MEDFIELD, Mass. – A few moments after completing his first of four 10-mile loops at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic, Jason Bacon called out to Race Director Laura Ricci.

Bacon didn’t need medical attention, and he wasn’t making any plans to drop out of the race. Instead, he needed to make an introduction.

“Laura!” he called out, and then began gesturing to the woman standing next to him. “This is my wife!”

“Hi!” Ricci exclaimed, waving to her from about 40 feet away. “Jason was my first trail friend!”

Sure enough, almost 12 years ago to the day, at the exact same spot, Ricci awaited the start of the 2012 TARC Summer Classic. It was her first TARC event, first trail race and first ultramarathon. She arrived knowing nobody, but found herself standing next to Bacon. It was his first ultra, too. They chit-chatted a bit, ran their races – Ricci won the 50K – and headed home. A year later, Ricci returned to the Summer Classic to run the 50K again. Bacon was there, too, this time attempting the event’s short-lived 50-mile offering.

“I came the second year, and Jason and I are hanging out at the start before the race begins and he says, ‘Oh, I remember you from last year,’” Ricci recalled with a smile. “And I say, ‘Oh, I remember you from last year!’ And all of a sudden he was my first trail friend.’”

Twelve years later, Ricci and Bacon were there again for the 13th edition of the Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield. And here they were, together again.

“Twelve years later we show up at the Summer Classic and he’s still here, because he’s been here every single year,” Ricci said. “I think that’s the coolest thing ever.”

Bacon has missed the event just once (2016) since 2012. Ricci ran the event six times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018), and is now in her third year as co-RD alongside Annette Florczak.

The Summer Classic was Ricci’s gateway to TARC, as well as her introduction to the trails. As an RD, she takes pride in helping facilitate that experience for other runners.

“It’s just so special to me; I really want to be a part of it,” she said. “Other people are here now who it’s their first trail race, and I know they’ll be back through the years. It’s a small race, but it tends to have people who keep coming back.”

A balanced blend of veteran Trail Animals and first-timers were on hand for the Summer Classic and its 40-mile and 50K ultramarathon offerings, as well as the 10-mile race that was offered for the third year in a row. Runners were treated to some of the most pleasant conditions in the event’s history. Humidity was high, as always, but temperatures were in the mid- to upper-60s for much of the day before reaching the low 70s by mid-afternoon. The mild weather likely contributed to some fast performances and high finisher rates.

The biggest performances came in the 40-miler where both the men’s and women’s course records were toppled. In the men’s race, a tight lead pack of Brandon Dorr-Swending, Josh Finger, Zack Beavin and Jeffrey Seelaus stuck together for the first two loops. It was the TARC debut for all but Beavin – the 2024 Spring Classic 50K runner-up. Beavin and Seelaus pulled away during the third loop and rolled through the 30-mile mark together in 4:16. Seelaus eventually gained some space on Beavin during the final loop and Seelaus, 30, of Walpole, Mass., ultimately closed out the win in 5:40:00. Beavin, 30, of Brighton, Mass., followed in 5:46:00. Dorr-Swending, 28, of Lynn, Mass., and Finger, 31, of Providence, R.I., continued to battle during the final two loops and were in a tight race for third. Dorr-Swendig eventually rounded out the men’s podium, placing third in 6:18:00. Finger followed close behind in 6:20:00, finishing fourth. In a testament to the tight race turned in by the first four men, all four broke the previous men’s course record of 6:22:55 set by Thomas Gennaro that stood since 2017.

The women’s 40-mile record wasn’t safe either. Lila Gaudrault had broken course records at 10 ultramarathons this year entering the Summer Classic, including the Spring Classic 50K in April. She added another record to her resume as she led the women’s 40-mile field from wire to wire, cruising to victory in 6:33:00 and surpassing Samantha LeBlanc’s previous course standard of 7:09:17 from 2019. Emma Dixon, 29, of Dorchester, Mass., was second in 8:34:00, and Jennifer Hoadley, 46, of Scituate, Mass., was third in 9:45:00.

Twenty-two runners finished the 40-miler within 12 hours. That included Bacon, 53, of Pawtucket, R.I., who finished in 10:46:00 for his third Summer Classic 40-mile finish to go along with seven 50K finishes. Another long-timer at the event, 36-year-old Michael Latham of Brockton, Mass., finished in 9:28:00 for his sixth Summer Classic 40-mile finish, while 43-year-old Kai Hoeffner of Medway, Mass., finished his third 40-miler and fifth total Summer Classic race.

The 50K race saw Michael Obara run away from the field early. The 47-year-old from North Kingstown, R.I., amassed a 7-minute lead by the 11-mile mark (50K runners completed an initial loop around Holt Pond before tackling their first 10-mile loop to account for the additional distance needed), and he steadily increased his lead the rest of the way, winning in 5:05:00. Obara had good reason to push the pace, noting afterward: “I have my daughter’s birthday party to get to.”

