When Jeff LeBlanc arrived at the Middlesex Fells Reservation on Saturday morning, Dec. 7, he knew a difficult but rewarding day awaited him. As race director for the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra, he was responsible for putting on one of Massachusetts’ original and toughest trail ultramarathons. Runners in the 40-mile race had to circle the reservation’s rocky, root-covered Skyline Trail five times; competitors in the 32-mile race had to complete four loops. Some would achieve their goals and others would come up short, but LeBlanc hoped to do everything in his power to enable them to succeed. Continue reading Volunteers, Runners Dig Deep at Frigid, Snow-Packed Fells Winter Ultra →

The Trail Animals Running Club played host to its annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail ultramarathons on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was a cold, snow-packed event, and Jon McInerney and Jeff LeBlanc shared the following photos from the event. Continue reading Photos: TARC Fells Winter Ultra →

STONEHAM, Mass. – David Sinclair was hot on the heels of Patrick Caron for nearly every step of 32 miles at the Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

For the better part of four eight-mile loops of the rugged Skyline Trail at the more than 2,500-acre public wildland seven miles north of Boston, Sinclair followed a few strides behind Caron. It was smart strategy. The 26-year-old resident of Peru, Vt., was running at the Fells for the first time. Meanwhile, Caron, a 21-year-old from Needham, Mass., knows the loop as well as anyone, having won the event’s 40-mile race in 2015 and 2016. Continue reading Teamwork Propels Caron, Sinclair to Record-Setting Efforts at Fells Winter Ultra →

STONEHAM, Mass. – Kassandra Marin spends most of her time crushing races at shorter distances. This year alone her credits include a victory at the Merrimack River 10-Mile Trail Race, a fifth-place finish among world-class competition at the prestigious Mount Washington Road Race, and the top spot on the podium for the USATF New England Mountain Running Series.

Her talent translates to longer distances, too, including ultramarathons. That much was clear when Marin won her ultra debut at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler at Wachusett Mountain in 2017. She showed her prowess again when she finished fourth at the USATF New England Mountain Ultra Championships in August at the Ragged 50K.

On Saturday, Dec. 1, Marin raced her second Massachusetts ultramarathon at the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra. She was one of eight women and 31 total runners who toed the starting line for the 40-mile race consisting of five eight-mile loops of the Skyline Trail, the second-most technically difficult trail at the more than 2,500-acre public wildland seven miles north of Boston. Continue reading Marin, Weathers Rewrite Record Books with Fells Winter Ultra Wins →

The Trail Animals Running Club’s annual Fells Winter Ultra 40-mile and 32-mile trail races took place Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. New men’s and women’s course records were set at both distances. Continue reading Results: Fells Winter Ultra →

STONEHAM, Mass. – For most of the 111 runners who took on either the 32- or 40-mile races at the Trail Animals Running Club’s Fells Winter Ultra on Saturday, Dec. 2, the most difficult part of the event was the four or five laps they ran around the rocky, rooty, leaf-blanketed Skyline Trail at the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

For one of them, however, the toughest part was simply getting there. Continue reading Globe-Trotting Thompson Savors Homecoming Run at Fells Winter Ultra →