MILTON, Mass. – There are plenty of stories about runners getting lost in the woods, encountering each other from opposite directions, or suddenly swapping positions despite a pass never taking place during the early years of the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K. Those were some obvious tells that someone likely misread their map, missed a turn, or had some other navigational mishap while trying to complete the event’s unmarked course on the trails of the Blue Hills Reservation.

Howie Breinan designed the course in the mid-1990s, using dental floss on a paper map to estimate the distance, and he broke the course into color-coded sections denoted by highlighters. It wasn’t designed to be easy; the challenge was the point. Runners were supposed to have an adventure, try to solve the puzzle, and spend the day making friends while doing so.

A successful finish was not at all guaranteed at “Don’t Run Boston,” or DRB as it is often referred to. There have been many DNFs recorded by runners who logged extensive extra mileage but badly bungled the route. In the pre-smartwatch era, there was no way to verify who ran it correctly, save for a runner’s knowledge of the route or awareness of their error.

Through the years, technology has had a big impact on DRB. For one thing, smartwatches validated that the distance of the route Breinan created decades ago was remarkably precise. More recently, technology has given runners the ability to load a GPX file onto a watch and have it tell them where to go. That has changed how many newcomers approach DRB. Rather than studying the course in advance or carrying a paper map, runners have increasingly outsourced navigation entirely to devices. At times, that has worked in their favor and helped them navigate the course as designed. In several instances, that has led runners astray–oftentimes without the runner ever realizing it.

The same technology that can now be used to tell runners where to go can also be used to verify whether or not they ran the course correctly, as well as confirm if they backtracked to course-correct when mistakes were made. During the past five years, the data has shown that some runners have chopped off multiple miles of the course and finished well shy of the 50K distance. Others have completed bonus miles but missed several miles of the course entirely – in one recent instance, a runner completed three extra miles but never ran three miles of the rugged Skyline Trail.

None of those instances have impacted who won DRB in the GPX file era until this year at the 30th edition of the “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 17th edition of the DRB 50-miler, which took place on Sunday, April 19, at the Blue Hills Reservation. Those who finished the fastest missed a few miles.

Forty-eight runners started DRB this year, spread among 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. starting waves. Sixteen of the early starters had the goal of completing 50 miles, which would earn them credit as a finisher of both distances. Ultimately, 36 runners were credited with 50K finishes in Breinan’s official results, and a DRB record 11 runners finished the 50-miler.

Both waves began with temperatures in the 40s on a chilly, breezy, foggy morning. The course was already damp, though largely without standing water in areas where shoes typically get wet. The fog never fully lifted as the day unfolded, and a light drizzle began to fall around 10 a.m., making the already slick lichen-covered rocks extra slippery, especially on the rocky Skyline Trail. By early afternoon, a brief thunderstorm rolled in, causing the temperature to drop and the wind to whip, soaking the runners and wreaking havoc on a few who carried paper maps.

Ariel Velasquez and Cory Grant were a pair of DRB first-timers with 50-mile ambitions.They started at 6 a.m. and spent most of the first 16 miles with the lead pack. As a group, they flawlessly navigated the early twists and turns, the climb up and over Buck Hill, the slippery scramble up the rocky face of Hawk Hill, the journey through the swamp, and the rugged six-mile stretch on the technical Skyline Trail.

After hitting the aid station for the second time at mile 16, Velasquez and Grant headed onward together. According to Velasquez, Grant had neither a map nor GPX file of the course, so he relied on Velasquez for navigation. Velasquez hadn’t stepped foot on the course prior to race day, but he spent a few days studying the map. He had a GPX file of the entire 50-mile route loaded onto his watch and also carried a paper copy of the course map, so the pair stuck together and pushed the pace.

Within a few minutes of leaving the larger group behind, Velasquez and Grant missed their first turn. Around mile 16.5, the course makes one of its trickiest turns with a sharp right off of Wolcott Path and onto the Hancock Hill Path. That connects runners to Chestnut Run, which they take to Base Path and then Breakneck Ledge Path before popping back onto Wolcott Path right back where they began. In total, that section is around 2 miles, but Velasquez and Grant missed it entirely, unaware of the error, and continued onward on Wolcott Path. They ran the next 5 1/2 miles perfectly, but then made another wrong turn that has been common for runners using the GPX file for guidance. Just after the mile 23 aid drop, they headed up Coon Hollow Path and reached the intersection with Half Way Path. Rather than taking a left, as the course map indicates, and beginning a 1.6-mile loop that would ultimately return them to this exact same intersection, they instead turned right – jumping ahead on the course – and took Half Way Path back to Wolcott Path and then dropped back down to the aid station for the mile 26 checkpoint with 23.6 miles on their legs, unaware of the mileage that had been missed.

From there, Velasquez and Grant were nearly perfect. They ran the final segment of the 50K course perfectly and crossed that finish line together in 5:52, but with barely 29 miles on their legs.

Fellow 6 a.m. starter and DRB veteran Matthew Rogers made a few brief wrong turns and collected about an extra mile of running, but each time he course-corrected quickly and ran the entire course as designed, finishing in 6:28.

Two hours later in the 8 a.m. starting wave, a mix of newcomers and veterans gathered at the starting line at Houghton’s Pond and headed on their way. A few knew the route by heart, while others had a mix of navigational resources that ranged from paper maps to a GPX file; at least one runner appeared to have nothing at all. Included among the group were DRB first-timers Matthew Veiga and Cole Crosby, as well as veteran and multi-time top female finisher Laura Ricci.

Veiga previewed parts of the course prior to race day, studying the route and identifying visual cues to help with some of the turns. His homework paid off in a big way. Veiga broke away from the pack early and spent most of his day running solo. Despite the lack of assistance from the group, he nailed every turn and ran the route accurately, as verified by his data. Veiga’s finishing time of 5:56 was the fastest of anyone who completed the route correctly, making him the de facto winner.

