rd edition of the Mountain Masochist Ultras on Nov. 7-8 in Montebello, Va. The classic event offered 100K, 50-mile and 50K ultras, and runners from the region took part in two of the distance offerings.

In the 50-miler, John Ambler was in the top quarter of the field as the 34-year-old from Bath, Maine, placed 25th overall in 10:15:24. Eric Smith, 35, of Charlottesville, Va., led all runners in 7:38:45, topping a field of 122 finishers within 14 1/2 hours.

Another 133 runners completed the 50K, including a pair of New Englanders. Matthew Roginski, 41, of New London, N.H., finished 22nd overall in 7:10:40; and Jessica Densley, 29, of Boston, Mass., finished 122nd in 11:26:22. Cody Gross, 31, of Forest, Va., and Nora Jodrey, 30, of Bethesda, Md., finished 1-2 overall and topped the male and female fields in 5:21:51 and 5:48:59, respectively.

No New Englanders were among the 29 finishers of the 100K.

Mountaineer Rumble

The last time Mark Daniels toed the starting line at a trail race, it ended with a podium finish. That came in August at the Lover’s Lane Ultra 12-hour race in Vermont where Daniels finished third in the male field with a 47-mile effort.

Daniels was back in action at the seventh annual Mountaineer Rumble Ultras on Nov. 7-8 in Blacksburg, S.C. The event offered 100-mile, 100K and 50K ultras on the trails of Kings Mountain State Park; Daniels opted for the 50K and had another strong day of racing. Daniels, 41, of Fort Fairfield, Maine, placed 10th overall in 5:03:55. Luke Rooks, 27, of Collettsville, S.C., led all runners in 4:49:46. Forty-eight runners completed the race, most within 10 hours.

No New Englanders were among the nine finishers of the 100-miler or the 17 finishers of the 100K.

Dunns Ultra Marathon Badasses (D.U.M.B.) 100

Rick Horton opened the 2026 season with a 100-miler in Florida, and he is closing out the year doing the same. Horton completed the Long Haul 100 in Lakeland in mid-January, completing the race in 23:20:15. On Nov. 7-8, the 54-year-old from Winchester, N.H., successfully completed the inaugural Dunns Ultra Marathon Badasses (D.U.M.B.) 100 in Pomona Park, Fla. Sixteen runners completed the race within 35 hours, led by 51-year-old Angel Garcia of Groveland, Fla., in 22:19:15. Top female Myranda Casterline, 37, of Tallahassee, Fla., was second overall in 23:28:24 and the only other sub-24-hour finisher. Horton placed 11th overall in 27:23:36.

*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.