From mid-September through early November is typically the busiest stretch of the ultrarunning season, and that trend did not let up during the Sept. 8-10 weekend as New Englanders tackled races locally and all across the country. Nearly 500 runners took part in the annual TARC Fall Classic in Carlisle, Mass. (separate recap to follow), but many runners branched out across the region – from Maine and Connecticut – to race. Several others scattered throughout the country to tackle 100-mile races, from New York to Utah, to Arizona, Oregon and Pennsylvania. And that’s just the ultras that have posted their results so far! Collectively, that makes for plenty of reading in this edition of the roundup.

Labor Day weekend was light on ultramarathons throughout the United States, though it was a surprisingly busy Sept. 1-3 weekend for racing here in New England. In Massachusetts, the seventh edition of The Village Ultra took place in New Salem (separate recap in the works), but dozens of ultrarunners also took on regional races in Vermont and Maine. The Jay Peak Ultra tested runners on tough Vermont trails with more than 9,000 feet of climbing, while the inaugural Cherry Hill Farm Ultra in Maine ditched the vert for flat, fast, non-technical terrain that allowed more runners to push the pace. Both of those events are included in this edition of the roundup.

After a jam-packed month of summer racing, the Aug. 25-27 weekend was relatively quiet for ultrarunners in New England – but not completely quiet. A few runners headed west to Oregon and tackled the tough Scenic Beach ultras, while several stayed close to home and gathered in Maine for the annual Firebird Trail Races. It was there that the biggest performance of the weekend was turned in by Lila Gaudrault as the rising star cranked out a course record effort while winning the 50-mile race outright. It’s that big performance that leads off this edition of the roundup.

For some runners, the idea sparked dreams and wonder. For others, it likely caused nightmares. For all who signed up, the moment of truth arrived during the Aug. 18-20 weekend with the inaugural running of the Jigger Johnson 100-miler in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and second edition of the 100K and 50-mile. One of the hardest 100-milers in the United States made its long awaited debut in New England, and it proved to be as brutal as advertised. There were several other ultras that attracted New England ultrarunners during the Aug. 18-20 weekend – including the annual TARC Summer Classic in Massachusetts (see separate recap story – but top billing in this edition of the roundup goes to the Jigger Johnson Ultras.

The August 11-13 weekend saw dozens of ultrarunners flock to western Massachusetts for the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service’s popular Sweltering Summer Ultra, but it was also a big weekend for other ultras in New England and beyond as runners from the region took on a wide variety of races. Sweltering Summer will have its own separate recap, but in this edition of the roundup we look to Rhode Island and numerous big performances at the Anchor Down Ultra, as well as Vermont for the third edition of Lover’s Lane. We also turn to New York and the annual Beast of Burden Summer Edition, as well as to the West where runners from New England took on the Bigfoot 200 and Fat Dog 120.

Ultrarunners from across the country flocked to New England during the Aug. 4-6 weekend for the USATF 50K Trail National Championship as part of the Ragged 75 Stage Race event in New Hampshire, highlighting a big weekend for ultrarunners in the region. Both the men’s and women’s championships came home to Massachusetts thanks to Boston’s Philip Royer and Hannah Rowe who hammered the tough, rugged course. But Ragged wasn’t the lone race in the region during the weekend. Several other runners ventured to Maine for the inaugural Blue Hill Mountain Trail Fest. Additionally, many runners headed south to Virginia our West To Oregon, Washington and Hawaii for other races. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

A busy July ultrarunning slate came to a close for New England ultrarunners during the July 28-30 weekend with many runners racing locally and several venturing outside the region. Local ultras included the Jug End Loop Ultra in Massachusetts (separate recap to follow), as well as the popular Moosalamoo 36-miler in Vermont and the close-knit SoapstoneSix in Connecticut where runners put up fast times and big mileage numbers. Additionally, several runners ventured beyond New England to take on mountain races in the West. That included the Pikes Peak Ultra and Never Summer Ultras in Colorado and the Tushars Mountain Races in Utah, where runners from the region had strong showings. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.

The summer miles are piling up as New England ultrarunners conquer the busy summer racing season. Included among those miles has been plenty of vert, especially for those who traveled to Colorado during the July 21-23 weekend to tackle the high-altitude High Lonesome and Ouray 100-milers. Those big mountain races lead of this edition of the roundup.

Mid-July meant lots of big mountain races for New England residents. That’s what this edition of the roundup is all about. Tahoe, Hardrock and Mt. Hood. Runners from the region threw down at all of them. Read on to learn how they did.

In Massachusetts, the July 7-9 weekend meant a packed course at Notchview Reservation in Windsor where the Berkshire Ultra Running Community for Service (BURCS) played host to the multi-day Notchview Ultra. We’ll have that covered in a separate story, but Notchview wasn’t the only popular draw for New England ultrarunners. Two other New England events – the Back Cove Backyard Ultra in Maine and the Aliza Lapierre Fan Club 50K in Vermont – also attracted strong turnouts and saw some big performances. Additionally, a few runners from the region ventured beyond New England to take on ultras in Maryland, Oregon and Colorado. We have them all covered in this edition of the roundup.