WESTWOOD, Mass. – A few minutes into the pre-race briefing, TARCtic Frozen Yeti co-Race Director Surjeet Paintal turned the floor over to course-marking captain Chris Martin who had the honor of delivering the best news runners could hope for.

“The course is beautiful. You probably have the best conditions in the history of this race,” Martin told the nearly 100 runners gathered inside Powissett Lodge awaiting the start of the 30-hour ultramarathon at Hale Reservation.

Martin spoke from a position of authority. He has led the multi-day course-marking effort for all five editions of the Frozen Yeti and has encountered all sorts of challenging obstacles, from standing water to snow and ice. In prior years he has been known to use an electric drill to break through frozen soil and place signs along the route. Just two weeks before race day, he joined runners previewing the course in a romp through knee-deep water following days of heavy rain. By Saturday morning, Feb. 3, the flooding was long gone.

“There may be a few slick patches, but you’ll be able to see them,” Martin told the runners. “We had absolutely no problems getting around the course the other day while doing the flagging. There’s a little bit of water in some spots – not much you can do about that, but generally you can get around it. We managed to make it around the entire course yesterday without getting our feet wet.”

A few minutes later, the runners poured out of the lodge and made their way to the starting line on the nearby park road. Moments later, co-Race Director Josh Katzman spotted a problem: a roughly 6-foot by 3-foot patch of black ice mere feet in front of the starting line.

“This is the iciest part of the entire course,” Katzman exclaimed before grabbing a stick that marked the starting line and moving it about 20 feet forward to allow runners to avoid potential calamity in their opening strides.

A few minutes later, Katzman barked out a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, and with a yeti howl the runners surged off the starting line, trotted down the park road, up a hill, and down into the woods.

During the 30 hours that followed, runners took on the 15+-mile cloverleaf-style course and its Red, White and Blue loops as many times as they wanted while savoring some of the best weather and course conditions in the event’s history. Only the second edition of the Frozen Yeti in February 2020 might have been more accommodating with its mostly dry conditions and seasonably warm temperatures in the 30s to low 40s. The inaugural running in 2019 had a 9-degree Fahrenheit starting temperature and a course that was part snow, part mud. Following the cancellation of the 2021 race due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Frozen Yeti returned in 2022 with a one-week delay due to a massive snowstorm. Runners ultimately ran that year’s race in below-freezing temperatures on a course buried in snow. Then in 2023, runners endured a -9-degree starting temperature with a wind chill of -28 on one of the coldest Massachusetts mornings in decades.

It was 30 degrees at the start of this year’s race, warmed to the mid-30s on a sunny Saturday before falling into the mid-20s overnight. Those who ran through the night and saw the sun rise ultimately enjoyed a sunny Sunday that warmed to nearly 40 degrees. Save for a few snowy steps and a couple of muddy spots, the footing was dry and firm. Conditions were prime for big performances, and several runners capitalized on the opportunity. A record nine runners achieved 100 miles or more, surpassing the previous Frozen Yeti record of four (2019, 2020), and both the men’s and women’s records for total mileage were matched on a remarkable weekend of running on the Hale trails.

Sylvain Gelinas was the first runner to reach 100 miles, but the 51-year-old from Sherbrooke, Quebec, kept going for five more and closed out his weekend with 105 miles in 26:39:00. He ended up having the second-biggest mileage tally of the day because Kevin Macdonald eventually matched the milestone and kept going. Macdonald, 32, of Revere, Mass., had two prior 100-mile finishes to his credit – a 102-mile performance at the 2021 White Lake Ultras 24-Hour Ultra in New Hampshire, and a 100-mile victory at the 2023 Blood Root Ultra in Vermont. Macdonald was businesslike at the Frozen Yeti with his gear set up outside in order to maximize efficiency and minimize the distractions and temptations of going inside the lodge too often. Ultimately, Macdonald had his biggest mileage effort ever as he went for 110 miles in 29:46:00, tying Brian Burke’s Frozen Yeti mileage record from 2023 and earning the overall win. Rounding out the overall top three was Jason Geroux, 39, of Orrington, Maine, who completed 105 miles in 27:41:00. It was at least the seventh time Geroux has gone 100 miles or farther.

