WESTON, Mass. – Shortly after crossing the finish line at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic, Johnathan Charles settled into a camp chair to give his legs a break. Sweat glistened on his brow and his lungs still burned from the effort, though his breathing had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Tired and content, he sported a grin from ear to ear.
Charles had good reason to be smiling – he’d just completed his first trail race and longest run ever.
The 11th running of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Spring Classic took place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Runners took on a variety of distances, from a 50K ultramarathon, to the marathon, half marathon and 10K races. The following are a sample of photos taken by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen at the event. A full gallery of his photos can be viewed on Facebook in the 2023 TARC Spring Classic gallery.
Ever since running her first ultramarathon at the Castle to River Run 50K in 2019, Jenny Cavanagh has been hooked on long distances. She has finished numerous ultras in the years since, including the 2019 Ghost Train 100-miler.
Now, Cavanagh is more than just an ultra participant – she’s also a race director.
The inaugural Spring Fever 8-Hour Ultra and 5-mile and 5K trail races took place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Hingham, Mass. The event was the creation of Jen Cavanagh from TA fitness in Weymouth, and it took place at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham.
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 11th running of the TARC Spring Classic on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. Around 300 runners took part in the various distance offerings, from a 50K ultra to marathon, half marathon and 10K distances.
The 27th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event, the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K, took place on Saturday, April 16, 2023, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. In addition, the 14th edition of the DRB 50-miler also took place, with runners completing the 50K course and then completing an additional 19-mile loop. All photos in this gallery are by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen.
Samantha Stimac has been a force on the Midwest ultrarunning scene since making her debut at the 2019 Frozen Gnome 50K in Illinois as a 24-year-old. Stimac finished third that day, and it was just the beginning of what has been a successful series of ultras in the years that followed.
Race Director Amy Rusiecki’s Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the third running of the Mt. Toby Ultra and 24K trail races on Saturday, April 8, in Sunderland, Mass. More than 150 runners took part in either the 50K ultra or 24K races on the singletrack and doubletrack trails of Mt. Toby, with around 7,000 feet of climbing for the ultra and 2,700 feet of climbing for the shorter distance.
WESTWOOD, Mass. – When the Trail Animals gathered at Hale Reservation in early February, it was an unforgettably frigid affair as a historic cold snap plunged temperatures well below zero for the TARCtic Frozen Yeti. Seven weeks later, the Trail Animals returned to Hale on Saturday, March 25, for the sixth running of the club’s To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra, and the runners encountered a completely different experience.
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