WESTON, Mass. – A steady rain fell as runners gathered under pop-up tents or beneath hatchbacks while awaiting the start of the 12th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic on Saturday, April 20, at the Jericho Woods. In keeping with Spring Classic tradition, the wet weather arrived on cue, turning parts of the course slick and others squishy for the nearly 300 runners who showed up to race the 50K, marathon, half marathon and 10K offerings.

The rain set a somber tone on a morning where the Trail Animals honored the memory of longtime member Joe Loureiro who passed away 11 days earlier. Loureiro had planned to be in attendance at the Spring Classic; he was registered for the 50K. A photo of Loureiro hung prominently at the aid station, making sure his presence was felt. Loureiro’s friend, neighbor, and longtime running partner Will Swenson spoke a few words in Loureiro’s memory prior to the start of the races. Additionally, another of Loureiro’s friends – 50K runner Pedro Grullon – wore Loureiro’s bib for the day (see related story).

Once the races began, a day of spirited running unfolded. In the 50K, that included a close battle at the front of the men’s field and a record-setting run by the first-place female.

Ninety-one runners started the five-loop 50K race, and the top five overall runners surged away from the field within the opening mile. Zack Beavin, 29, of Brighton, Mass., and Mead Binhammer, 29, of Brookfield, Vt., darted to the front and outdistanced the rest. Quinn Brussel, 21, of Cambridge, Mass., defending men’s 50K champion Jacob Carroll, 23, of Plymouth, Mass., Lila Gaudrault, 21, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, followed in close contact. The rain, mud and muck didn’t seem to faze them one bit.

“This is more fun than the Boston Marathon!” a grinning Gaudrault exclaimed just a few miles into the race, shrugging off a tough road race from six days prior as she splashed through a puddle of mud.

Beavin led for the first couple miles as Binhammer followed a few strides behind. They closed out the first loop nearly side-by-side, already about four minutes ahead of the chase pack. They stayed that way for the next 10K before Binhammer opened up a small lead during loop three. From there, he gradually inched further ahead of Beavin with each passing mile. Ultimately, Binhammer closed out a strong day of racing with the victory in 3:45:02. Beavin followed in 3:51:12. Brussel spent the entire race running in third place, and that’s where he finished in 4:00:56. Carrol and Gaudrault ran within eyesight of each other for nearly the entire race and traded spots occasionally, and Carroll placed fourth overall in 4:13:50, nearly two minutes faster than his winning time from last year.

Gaudrault finished fifth overall and secured her first Spring Classic victory in the women’s field. Her time of 4:14:25 established a new women’s course record. It was a satisfying result following her second-place finish in 2023 (4:46:53) while nursing a hip injury.

A nearly 20-minute gap separated the first five from the remainder of the field. Brett Mazza, 28, of Billerica, Mass., was sixth overall in 4:33:56; Greg Chandler, 37, of Malden, Mass., was seventh in 4:38:04; Charles Miglietti, 36, of Lexington, Mass., was eighth in 4:42:28; Paul Wishart, 56, of Brighton and Hove, UK, placed ninth overall in 4:43:39; and Grullon, 41, of Lawrence, Mass., was 10th in 4:46:16 – carrying Loureiro’s bib with him for a shared top-10 finish.

Eva Brydson, 27, of Cambridge, Mass., was the female runner-up in her ultramarathon debut, finishing in 5:34:53. Maria Chevalier, 49, of Cumberland, Mass., rounded out the female podium in 5:57:11. Halie Olson, 29, and Megan Serpa, 39, both of Stoneham, Mass., were fourth and fifth in 6:08:25 and 6:12:24, respectively.

Seventy-three runners completed the 50K within eight hours.

Boland Hangs On, Wins Spring Classic Marathon

When Michelle Boland rolled through the 6.5-mile checkpoint of the Spring Classic marathon in 51:34, she was nearly five minutes ahead of the field and flying at a pace that would have landed her on the female podium of the event’s 10K. That fast start caught up with Boland in the late miles, but it didn’t prevent her from winning the race outright. Through grit and determination, Boland held on for the win by just a few strides.

