The sun hadn’t yet risen as runners gathered near the starting line for the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 7, at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass. It was a little before 6 a.m., and runners in the 50-mile and 50K ultramarathons topped off their bottles, double-checked their packs and tightened their laces as Race Director Patrick Caron delivered the pre-race briefing.

Caron would deliver a similar spiel two hours later before the start of the event’s sub-ultra races, the 20-miler, half marathon and 10K. In addition to going over the usual reminders about course markings and aid station locations, Caron delivered a quick pop quiz.

“Is anyone doing their first trail race?” Caron asked. “Is anyone doing their first ultra? Is anyone running their first TARC race?”

Hands surged into the air in response to each question, much to the delight of Caron and many of the veteran Trail Animals in attendance. Nine years earlier, Caron had been in their shoes when he made his TARC and ultrarunning debut in the 50-miler as an 18-year-old. He placed second that year, and then returned each of the following three years, winning the 50-miler each time and lowering the course record to its current mark of 6:52:04 in 2018. Now 27, Caron is in his third year as the race director for the 12^th edition of the event. Rather than smashing record boards, he focuses on trying to make sure other runners have the same inviting, positive experiences he enjoyed during his early years as an ultrarunner.

Moments after the briefing ended, 173 runners – 49 in the 50-miler and 124 in the 50K – fired off the starting line and began their ultra adventures. Another 366 runners later took to the course in the shorter distances. The 539 total starters made the event one of the largest starting fields in TARC history.

The 50-mile race featured a fast start and an early shakeup before the frontrunners asserted themselves. Philip Pannenko, 38, of Mystic, Conn., and David Rye, 44, of Waterbury, Vt., were the early leaders in the 50-miler., going 1-2 for most of the first trip through the 10-mile loop course. Rye soon faded and ultimately withdrew, while Pannenko fell off the pace and ultimately finished ninth in 10:05:29. Meanwhile, the trio of 39-year-old Robert Burns of Concord, Mass., 20-year-old Chad Greenway of Little Rock, Ark., and 22-year-old David Perez-Cruet of Bloomfield, Mich., bided their time and then moved to the front during the second of five trips through the course. Burns steadily asserted control during the second half of the race and went on to top the men’s field handily in 8:11:33. Greenway and Perez-Cruet stuck together for the duration of the day and placed second and third, respectively, in a near tie with Greenway crossing the line in 8:43:15.3 and Perez-Cruet in 8:43:15.6. Michael Obara, 48, of North Kingstown, R.I., followed up his 50K win at the TARC Summer Classic by finishing fourth in 8:47:44, with 39-year-old Nick Lee of Falmouth, Mass., one second behind in fifth. Other top performers in the men’s field included George Aponte Clarke, 56, of Portland, Maine (sixth, 9:28:38); Tyler Wasson, 40, of Worcester, Mass. (seventh, 9:32:20); and Chris Loftus, 50, of Hudson, Mass. (eighth, 9:53:09).

In the women’s 50-mile race, 29-year-old Emma Dixon of Dorchester, Mass., led nearly wire-to-wire. Dixon has had a strong year of racing, including a successful Traprock 50K/Don’t Run Boston 50K double and a sixth-place finish at the TARC Spring Classic 50K in April, a victory at the Connecticut Ultra Traverse 112-miler in May, and a runner-up finish at the Drummer Hill 50K in June before delivering a strong weekend of racing and third-place finish at the Ragged 75 Stage Race in August. Dixon placed 10^th overall and first in the women’s field at the Fall Classic 50-miler in 10:11:56. She was joined on the podium by 37-year-old Sarah Hines of Holliston, Mass. (10:43:24) and 57-year-old Sheila Boyle of Concord, Mass. (11:41:28). Rachel O’Brien, 30, of Windham, Maine, was fourth in 11:52:45.

In the 50K, the trio of Adam Ribeiro, Ryan Williams, David Plotkin and Kevin Yang stuck together and led the men’s field for the first 8 miles, rarely separated by more than a few strides. A little ways behind, Ryan Lester lingered in striking distance and gradually reeled in the pack. He was right with them before the first of three loops through the course was done, and by the time he reached the 14-mile checkpoint Lester was in the lead with Williams hanging a few steps behind. Lester wouldn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the way and the 39-year-old from Carlisle, Mass., went on to win in 4:12:29. Williams, 35, of Concord, Mass., held on for second in 4:18:33, and Plotkin, 35, of Beverly, Mass., finished third in 4:22:21. Ribeiro, 33, of Lowell, Mass., was fourth in 4:32:54, followed closely by Yanbo Zhang, 29, of Cambridge, Mass., in 4:36:04. Yang, 29, of Cambridge, Mass., faded to sixth in 4:47:44.

In the women’s race, Meg Versteegan led for most of the first two loops, though Caitlin Sheasley was never far behind. Versteegan, 45, of Schenectady, N.Y., led by as many as 4 minutes, but Sheasley, 37, of Concord, Mass., reeled her in by the 21-mile mark as they closed out loop two nearly stride-for-stride. From there, Sheasley spent the final loop gradually building a lead and went on to win in 4:59:21. Versteegan followed in 5:06:40 as the runner-up. The race for the final spot on the female podium was close all day between Juliana Carvajal Castrillon, 30, of Needham, Mass.; Yanting Ma, 35, of Allston, Mass.; and Serena Appignani Blacklow, 28, of Cambridge, Mass. Ultimately, the trio finished within a 2 ½-minute window with Appignani Blacklow placing third in 5:24:22, followed by Carvajal Castrillon in 5:25:38 and Ma in 5:26:48. 

While the course records went untouched in the ultramarathon distances, a few were threatened or broken in the sub-ultra distances. In the 20-miler, top male runner Robin Hewson, 34, of Lincoln, R.I., finished in 2:24:14 and missed the course record by less than 2 minutes, and top female finisher Breanna Glasgow, 37, of Chelmsford, Mass., missed the female course record by less than 4 minutes with her 2:55:27 performance. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Aubri Drake of Southampton, Mass., set the course record for the nonbinary division with a 3:56:07 performance.

The half marathon records survived despite winning performances by top male Mark Johnson, 37, of Etna, N.H. (1:36:04) and top female Michelle Boland, 37, of Burlington, Mass. (1:50:07). In the 10K race, Madison Germini, 36, of Newport, R.I., set a new course record in 1:01:11, while the male and female records were untouched. Keegan Harkavy, 21, of Cambridge, Mass., topped the male field in 41:20, and Madeline Weber, 38, of Needham, Mass., was the first-place female in 50:34.