Forty-one minutes after Obara finished, 34-year-old Michael Burnstein crossed the finish line. The resident of Cambridge, Mass., capped his TARC debut with a runner-up finish in 5:46:00. Robbie Shade, 39, of Belmont, Mass., rounded out the men’s podium in 5:54:00. Timothy Blais, 42, of New Ipswich, N.H., was the fourth male finisher in 6:07:00, and 47-year-old Laurindo Estevao of Littleton, Mass., finished fifth in his first TARC race and first ultra, completing the course in 6:39:00.

Similar to Obara, women’s champion Allison Drain dominated her race. Building upon her ultramarathon debut at the 2023 TARC Winter Classic 32-miler where she placed third, Drain built a 10-minute lead by the 11-mile mark and never looked back, winning in 5:58:00 while placing fourth overall. Sarah Hines, 37, of Hollison, Mass., was second in 7:04:00, and Hannah Somogie, 26, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was third in 7:28:00. It was the TARC debut and ultramarathon debut for both Hines and Somogie. Lisa Erickson Gorman, 45, of Newton, Mass., and Jean Gillis, 50, of Uxbridge, Mass., were fourth and fifth, both completing the race in 7:45:00.

Thirty-two runners finished the 50K within 12 hours. Included among that group were Dopn Keren, 63, of Melrose, Mass. (10:38:00), who earned his third Summer Classic 50K finish; Jo Ann Peterson, 63, of Milford, N.H. (8:42:00) who finished for the sixth time; and Katya Divari, 62, of Ashland, Mass. (8:46:00), who completed the Summer Classic 50K for the eighth time.

Fresh faces were abundant in the 10-miler, which was instituted in 2022 when Florczak and Ricci took over as RDs. The goal of the addition was to make the Summer Classic more approachable to runners not seeking an ultra. That effort has been a resounding success with dozens more runners experiencing the Summer Classic each year. In a full-circle moment, one of those newcomers was Bacon’s 16-year-old son, William, who completed his first trail race and etched his own Summer Classic story to the family history. Of the 45 who finished this year’s race, many experienced their first trail race, first TARC event, or both, and finishers ranged in age from 7 to 73.

“I had a conversation with a girl earlier here today, probably in her mid-20s, never done a trail race before, first TARC race, and I could tell she was nervous,” Florczak said. “She came over and said ‘I have some questions.’ She came up and said ‘I’m really sorry, I’m just really nervous, I’ve never done this before,’ and so I just stopped and talked with her and hung out and answered questions for her. And then I just encouraged her to get out there and just enjoy herself and to not worry about the trail – you’re not going to get lost; it’s really well marked; there are going to be other people out there. Then she came in and she was like, ‘Oh my God, I finished!’ And I gave her a hug, and it was just so cool to be able to encourage people like that who are eager to learn and be a part of it.”

Veteran Trail Animal David Catarius hammered the 10-mile loop the hardest. After placing second in 2023 behind Patrick Caron’s course record-setting performance (1:08:30), Catarius 55, of Shrewsbury, Mass., ascended to the top spot this year and won the men’s race in 1:22:00. He was followed by several fresh faces. David Breland, 34 of Somerville, Mass., capped his TARC debut with a runner-up finish in 1:32:00, and 30-year-old Luca Francioso of Providence, R.I., placed third in 1:38:00 in his second TARC race. TARC newcomers James McKown, 29, of Newmarket, N.H., and Timothy Snopkowski, 34, of Naples, Fla., were fourth and fifth in the men’s field in 1:39:00 and 1:40:00, respectively.

In the women’s 10-mile race, 42-year-old Kara Yifru of North Easton sizzled in her first run at the Summer Classic. Yifru made her TARC debut at the 2023 Fall Classic, placing second in the 10K. The Summer Classic was her second TARC race, and she cruised to second place overall and first in the women’s field. Her time of 1:29:00 tied the women’s course record set by Rachel Bainbridge in 2022. Yifru was joined on the podium by Brianna McKinley, 29, of Brighton, Mass., and Rebecca Laliberte, 37, of Dartmouth, Mass., who both made their TARC debuts and finished in 1:42:00 and 1:46:00, respectively. Robin Fitzgerald-Green, 41, of Arlington, Mass., was fourth in 1:47:00 in her second TARC race, and veteran Trail Animal Abby McCabe, 42, of Framingham, Mass., was fifth in 1:48:00.

While the 10-miler had plenty of first-timers and regulars, it was also a family affair. A year ago, Jenny Houlahan completed the race with her daughters, Sophie and Lucy, in 4:27:00. This year they were joined by Jenny’s husband, Nick Houlahan. Nick, 45, and Sophie, 10, finished together in 3:22:00, and Lucy, 7, and Jenny, 41, followed a few minutes later in 3:27, marking a PR on the course for the entire family from Newburyport, Mass.