New Englanders had an abundance of nearby ultramarathon options to close out September, and they took full advantage. In addition to the massive field that turned out for the MetroWest Backyard Ultra in Needham, Mass. (separate recap article), hundreds more raced in Vermont at a New England classic – the Vermont 50, as well as in Maine at the Farm to Farm Ultra, in Connecticut at the Tunxis Trail Ultra, and in nearby New York at the brand new Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Ultra.

The Sept. 27-29 weekend was jam-packed with ultramarathon racing in New England, from the MetroWest Backyard Ultra in Massachusetts, to the classic Vermont 50, to additional ultras in Maine and Connecticut. We’ll have those events covered in Part 2 of this week’s roundup, but here in Part I we focus on the West where runners from the region raced in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, highlighted by Maine’s Peter Troast successfully finishing the Rocky Mountain Slam.

Part I of our massive Sept. 18-22 ultrarunning weekend roundup focused on New Englanders’ successes in the Midwest and West. Here in Part II, we turn to the East Coast where runners turned in strong performances at races in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee and Georgia. Additionally, runners from the region also raced in Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland and Virginia, though results from those events were unavailable at the time of publication.

The Sept. 20-22 weekend saw New Englanders toe the starting line of no fewer than 18 ultramarathons throughout the United States. There was so much racing going on that it merits two roundups this week to catch up on the action. We’ll finish in the East with Part II of this week’s roundup focused on events closer to home. We start in the Upper Midwest and the West, where several runners earned their first ultramarathon finishes and first 100-mile finishes. First-timers and veterans alike took on a wide range of terrain including smooth, rolling trails and rugged, high alpine mountain trails, on courses in Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California. Runners from the region also took part in the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach 100 in Arizona, and the Mile Madness Ultras in California, though results from those events were unavailable at the time of publication.

Ultramarathon action was intense in the Northeast during the Sept. 13-15 weekend, but a handful of New Englanders also headed West to tackle tough ultras. A few stopped in the Midwest to take on the Cowboy 200, highlighted by Cole Crosby’s course record-setting performance, while others ventured further West to Montana for the rugged Rut 50K. We have both events covered in Part II of this week’s roundup.

The second weekend of September remained red-hot for New Englanders on the ultramarathon racing scene. Here in Massachusetts, runners took on the rugged Free to Run Trail Races at Pittsfield State Forest, but the Bay State wasn’t the only spot where New Englanders raced. There was plenty of ultramarathon action in New Hampshire where runners tackled 50 miles at Kilkenny Ridge or 50K at the Pisgah Mountain Trail Races. Additionally, runners in the Northeast tackled ultras in New York and Pennsylvania. We have all those races covered here in Part I of this week’s roundup. In Part II, we’ll head to the Midwest and the West.