When Steve Latour created the Ghost Train Trail Race in 2009, he couldn’t have envisioned what would happen 16 years later. The inaugural Ghost Train consisted of a single-distance, 15-mile round-trip run on the Granite Town Rail Trail between Brookline and Milford, N.H., and 27 runners took part.

The event has grown considerably in the years since, and the 16th edition on Oct. 18-19 saw more than 600 runners take part in a variety of race offerings, including a 30-hour ultra, 30-mile night race, 15-miler, and team relay options. More than 350 of them were in the 30-hour race, and a record 76 ran 100 miles or more on a weekend that offered near-perfect fall running conditions.

BROOKLINE, N.H. – The goal seemed audacious, but that was precisely the point.

Friendships take on all sorts of forms. Some are rooted in childhood connections; others may grow out of work, book clubs, or other shared interests. For Scott Warren and Andy Godzinski, theirs is a brotherhood built on lofty dreams, big adventures and bold efforts.

BROOKLINE, N.H. – Ever since Ghost Train Trail Race founder Steve Latour turned the event from just a 15-mile race into an ultramarathon in 2011, it has been the venue of choice for many New Englanders to run their first ultra, fastest ultra, or take a first crack at running 100 miles. The 7.5-mile-long Granite Town Rail Trail offers easy running with a bit of technicality, but it also presents an enticing opportunity for runners seeking to deliver a big-time performance.

There was no shortage of big-time performances at the 15th edition of the event on Oct. 19-20, and the biggest of those performances were downright stunning. There was the astounding effort of good friends Andrew Godzinski and Scott Warren who became the first runners in Ghost Train history to complete 130 miles. And then there was the eye-popping performance by Lila Gaudrault as she annihilated the women’s 100-mile course record with one of the fastest performances in North America this year.

The 15th edition of the Ghost Train Trail Race took place Oct. 19-20, 2024, in Brookline, N.H. Around 700 runners gathered and took on a variety of options, from a 30-hour ultra, to a 30-mile night race, a 15-mile race, and team relays on the 7.5-mile-long rail trail.

The 15th edition of the Ghost Train Trail Race 30-hour ultra took place Oct. 19-20 in Brookline, N.H. Runners once again took on a 7.5-mile out-and-back rail trail between Brookline and Milford on a course decked out in fall foliage and Halloween decor. The following are a small sample of photos by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

BROOKLINE, N.H. – The demons were there lurking in the darkness, just like they always do at Ghost Train.

Some of those demons were present day and night, such as the statues and hand-crafted decorations carefully created and placed along the Granite Town Rail Trail that stretches for 7.5 miles between Brookline and Milford, N.H. Others were the demons that lurk inside the minds of runners as the miles pile up and they push late into the night and – for some – the following day.

The 14th edition of the Ghost Train Trail Race took place Oct. 14-15 on the Granite Town Rail Trail between Brookline and Milford, N.H. In addition to the event’s traditional 30-hour and 15-mile ultras, the 2023 event also included the inaugural running of the Haunted 30-Mile Night Race.

BROOKLINE, N.H. – From the first hour to the final minutes, the Ghost Train Rail Trail Race featured a masterful mix of spooky Halloween ambiance and robust ultrarunning spirit at the 13th annual event on Oct. 15-16 on the Milford and Brookline Rail Trail.