WESTON, Mass. – Shortly after crossing the finish line at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic, Johnathan Charles settled into a camp chair to give his legs a break. Sweat glistened on his brow and his lungs still burned from the effort, though his breathing had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Tired and content, he sported a grin from ear to ear.
Charles had good reason to be smiling – he’d just completed his first trail race and longest run ever.
Part One of the April 22-23 weekend roundup focused on ultras in the East. Here in Part Two, we catch up on New England residents’ performances in the West, from Oregon to California and Arizona, starting with Matthew Betten’s successful return to the West Coast to race the Orcas Island 50-miler.
With two trail ultramarathons in Massachusetts on Saturday, April 22 – the TARC Spring Classic in Weston and the inaugural Spring Fever 8-Hour in Hingham – hundreds of New Englanders were racing locally. That fact alone made it seem probable that the region’s runners would have minimal presence at starting lines at other races throughout the country. It turned out the exact opposite was true as runners from the region took on trails of at least seven other ultras scattered among both coasts. In fact, so many folks were racing that this week merits another two-roundup week. Here in Part One we focus on the out-of-state ultras in the East, from nearby Connecticut and the Forgotten Forest 9-Hour, to the Hyner View 50K in Pennsylvania and the Dunes 50K in Florida. In Part Two, we’ll round up the results from out West.
The 11th running of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic took place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, from a 50K ultramarathon, to the marathon, half marathon and 10K races. The following are a sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen at the event. A full gallery of his photos can be viewed on Facebook in the 2023 TARC Spring Classic gallery.
Ever since running her first ultramarathon at the Castle to River Run 50K in 2019, Jenny Cavanagh has been hooked on long distances. She has finished numerous ultras in the years since, including the 2019 Ghost Train 100-miler.
Now, Cavanagh is more than just an ultra participant – she’s also a race director.
The inaugural Spring Fever 8-Hour Ultra and 5-mile and 5K trail races took place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Hingham, Mass. The event was the creation of Jen Cavanagh from TA fitness in Weymouth, and it took place at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham.
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 11th running of the TARC Spring Classic on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Around 300 runners took part in the various distance offerings, from a 50K ultra to marathon, half marathon and 10K distances.
The 27th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event, the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, took place on Saturday, April 16, 2023, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. In addition, the 14th edition of the DRB 50-miler also took place, with runners completing the 50K course and then completing an additional 19-mile loop. All photos in this gallery are by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen.
The April 15-16 weekend was so busy for New England ultrarunners that it merited two roundups. Yesterday’s roundup featured notable performances at the Traprock 50K in Connecticut and the Runamuck 50K in Vermont. Today’s roundup highlights New England ultrarunners’ performances at ultras beyond the region, from Virginia to Arizona, and New York to Alabama, with Westfield, Mass., resident Zach Medeiros’ podium finish at the James River Trail Runs leading off.
It’s mid-April and not only is the weather heating up, but so is the ultrarunning calendar. For New England ultrarunners, that meant April 15-16 was a jam-packed weekend – so busy, in fact, that it merits two roundups. Here in part one we highlight the races that took place here in the region, where Massachusetts residents Matt Pacheco and Kehr Davis earned victories at the grueling Traprock 50K in Connecticut and Bay Stater Mead Binhammer and Vermont’s Dylan Broderick earned victories at the Runamuck 50K in Vermont.
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