Boland, 37, of Burlington, Mass., spent nearly the entire day racing solo while Elizabeth Ryan, 37, of Billerica, Mass., and Gregory Esbitt, 50, of Ipswich, Mass., stayed in close contact throughout the day in second and third. Boland – who was the women’s champion and second overall finisher in the 50K at the 2023 TARC Fall Classic – led by more than seven minutes at the halfway point, and maintained that advantage at the 19.5-mile mark with one lap to go. After laps of 51:34, 55:39 and 1:02:19, Boland’s final lap slowed to 1:07:45 as she fought to hold on. Ryan and Esbitt pulled each other along and steadily reeled Boland in, bringing her within sight as the finish drew close. Ultimately, Boland won the race in 3:57:19, followed by Ryan three seconds later in 3:57:22. Esbitt was third overall and the first-place male in 3:57:55.

Eric Hollis, 39, of Holden, Mass., was fourth overall and the men’s runner-up in 4:01:47, and Ian Alexander, 36, of Wellesley, Mass., followed in 4:18:58 to round out the men’s podium. Brian Hack, 37, of Somerville, Mass., was the sixth overall runner in and fourth male in 4:22:41. Emily Moder, 32, of Malden, Mass., was seventh overall and the third-place female in 4:23:28.

Twenty-four runners finished the marathon within 7 1/2 hours.

Whitman Leads Half Marathon Wire to Wire

Jack Whitman wasted little time taking control of the Spring Classic half marathon, and once he was in front he never eased up. Whitman, 17, of Westford, Mass., led the race wire to wire and won comfortably in 1:30:22. The race for second was close between Bryan Brunelli and Eric Ahern. The duo swapped places during the race, and Brunelli, 36, of Marlborough, Mass., ultimately finished second in 1:34:59. Ahern, 46, of Arlington, Mass., was third in 1:35:59, capping a successful long-awaited return to the Spring Classic for the 2015 10K winner and 2016 50K champion. Jason Kaplan, 42, of Boston, Mass., ran steady in fourth place throughout the race, finishing in 1:37:37.

Sara Tannenbaum, 30, of Nashua, N.H., topped the female field in 1:55:56, followed by 39-year-old Jillian Rocco of Weymouth, Mass., in 1:58:54, and 32-year-old Tallen Sedlar of Medford, Mass., in 2:08:12. In the non-binary field, 36-year-old Maxwell Hume of Dedham, Mass., finished first in 2:17:28 and Liv Colombo, 23, of Kingston, Mass., was a close second in 2:18:07. Ninety-seven runners finished the half marathon within 3 1/2 hours.

Levandosky Cruises to 10K Victory

A steady rain and some slick and squishy spots on the course did little to slow down Steve Levandosky. The 53-year-old from Hopkinton, Mass., darted off the starting line of the 10K race and quickly built distance on the pack. He continued to expand his lead as he motored through the course, ultimately topping his closest competitor in the 74-runner field by nearly 3 minutes. Levandosky’s winning time of 44:30 earned him a second victory at the Spring Classic. Previously, he won the event’s 50K race in 2017.

In a close race for second place overall, 33-year-old Galen August of Arlington, Mass., held off 55-year-old David Catarius of Shrewsbury, Mass., with August finishing in 47:21 and Catarius taking third in 47:30. Catarius won the race in 2023 (45:40). Jacob Walsh, 26, of Somerville, Mass., and Mark Deming, 38, of Waltham, Mass., were the next two runners to finish in 47:55 and 47:57, respectively.

In the female field, a close race came down to the wire as 23-year-old Alexandra Ross of Boston, Mass., held off 16-year-old Meghan Caldera of Lexington, Mass., for the win with Ross finishing in 48:42 and Caldera following moments later in 49:15. Abby McCabe, 42, of Framingham, Mass., was third in 57:50, with fourth-place Morgan Cropsey, 34, of Allston, Mass., less than a minute behind in 58:41.