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.
The 2023 Massachusetts ultrarunning season officially opened on Saturday, Jan. 7, when Gil’s Athletic Club played host to the 23rd running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 200 runners took part in the free, laid-back event, completing anywhere between one and five loops of the approximately 6.2-mile loop course. The following are a sample of the photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen, who also ran two loops of the course. A larger gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Facebook page here. Additionally, a much larger photo gallery courtesy of Patrick Caron can be viewed here.
Ultrarunners looking to get a quick start to their 2023 season won’t have to wait long to do so. The legendary Gil’s Athletic Club (GAC) will once again provide an early ultra opportunity when it plays host to the 23rd annual G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield.
When the Stone Cat Trail Race organizers from Gil’s Athletic Club (GAC) announced that the 2022 edition was “likely going to be the FINAL Stone Cat,” runners jumped at the opportunity to get their one and only crack at the classic event or run it one last time.
The 21st and likely final running of the Stone Cat Trail Race was held on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. First held in 2001 as the creation of Gil’s Athletic Club – or G.A.C. – Stone Cat was originally a 50-mile and marathon event, Stone Cat combined races into a single 50K beginning in 2019. That distance and course remained the same again this year. More than 230 runners took part in this year’s event, and Brian Burke was on hand to take photos. All photos in this gallery were taken by Brian, and a full gallery of his images can be viewed at this link.
The 21st and likely final running of the Stone Cat Trail Race took place on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. The event once again used the 50K distance that it debuted in 2019. Of the 233 starters of this year’s race, 157 finished within 9 hours. Men’s champion and overall winner Nicholas Lemon logged the second-fastest time in course history, missing the men’s course record by less than two minutes, while overall runner-up and women’s champion Lila Gaudrault smashed the women’s course record by 12 minutes.
The Stone Cat Trail Race has been a staple of the New England trail ultrarunning scene for more than two decades, but the legendary event is about to write its final chapter.
Since 1998, the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K has kicked off the new ultrarunning year in New England all but three times. The 2004 and 2018 events were canceled due to dangerous weather – severe cold or blizzard-like conditions – and the 2021 race was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 22nd running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K took place on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, Mass. Around 100 runners took part in the event with 19 successfully completing five loops of the course for a 50K finish.
MassUltra 