Category Archives: TARC

TARC

Speed, Doubling and Durability on Display at ‘Don’t Run Boston’

1 Comment

Two years ago, with Josh Katzman running by his side, Matt Picard made a memorable Don’t Run Boston debut. The duo stuck together throughout the day, finished together, and set a course record for the 50K race at the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event.

After a year away, Picard returned to the race on Sunday, April 14, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. This time, the 34-year-old resident of Jamaica Plain, Mass., spent most of the day running solo, but he enjoyed a similar outcome. He didn’t move quite as quickly as when Katzman was pushing him (4:45), but Picard earned his second victory at the event with a winning time of 5:04. Picard’s 2019 effort ranked as the sixth-fastest in the 23-year history of the DRB 50K. Continue reading Speed, Doubling and Durability on Display at ‘Don’t Run Boston’ →

TARC

Back at Hale, Burke Enjoys Another Big Run

Leave a comment

Brian Burke has been To Hale and Back in 2019, and both times turned out pretty darn good.

It was just last month that Burke first went to Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass., where he received an intense introduction to the reservation’s rocky, rooty, winding trail system through the woods. The occasion was the TARCtic Frozen Yeti, a 30-hour ultramarathon that took place in 20-degree temperatures while the trails were coated in a thick layer of ice and a dusting of snow.

Burke spent more than 28 hours on the trails that weekend in early February on a course that consisted of three five-mile mini-loops labeled Red, White and Blue. He was one of three runners to finish with 100 miles; one runner went farther.

After seven weeks away, Burke went back to Hale Reservation on Saturday, March 23. This time his stay was shorter. Rather than a 30-hour race, he was there alongside 112 other runners for the Trail Animals Running Club’s fourth annual To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra. Continue reading Back at Hale, Burke Enjoys Another Big Run →

TARC

Reflections on the Frozen Yeti: Low on Heat, High on Heart

Leave a comment

In the more than a month that has passed since the inaugural running of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti, the snow and ice on the trails has melted, disappeared, refallen and refrozen, and is in the process of melting once again.

Winter is beginning to release its grip on New England, so we’re taking one last look back at a first-year event that lived up to its name. Continue reading Reflections on the Frozen Yeti: Low on Heat, High on Heart →

TARC

Chance Meeting Sparks Friendship, 100-Mile Finishes for Burke, McElroy

2 Comments

WESTWOOD, Mass. — Brian Burke strode through the door of Powissett Lodge, checked in with the timekeepers, and was about to grab a snack when he spotted a familiar face: William McElroy Jr.

It was early Saturday evening, Feb. 2, and both Burke and McElroy had already run 50 miles apiece — most of them solo — during the past 11 hours at the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra at Hale Reservation. The trail was covered in ice and snow, and the temperature hadn’t reached 30 degrees all day. Those 50 miles had been grueling.

This chance meeting in the event’s aid station was a game-changer. It was also uniquely appropriate. Continue reading Chance Meeting Sparks Friendship, 100-Mile Finishes for Burke, McElroy →

TARC

After Years of Intrigue, Hale Reservation Staff Embraces Its Inner Trail Animal

Leave a comment

WESTWOOD, Mass. – Shannon Obey can’t help but chuckle as she reflects on the early days of Hale Reservation’s relationship with the Trail Animals Running Club.

The Trail Animals had played host to their inaugural TARC 100 in June 2013. That year’s race took place in Weston, and it has lovingly gone down in TARC history as “the Mud-Fest.” The course took runners through a floodplain, and true to the word, the course flooded. Those who finished endured four 25-mile loops of post-holing in the mud and tromping through knee-deep water in some places.

Worried they’d wear out their welcome in Weston, the Trail Animals went looking for a new home for the race. Continue reading After Years of Intrigue, Hale Reservation Staff Embraces Its Inner Trail Animal →

TARC

Harper Victorious at Frozen Yeti with Help from Her Trail Animal Friends

Leave a comment

WESTWOOD, Mass. – A smile glowed on Carolyn Harper’s face and she raised her hands in the air as she ran the final strides toward Powissett Lodge. Friends cheered for her as she rounded the corner of the building, strode up the stairs and stepped through the door to check in.

One hundred miles were done. But was she? Continue reading Harper Victorious at Frozen Yeti with Help from Her Trail Animal Friends →