The March 7-9 weekend represented not just a break from frigid conditions with some early signs of spring in New England, but also the beginning of the busier part of the 2025 ultrarunning season. Though the ultra scene in New England was quiet – the TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra still loomed two weeks away – runners from the region scattered to starting lines across the country. In fact, so many did so that the weekend merited the first two-part roundup of the year. Here in Part I we stay in the East, where several New Englanders traveled to nearby New Jersey for a trio of races, and then we go to Florida where two runners from the region tackled a time-based event.

Spots on the podium and impressive finishes at early-season ultramarathons were among the highlights for New Englanders during the Feb. 28-March 2 weekend. A pair of women from Maine led the way, with Annie Seekins of Searsport earning a runner-up finish at the Old Pueblo 50 in Arizona, while Paula Lunt of Tenants Harbor secured a second-place finish at the Long Play Trail Run in Florida. We have those events, as well as others in Pennsylvania and Mississippi highlighted in this edition of the roundup.

Snow and ice covered many of the trails throughout New England during the Feb. 22-23 weekend, but several ultrarunners from the region ventured to warmer climates to race. Runners scattered from Florida to California, and points in between, and collected hard-earned finishes. Nobody had a bigger weekend than John Finnigan. The newcomer from Connecticut earned his first 100-mile finish and a spot on the podium at the Space Pirate 100, and he leads off a jam-packed edition of the roundup.

The Feb. 15-16 weekend was cold and snowy in New England, and the freeze kept some ultrarunners from the region from traveling to ultras throughout the country. That made for a light weekend of racing, but there were still a few runners who made it to the starting line – and ultimately the finish line. That includes the FarmDaze 24 in Georgia, the Jackpot Ultras in Nevada, and the Sylamore 50K in Arkansas. We have them all covered with some light reading in this edition of the roundup.

The eyes of the ultrarunning world were on Arizona during the Feb. 8-9 weekend where more than 1,000 runners took on the 100K or 50K options at the Black Canyon Ultras. That included more than a dozen New Englanders, as well as former Boston resident Joe McConaughy who earned one of the event’s biggest prizes. From there, we head to Maryland where four New Englanders completed the Algonquin 50K. Finally, we turn our attention to an ultra of a different kind – on skis – with a look at the multi-day Last Skier Standing race in Maine.

The TARCtic Frozen Yeti was the place to be in New England for ultrarunning during the Feb. 1-2 weekend as runners took on a 15-mile snow- and ice-coated course at Hale Reservation in Massachusetts. A handful of runners from the region ventured elsewhere to race, however. Several headed to Texas for the Rocky Raccoon 100, a few headed to Florida, while others traveled to Arizona. One even ventured to Missouri to race. We’ll have the Frozen Yeti featured in a separate story, but we have the events from beyond the region covered in this edition of the roundup.

It was cold and quiet on the trails of New England during the January 24-26 weekend, but the racing was hot for runners from the region who headed to the South or out West. New Englanders raced ultras in Florida and North Carolina, as well as Arizona and Utah, but nobody had a better weekend than New Hampshire’s Peter Christopher who won the 50K race at the Monroe Cross Trail Ultra in Florida. His victory leads off this week’s edition of the roundup.

Cold temperatures and snow snuck into New England during the Jan. 17-19 weekend, but several ultrarunners from the region escaped to warmer climates to race. That included Maine’s Ben Grasso who journeyed to Arizona to complete 100K at Coldwater Rumble, and New Hampshire’s Rick Horton and Aaron Sylvain who ran 100 miles in Florida at the Long Haul 100. A handful of others raced for 34 hours at Dark Anchor in Georgia, while Connecticut’s Lauren Defeancesco tackled a backyard ultra in Tennessee. We have it all covered in this edition of the roundup.

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.