MILTON, Mass. – Sweat poured down Ethan Sokol’s face and soaked the light blue shirt beneath his hydration vest as he trotted into the aid station 13 miles into his adventure. A wardrobe change made little difference; the orange shirt he swapped into ultimately suffered a similar soggy fate.

The heat didn’t stop him from finishing, but Sokol’s experience was shared by nearly all of his fellow runners during the Trail Animals Running Club’s “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-mile ultras on Saturday, April 19, at the Blue Hills Reservation. It was the 29th running of the 50K, TARC’s original race that’s been happening since 1997, and the 16th time the 50-mile distance has been offered. Runners have experienced plenty of warm years at “Don’t Run Boston” – or DRB as it is lovingly called – but none were as hot as this year.

Morning temperatures in the mid-50s for the 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. starting waves ultimately surged to a sizzling 83 degrees by the afternoon, making it the hottest DRB in history. It was also the hottest day of the year in the greater Boston area by about 10 degrees, meaning none of the runners had an opportunity to really prepare for the conditions. Even 50K/50-mile runner Daniel Tirol suffered in the heat, and he was visiting from Hawaii. A thin layer of clouds for much of the day and a light breeze were the only reprieve for the runners on the sizzling Saturday.

Despite the heat, runners weren’t deterred from toeing the starting line and attempting to navigate the event’s classic unmarked course that DRB creator Howie Breinan crafted during the 1990s. In fact, the 57 runners tied for the largest starting field in DRB history, matching the 2024 starting tally and surpassing the 55 who began the 2017 race. A handful of runners honored the event’s storied route-finding tradition and carried paper maps of the course, its different segments denoted by an assortment of colors of highlighter. Others had a screenshot of the maps on their phones, while many relied on watches or apps to tell them where to go – with some of them getting lost as a result. A few long-timers of the event, including Breinan, TARC founder Chris Haley, and DRB regulars Rich Collins and Dietmar Bago, have completed the event so many times that they know the course by heart. Both Breinan and Haley guided small groups through the course, enjoying the shared experience and camaraderie.

Despite the challenging conditions of this year’s event, there was a remarkably high finisher rate  for the 50K. Of the 55 who started, 47 completed the 50K. The greater attrition came among those who had hoped to run 50 miles. Twenty-two of the morning’s starters planned to complete 50 miles, but just nine ultimately did so. Five of those 50-milers delivered arguably the grittiest performances on a day that produced some of the most daunting conditions in DRB history as they earned top finishes for both the 50-mile and 50K distances.

A DRB newcomer, 37-year-old Tilman Dette, took top honors at both distances. After making his ultrarunning debut nine months earlier with a runner-up finish at the San Francisco Marathon 52.4-miler and his TARC debut in December with a fourth-place finish at the TARC Winter Classic 32-miler, he turned his focus to DRB. Running in long sleeves and tights, Dette ran most of the first 16 miles with DRB veteran Jason Kaplan, 43, before building a cushion during the 10-mile big loop on the western side of the reservation. Dette reached the 26-mile mark with a nine-minute lead on Kaplan, and ultimately closed out the 50K in first place in 5:41 before continuing onward for an additional 19 miles. Kaplan was the second runner to finish 50K in 5:56, and he also continued onward.

Though Dette and Kaplan were out in front, they weren’t the only ones pushing the pace. DRB veterans Laura Ricci, 41, and Keely Boyer, 43, were the next pair back and they ran the first 50K together, finishing tied for third overall in 6:26 before both continued in pursuit of 50-mile finishes. Less than 30 minutes after Ricci and Boyer completed 50K, DRB veteran Justin Martino-Harms, 41, and first-timer Gregory Goldstein, 38, completed the distance together in 6:53, tied for fifth place overall. Both men also had 50-mile visions, though only Martino-Harms would see it through.

There was shakeup among the front-runners as they tackled the final 19 miles. Still, despite enduring more time and miles on their feet and more exposure to the heat, five of the top six 50K finishers also led the way in the 50-miler with Dette completing the distance sweep in 9:46. Ricci, who tied for third in the 50K, was the 50-mile runner-up in 10:46 and top female at both distances. Her 50-mile time was the second-fastest by a female in course history, trailing only Elise DeRoo’s mark of 9:52 when she earned the overall victory in 2017. Kaplan slipped to third in the 50-miler in 11:30, followed by Boyer and Martino-Harms who crossed the finish line together in 12:12, tied for fourth.

Ricci was the only female 50-mile finisher. Others who completed the longest distance were Breinan, 56, and Jonathan Lagoa, 40, who tied for sixth in 12:42, and Tirol, 37, and Christopher Junkins, 23, who finished together in 13:38.

In the 50K, Ricci was the top female, followed by 42-year-old Elizabeth Faye in 7:05, who finished seventh overall. Sarah Hines, 37, rounded out the female top three in 7:40. Hines ran the entire race with Haley, Stephen McCaffrey, 66, and William Sterritt, 34.

Other top 50K finishers included Dan Barry, 29 (eighth overall, 7:06); Luc Durand, 25 (ninth overall, 7:14); Khalil Ben-Gacem, 21 (10th overall, 7:19); Andy Marx, 42 (11th overall, 7:31); and Cory Grant, 41 (12th overall, 7:34). Breinan, Lagoa and Tirol all followed together in 7:37 before continuing onward for 50-mile finishes.

Trail Animals Amass Largest Donation Yet for Blue Hills Trailside Museum: In lieu of charging an entry fee, Breinan has always requested that runners bring a donation to the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. The inaugural DRB saw runners amass a $27 donation to the Trailside Museum. The contribution has grown in the years since, including a $692 donation in 2023 and $938 in 2024. The 2025 event saw another fundraising record with $954 collected for the Trailside Museum on race day, a number that may be higher since some runners made online contributions.

Veterans and Newcomers: Of the 47 runners who completed DRB in 2025, 30 were first-time finishers and 17 were veterans. Breinan–the creator of DRB–earned his 21st finish. Collins became a 14-time finisher, while Bago completed the course for the 12th time and Haley the 11th. Bob Warren earned his fifth finish, Ricci and Faye each became four-time finishers, Kaplan and Julie Huber earned their third finishes, and Boyer, Martino-Harms, Lagoa, Sokol, Shay Begleiter, Nicholas Fucile, Jacqueline Fucile, and Chris Manwaring all finished DRB for the second time.