Laura Ricci was fourth overall and first in the women’s field, and her performance at the Frozen Yeti was Ricci at her finest: consistent, focused, gritty. Entering her 13th year of running TARC races, Ricci had her sights set on earning the TARC buckle. She was consistent like she’d been at her 100-mile debut at the 2021 Ghost Train 100 when she finished in just over 20 hours. She brought the same focus she displayed during her record-setting 120-mile performance at the 2022 Hamsterwheel. She found the same grittiness she displayed in winning the rain-soaked 2023 Midstate Massive Ultra-Trail 100. All of those qualities blended into a masterpiece of a performance at the Frozen Yeti as Ricci pushed through the cold night, hit the 100-mile mark in the morning and then was paced by Carolyn Harper for a final loop to complete 105 miles in 28:03:00, tying Harper’s women’s course record from 2019. Ricci became the second female to achieve 100 miles or more in the event’s history.

Peter Bonito was the final 105-mile finisher, doing so in 29:13:00. It was the second effort of 100 miles or more by Bonito, 38, of Westmoreland, N.H. Four more runners also earned buckles for finishing 100 miles. Matthew Rogers, 35, of Pawtucket, R.I., finished in 26:51:00; Mat Ridley, 33, of Quincy, Mass., finished in 29:08:00; Jaso Kaplan, 40, of Boston, Mass., finished in 29:09:00; and Hank Xi, 41, of Malden, Mass., rounded out the 100-mile finishers in 29:10:00.

In addition to the triple-digit mileage runners, 78 more runners earned ultramarathon finishes by completing 30 miles or more. Sebastien Roulier, 49, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Adam Hoffman, 54, of Natick, Mass., both completed 90 miles, Roulier in 22:49:00 and Hoffman in 29:50:00. Jonathan Lagoa, 39, of New Bedford, Mass., ran 80 miles in 23:52:00.

Kicking off a big year of building up to the Hardrock 100 in July, 32-year-old Denise Klatt of Brookline, Mass., ran 75 miles in 23:05:00. Klatt was also the women’s runner-up. She was followed by Dave Landry, 31, of Quebec City, Quebec, and Christopher Bessin, 40, of Cranston, R.I., who finished 70 miles apiece in 17:59:00 and 29:42:00, respectively.

Brendan Frank, 51, of Walpole, Mass., ran 65 miles in 23:33:00. Both Anthony Holcomb, 34, and Anna Peters, 34, of Braintree, Mass., matched the mileage in 25:25:00. Peters was the third-place female.

Five runners finished with 55 miles, two finished with 50, and 11 more completed three full trips through the course for 45 miles. Six runners completed 40 miles, 11 finished 35 miles, and 34 completed two full trips through the course for 30 miles.

Caron Cruises to Third Victory in 15-Mile Night Race

In addition to the 30-hour ultra, another 63 runners took part in the Frozen Yeti’s annual 15-mile night race that consisted of one headlamp-lighted pass through the cloverleaf-style course. It was a chilly 32 degrees when runners took off from Powissett Lodge at 8 p.m. By the time the final runners were wrapping up it was in the upper 20s but mostly calm and comfortable.

Patrick Caron led all runners in the night race as the 26-year-old from Needham, Mass., won comfortably in 1:57:43. It was his second straight victory in the night race and third in three tries (2019, 2023, 2024). The 2022 winner, 42-year-old Brandon Newbould of Nottingham, N.H., was second overall in 2:08:41. Patrick Couchot, 29, of Brookline, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 2:25:06, followed closely by Matthew Masi-Phelps, 29, of Westwood, Mass., in 2:26:29.

Sara Tannenbaum, 30, of Nashua, N.H., was the first-place female in 2:53:16, followed by Grace Rankin, 24, of Medfield, Mass., in 3:11:09. Elin Anderson, 42, of North Andover, Mass., was third in 3:17:16. Aubri Drake, 37, of Southampton, Mass., was the first nonbinary finisher in 3:30:30, followed by Charlotte Caron, 28, of Saco, Maine, in 3:47:54.

Nonperishables Collected for Food Pantries

In lieu of having runners bring food items for the aid station this year, race organizers requested that participants bring nonperishable items to donate to local food pantries. The Trail Animals amassed a large collection of goods that they divided and donated to benefit two different food pantries.

Up Next in the TARC Trail Series

The Trail Animals will return to Hale Reservation in just a few weeks. The second event of the TARC Trail Series – To Hale and Back – will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 23. The event includes a 6-hour ultra and a 3.5-mile race, all on a single 3.5-mile trail loop. Entry into the event was $32. The 6-hour race (125 spots) and the 3.5-mile race (40 spots) are both sold out but have waitlists available on RunReg.