The weekend before the Ghost Train Rail Trail Race is typically pretty quiet in New England as hundreds of ultrarunners rest and make final preparations for the 30-hour event. A handful always race, however, and that was certainly the case this year as runners scattered to multiple races during the Oct. 8-10 weekend. Some headed north to Maine for the popular Big Brad Ultras, while others ventured to nearby New York and Pennsylvania for the CanLake Ultras and the Green Monster Challenge. Additionally, a dozen runners from the region successfully finished the most grueling race of all in North America that weekend — the Moab 240 in Utah — and that leads off this edition of the roundup.

The most spellbinding race of the Oct. 1-3 weekend was the duel between Brian Burke and Ed Clifford at Bubba’s Backyard Ultra, but it was far from the only race that attracted ultrarunners from New England. Bubba’s and three other ultras were featured in Part 1 of the Oct. 1-3 roundup, but there was so much racing that weekend that it merited a second. Here in Part 2, we feature the New England classic: the NipMuck Trail Marathon, which extends ever so slightly into ultra territory, and we also highlight the Flagstaff Sky Peaks 50K, Yeti Snakebite Ultra, and the Blues Cruise 50K. The late-summer race schedule was jam-packed, and now the fall is off to a hectic start. Read on.

October opened with a bang for New England ultrarunners. With cooler temperatures starting to settle in and a still jam-packed race calendar, the Oct. 1-3 weekend had to be broken into two roundups to capture everything. This first one starts with the eye-popping battle between Ed Clifford and Brian Burke at Bubba’s Backyard Ultra as the duo raced for nearly 48 hours before only one was left standing.

In yet another sign that some semblance of normalcy is returning to New England – and the ultrarunning community more specifically, September came to a close with the running of the Vermont 50. Yes, the 2020 race was canceled due to the pandemic, but the popular event and New England classic returned on Sept. 26. More than 250 runners finished either the 50-mile or 50K distance, with winners and podium finishers coming from some of the local runners, so the Vermont 50 leads off this edition of the roundup.

A jam-packed final weekend of summer racing took place in New England during the Sept. 17-19 weekend. While a few runners headed out of the region to race the Grindstone 100 in Virginia and Run Rabbit Run 100 in Colorado (see separate roundup), many stayed closer to home and took on ultras in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine. All of those races are included in this edition of the roundup.

The final weekend of summer racing was a busy one for ultrarunners from Massachusetts and greater New England, with runners tackling races throughout the region and beyond during the Sept. 17-19 weekend. Five out-of-state ultras took place throughout New England; we’ll highlight all of those in the second of two roundups from the weekend. But in this first one, we recap the accomplishments of a pack of New England residents who tackled the 101.85-mile Grindstone 100 in Virginia, as well as a few others who conquered the mountains of Colorado at the Run Rabbit Run 100-miler.

Mid-September presented the busiest weekend of ultramarathon racing this year, with dozens of runners from Massachusetts and greater New England branching out beyond the Bay State to race throughout the country. This second of two roundups aims to recap results from the Sept. 10-12 weekend, with the top highlight coming from Cambridge resident Jenny Hoffman who threw down a women’s course record and the third-fastest time of anybody in history at the Pine Creek Challenge 100-miler in Pennsylvania.

Mid-September presented the busiest weekend of ultramarathon racing this year, with dozens of runners from Massachusetts and greater New England branching out beyond the Bay State to race throughout the country. This first of two roundups aims to recap results from the Sept. 10-12 weekend, with the top highlight coming from Cambridge resident Simon Guerard who successfully completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning with his finish at the Wasatch Front 100.

This week’s roundup is a bit of a catch-all, between out-of-state races during the Sept. 5-6 weekend, the late posting of August results from Twisted Branch, and the massive pile of results to sift through from the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. We’ve tracked them down, though, and have them included in this week’s roundup.

As the summer ultramarathon racing season nears its final weeks, New England runners traveled from coast to coast to take part in a mix of new events and long-time classics. From top-25 finishes at the high-altitude Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, to the Bigfoot 200 in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, to the Mountain Lakes Backyard Ultra in nearby New York, and more, there’s plenty to read in this week’s roundup. Additionally, several local runners also raced the Twisted Branch 100K in New York, though results from that race aren’t yet available.