IPSWICH, Mass. – Roger Martell Jr. gazed across the field behind Paul F. Doyon School and watched as runners emerged from Willowdale State Forest, dashed across the open field and crossed the finish line of the inaugural TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival.
Martell made the same journey minutes earlier when he finished his half marathon. Now, standing with hands on his hips and sporting a red running singlet with the initials G.A.C. emblazoned across the chest in white, Martell inhaled the cool, crisp morning air and soaked up the atmosphere while catching his breath. As his heart rate settled, the smile across his face grew wide.
The 22nd edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race and inaugural running of the event now known as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival took place Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. Founded in 2001 by Gil’s Athletic Club (GAC) in Topsfield, GAC played host to the event every year except 2020 when it was canceled due to the COIVID-19 pandemic. GAC played host to it for the final time in 2022, and the Trail Animals Running Club welcomed Stone Cat under its umbrella of trail races for the first time in 2023 to keep the beloved New England classic alive. This year’s event brought back Stone Cat’s original 50-mile and Marathon distances, but also added 100K, half marathon, 10K and a youth fun run to the lineup. This year’s event had a capacity of 550 runners and sold out well in advance of race day.
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.
When Rachel Bainbridge attended the 2019 Stone Cat 50K to cheer on some friends, she knew then and there that she wanted to run the race. A classic New England ultra, Stone Cat began in 2001 as a 50-miler and marathon, but organizers consolidated the distances into a 50K in 2019 to streamline race management and breathe new life into the early-fall race.
After 18 years as a 50-mile and marathon event, the Stone Cat organizers merged the two distances into one 50K race in 2019. The result was spirited competition in both the women’s and men’s fields where strong performances were plentiful and the outcome was in doubt until the final trip around the three-loop course. By the end of the day, the reinvented Stone Cat was an instant classic.
For 18 years, the Stone Cat Trail Races challenged runners with 50-mile and marathon distances. The race organizers from G.A.C. in Topsfield transitioned the event to a single-distance offering of a 50K in 2019, and that inaugural event featured impressive performances and competitive battles in both the women’s and men’s races, setting the stage for a highly anticipated second edition of the 50K in 2020.
The Stone Cat 50 bills itself as having a “very runnable” course. That’s a true statement in ordinary years for runners who take the challenge of navigating four trips around the 12.5-mile loop course with its singletrack and doubletrack trails and rolling hills.
The 18th annual Stone Cat Trail Races challenged runners with 50-mile and marathon distances on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. Continue reading Results: Stone Cat Trail Races→
MassUltra 