After 25 years of kicking off the ultrarunning new year in New England, the Gil’s Athletic Club is hanging up its sneakers, so to speak. In a post to the club’s website, Race Director Roger Martell announced that the GAC Fat Ass 50K will not return in 2026.

While blizzard conditions and ice ravaged much of the United States spanning from Kansas to Washington, D.C., ultrarunners in New England only had to brace themselves for cold temperatures as they kicked off the 2025 ultrarunning season.

In what has been an annual tradition for years, the 2025 Massachusetts ultrarunning season will kick off with the the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K. Gil’s Athletic Club will play host to the event for the 25th time at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.

TOPSFIELD, Mass. – In the days prior to the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K, concerns mounted about the possibility of a massive pileup of snow on the trails, in the parking lot, and on the roads leading to Bradley Palmer State Park.

The 24th running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 250 runners took part in running between one and five loops of the 10K course. Thirty-five runners finished five loops for a 50K, and another 15 runners earned marathon finishes.

The 24th running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 250 runners took part in running between one and five loops of the 10K course. The following are a sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. Additional photos can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page.

The 2024 New England ultrarunning season will open in traditional fashion with the return of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K. Gil’s Athletic Club will play host to the event for the 24th time on Saturday, Jan. 6, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.

TOPSFIELD, Mass. – A few things have changed through the years at the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K. There was the change of venue in 2003, the shift from the last Saturday in December to first Saturday in January starting in 2005, and the new start/finish area in 2022 to allow for more sun.

Still, plenty has stayed the same. It’s still free to participate and there are no bibs. You just show up and run. Additionally, the most important details – the people, the low-key atmosphere and the all-are-welcome attitude – have remained consistent through the years, and they were once again on display for the 23rd running of the event on Saturday, Jan. 7, at Bradley Palmer State Park.

Gil’s Athletic Club played host to the 23rd running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 200 runners took part in the event, including 37 who completed five loops of the course for 50K finishes.