A New England trail- and ultrarunning classic event will return in 2026 after all.

Barely a month ago Gil’s Athletic Club announced that its popular G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K would not return following a 25-year run as the region’s official kickoff to the new trail- and ultrarunning season; now, the event has been revived by the Trail Animals Running Club. 

In an announcement on the TARC Facebook page on Friday, Dec. 26, TARC’s Patrick Caron shared the news:

“We are excited to share the continuation of one of the Northeast trail running community’s long standing traditions! 2026 will mark the first year of TARC hosting the Gil’s Athletic Club’s annual January kickoff event. Gil’s Athletic Club has passed on the torch to TARC, and with the Yeti’s input, the event will now go by the name of the TARC Yeti Trail Trot. First held in 1998 on the trails of Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and now at Bradley Palmer State Park in Hamilton and Topsfield, Massachusetts, this event has welcomed thousands of participants across its history to celebrate the new year and share some friendly miles out in the woods. Participants have their choice of embarking on one to five loops of the 10K course. Results will be recorded for anyone who completes the marathon or 50K distance. This event is free to participate in, and all that is asked is that participants bring something to donate to the start/finish aid station. We hope you’ll join us next weekend!

The event will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, and it will maintain the same course and philosophy as it did under G.A.C.’s stewardship: free to participate; a laid-back, family reunion-style atmosphere; and semi-official timing where runners who complete a marathon or 50K distance can self-report their result to the race director upon completion. Runners and walkers alike are invited to participate. The event will conclude at 3 p.m.

Though participation is free, attendees must pre-register here.

This marks the second time in recent memory when G.A.C. has passed the torch for one of its long-running events to the Trail Animals. In 2022, G.A.C. played host to its final Stone Cat Trail Race – another New England institution – and in 2023 it returned under the TARC umbrella following consultations between both organizations.