The Wapack Trail has been known to dish out plenty of punishment to the healthiest of hikers and trail runners during the best of conditions. For those who are either injured or on the mend, it’s an intimidating place to be, especially on a rainy day.

For Rob Breckenridge and Jeff Johanson, the Wapack Trail was a place to face their fears and put their mended bodies to the test when they took part in the 18th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s Wapack and Back Trail Races on Saturday, May 9, in Ashburnham, Mass. 

Breckenridge is passionate about running and endurance activities. The 55-year-old from Keene, N.H., has been running ultras since at least 2018 and has completed more than a dozen races of 100 miles or more, including two 200-mile efforts.

When Breckenridge faced hip replacement surgery in late 2025, his surgeon told him there was about a 20% chance he would return to running. Breckenridge took that personally. Following surgery, he put in the work to recover and get stronger. Eight months later, he crossed the finish line of the Wapack and Back 21.5-miler in 6:48:57, marking his official return to trail running. Wapack is just the start to what Breckenridge hopes will be a big year of running trails. He will run the Catamount 50K in Vermont in June, the 6-hour race at the Notchview Ultra in July, followed a few weeks later by the Ragged 75 Stage Race in New Hampshire, and close out the year at Ghost Train.

Though his injury was different, Johanson’s story was strikingly similar. At 68, Johanson was the oldest finisher at Wapack and Back this year, but the resident of Ayer, Mass., was simply happy to be a part of it all. A hiker, cyclist, mountain biker, cross country skier, and trail runner, Johanson loves spending time outside. His favorite activity is hiking in the White Mountains, but the Wapack Trail scratches his hiking itch when he can’t make it north to New Hampshire. On Labor Day weekend in 2023, he awoke with a severely ruptured disc in his back and ended up in the hospital in excruciating pain. The injury also affected the nerves in his right leg, causing him to lose stability and strength. That led to a fall and ankle fracture, which created additional setbacks.

After a minimally invasive microdiscectomy to relieve pressure on his nerves, he began a two-year road to recovery. His leg strength gradually returned, and he began hiking again at Wachusett Mountain and on the Wapack Trail to rebuild his endurance. He was cross country skiing when Wapack registration opened, so he asked his son to sign him up for the 21.5-miler as a goal to work toward. On race day, he toed the starting line, took his time on the wet, slippery, highly technical course, overcame a fall with 6 miles to go, and successfully crossed the finish line in 6:53:06. Healthy and motivated, he plans to return again in 2027.

In addition to Breckenridge and Johnson, many other runners’ stories of resilience played out throughout the day in the event’s out-and-back trips through the Wapack Trail in the 50-mile and 43-mile races, as well as for others in the 21.5-mile one-way journey. For the second straight year, the burly course was soaked by constant rain, turning the endless rocks slick and making each step precarious for runners, no matter the distance they tackled.

Though the wet course had to be overcome by everyone, not everybody was fazed equally by the conditions. In fact, Walter Muhonen seems to thrive in the rain. A year ago, Muhonen delivered a jaw-dropping performance in the 43-mile race despite the soggy conditions and toppled a course record that had stood for six years, winning in 7:47:58. This year, the 30-year-old from Peterborough, N.H., went even faster. He hammered the out-and-back in dominant fashion, won by more than two hours, and whittled another 45 minutes off of the course record, winning in a sizzling 7:02:27. Runner-up Jason Smith, 35, of Cambridge, Mass., followed in 9:12:10, Steven Hodgson, 32, of Jaffrey, N.H., was third in 9:35:57. Jonathan Western, 41, of Topsfield, Mass., rounded out the overall top four in 9:45:58.

In the female 43-mile field, 38-year-old Caitlin Sheasley of Concord, Mass., capped her Wapack debut with a victory, winning by nearly two hours in 10:45:29. Sarah Nelson, 49, of Florence, Mass., was second in 12:41:18, and Julia Magnusson, 54, of Maynard, Mass., was third in 12:59:54.

Nineteen runners completed the 43-mile race, and an additional nine completed the full out-and-back and kept going on their way to 50-mile finishes. It’s rare for Josh Katzman’s 50-mile course record (8:51:34 from 2013) to be threatened, but Conor Brown gave it his best shot. The 24-year-old from Manchester, N.H., hammered the course despite the difficult conditions, spent much of the day with mud spraying from his heels, and came within 12 minutes of Katzman’s mark, winning in 9:03:38. Jacob Cohen, 29, of Hudson, N.Y., was second in 9:57:39, and 27-year-old Matt Naughton of Groton, Mass., was third in 10:30:11. Lone female 50-mile finisher Madison Brooks, 27, of Nashua, N.H., completed the course in 13:57:13 in her ultramarathon debut.

Sixty-four runners completed the 21.5-mile race, and the defending champions dazzled. In the male field, defending champion Travis Muhonen – Walter’s older brother – dropped the field early and never looked back. Instead, he spent his day tracking down his brother, who had started his longer race several hours earlier and was already on his southbound return trip by the time the 21.5-mile race began. Travis Muhonen ripped through the course, passed his brother and dashed across the finish line before collapsing in exhaustion. The 32-year-old not only defended his title, but also was 18 minutes faster than his 2025 victory (3:19:56) and his winning time of 3:01:23 missed the male course record (3:01:16 by Brandon Newbould in 2017) by just seven seconds. He was joined on the male podium by Stieg Bertram, 17, of Rindge, N.H. (3:32:09) and Philip Carcia, 41, of North Woodstock, N.H. (3:49:00). Marc Almanzan, 43, of Dedham, Mass., rounded out the top four in 4:02:27.

In the female field, defending champion Lara Matthias had another big day. After two straight years of finishing second and then winning the rainy 2025 race in 4:05:05, Matthias delivered another dominant performance on a wet day. She led from the start and won in 4:07:40. Lorena Duquette, 49, of Berlin, Mass., was second in 4:39:30, and Kara MacGibbon, 29, of Hartland, Vt., completed the podium in 5:16:16.

Up Next in the TARC Trail Series: After a busy start to the year, the Trail Animals will enjoy a bit of a break. The TARC Trail Series resumes on Saturday, July 11, with the Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run 12K at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. After that, the Trail Animals will play host to the TARC Summer Classic 40-mile, 50K and 10-mile trail races at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass.