The 2025 ultrarunning season is underway, and the New Englanders are here for it! That much was certain during the January 10-12 weekend as runners from the region snagged several podium finishes even though just a handful of early-season ultras were held. The biggest show was at Bandera in Texas, which relocated to a new venue but still saw Stephen Bennett of Swampscott, Mass., and Lila Gaudrault of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, deliver third-place finishes while being joined in the men’s and women’s top 10 by a few more New Englanders. Additionally, William Clifford of Chatham, Mass., earned a podium finish in his ultra debut for 50 miles at the Frozen: H3 ultras in South Carolina. Read all about it in this edition of the roundup.

The 2025 ultrarunning season kicked off in New England with the 25th edition of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K in Topsfield, Mass. We will have that covered in a separate recap, but a handful of runners from the region also welcomed in the new year with big performances at ultras out West. Nobody went bigger than Rhode Island’s Cole Crosby who eclipsed the U.S. National 24-Hour Running Team’s qualifying standard with his course record-setting 24-hour victory at Across the Years in Arizona, while Massachusetts resident Shae Regan earned a podium finish in her ultra debut at California’s San Tan Scramble. We have them both covered in this happy new year edition of the roundup.

The 2024 ultrarunning season is officially over, but a few-dozen New Englanders squeezed in one last ultra finish before the ball dropped, or shortly after. Several took advantage of the last ultra in New England, with rising star Lila Gaudrault of Maine securing one final victory and course record at the West Rock Winter Fat Ass Extravaganza in Connecticut to close out a magnificent season. Meanwhile, New Hampshire’s Justin Blais conquered the cold at the Tuscobia Winter Ultra in Wisconsin, and Massachusetts residents Seng-Lai Tan and Heidi Mendoza earned ultra finishes at the Run Undead Ultra Trail Party in Alabama as the new year rang in. Read all about it in this edition of the roundup.

The holidays are nearly upon us, and the ultrarunning calendar was accommodating with a pretty light load of races across North America during the Dec. 20-22 weekend. One New England resident took time to take on a course out West. Maggie Swanson made her ultrarunning debut, and she gets this edition of the roundup all to herself.