Crosby nailed the first 28 miles before encountering navigational challenges. He missed a turn while trying to read his rain-soaked map, and then accidentally repeated an early part of the course that took runners up and over Buck Hill and down its switchback on the other side. Upon recognizing his error, Crosby attempted to course-correct. He retreated back up and over Buck Hill, but then followed the first segment of the course in reverse back to Houghton’s Pond rather than reaching the Red Dot Trail. Ultimately, he missed about 2.4 miles of the official course while adding on more than two bonus miles and a few hundred feet of extra climbing. After running nearly 34 miles, Crosby returned to Houghton’s Pond in 6:29 for fifth in Breinan’s results.

Ricci trains regularly on the course and has mastered the route, becoming a human GPX for any newcomers who can stick with her. She spent the first few miles running and chatting with friends, and then guided a pair of DRB first-timers, Max Kempisty and Sam Belcher, for much of the way to – as Ricci says – “Don’t Run Bonus.” She once again executed the course perfectly, finishing her fifth DRB in 6:30 and topping the female field by nearly an hour. Kempisty and Belcher followed shortly after in 6:33 and 6:38, respectively, closing out strong debuts on the DRB course.

DRB veterans and 50-mile runners Jason Kaplan and Breinan were the next 50K finishers, doing so in 6:55 and 6:57, followed by veteran Justin Martino-Harms and newcomers James Mandart and Danh Nguyen who crossed the line together in 7:03. Female runner-up and DRB veteran Denise Klatt who clocked a 7:23 50K time before continuing to chase a 50-mile finish. Erica Mincarelli ran the course perfectly in her DRB debut and completed the female 50K podium in 8:00.

Ultimately, 36 runners were credited with 50K finishes. Several runners hit the 50K checkpoint and continued onward in pursuit of 50-mile finishes. That included early front-runners Velasquez and Grant. After missing a few miles during the 50K portion of the course, they were right on target during the afternoon. Despite Velasquez’s paper map being soggy from the rain and having to use the AllTrails app as a backup source, they ran a spot-on final 19 miles together and were the first 50-mile runners to reach the finish line at Houghton’s Pond in 10:07.

DRB was Velasquez’s first 50-miler and second ultramarathon ever. His ultra debut came in early January when he finished seventh at the TARC Yeti Trail Trot 50K, formerly known at the G.A.C. Fatass 50K. Velasquez planned to follow up DRB by running the 50K six days later at the TARC Spring Classic. Grant, an ultra veteran, used DRB as a big training run before taking on the Infinitus 100-miler in Vermont in May.

Breinan – the DRB creator – finished third in the 50-miler in 11:25, followed by Kaplan, Mandart, Nguyen, and Martino-Harms who finished together in 11:42. Martino-Harms was the nonbinary winner for both the 50-mile and 50K distances. Klatt was the top female 50-miler finisher in 11:58, followed by DRB veteran Lisa Rising in 13:51. Frank Gafford and Dan Wilson also finished the 50-miler in 13:24 and 13:25, respectively.

DRB Raises Record Donation for Blue Hills Trailside Museum: “Don’t Run Boston” has always been free to enter, but Breinan set a goal during the inaugural year of having runners bring donations to support the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. Runners amassed a $27 donation at the first DRB, but that tally has grown significantly in the decades since. In 2023, runners raised $692. In 2024, that number grew to a then-record $938. In 2025, runners raised $954. This year, runners once again set a fundraising record with $971 raised for the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. That number only includes money collected on race day, so it may be higher with online donations.

Veterans and Newcomers: Several of the finishers at DRB were familiar faces who have completed the course multiple times through the years, including 14 who have completed DRB three or more times. Among those with double-digit finishes, event creator Howie Breinan earned his record-raising 22nd finish. Rich Collins completed DRB for the 15th time, tying Craig Wilson for the second-most finishes ever. Dietmar Bago completed his 13th DRB, good for fifth all-time, and Norm Sheppard earned his 11th finish, moving into a tie for sixth all-time with TARC founder Chris Haley. Additionally, Chris Wristen earned his seventh DRB finish, moving into a tie for 14th all-time; Alexandra Brinkert completed her sixth DRB, the third-most finishes by a female in event history behind DRB legends Sue Johnson and Deb Pero, who have eight apiece. Laura Ricci completed her fifth DRB; Jason Kaplan, Lisa Rising, Julie Huber and John Correiro earned their fourth finishes; and Lisa Erickson Gorman, Justin Martino-Harms and Denise Klatt completed their third finishes.

Among those who completed the 50-miler, Breinan earned his record 11th finish of the distance; and Kaplan, Martino-Harms and Rising finished it for the third time. Rising is one of three females to do so, trailing only four-time finishers Carolyn Harper and Marcy Beard.

Kaplan Completes “the Triple”: Jason Kaplan has been one of the most prolific racers among New England ultrarunners in recent years. He has also been a regular at DRB during that time. In 2024, Kaplan took on a brutal back-to-back, completing the Traprock 50K on Saturday (6:38) and the DRB 50K on Sunday (6:58) for the Traprock-DRB Double. In 2025, Kaplan raced the DRB 50-miler (11:30 for 50M/5:56 for 50K) on Saturday and then recovered the next day with a 3:01 run at the Boston Marathon for the Boston Double. This year, Kaplan went even bigger. He became the second runner to earn the rare “Triple” by finishing the Traprock 50K on Saturday (6:59), DRB on Sunday (11:42 for 50M/6:55 for 50K), and then a 3:08 at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Only Ken Skrien has tripled previously, with his version being the Carmel Marathon, DRB 50K and Boston Marathon.