The Trail Animals Running Club’s annual spring kickoff – the To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra and 5K – returned from a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass. Runners were treated to near-perfect running conditions with a 42-degree start under partly cloudy skies, ultimately warming to 53 degrees and sunny by noon before some afternoon clouds rolled in and a breeze began to cool the course during the final hours as runners tackled their final trips around the 3.5-mile loop course.
Continue reading Results: TARC To Hale and BackTag Archives: Massachusetts
TARCtic Chill: McEnaney Endures Ice, Frigid Temps En Route to 100-Mile Finish
WESTWOOD, Mass. – Thirty miles and around 7 1/2 hours into his race, Patrick McEnaney made efficient work at the aid station. A wardrobe change, some extra snacks and refilled fluids, and he was ready to head back out for more. As McEnaney prepared to return to the trail, he paused to check in with a friend whose race was done and commend them for a successful day.
After a few congratulatory words and a fist bump, it was time to go.
“I have to get moving,” McEnaney said, a look of urgency on his face. “I’m starting to freeze.”
Continue reading TARCtic Chill: McEnaney Endures Ice, Frigid Temps En Route to 100-Mile Finish
Snowshoe Running for Ultra Runners: A Guide to Getting Started
For ultra marathon runners in New England, snowshoe running is an ideal complement to a training routine. Because ultra runners have long training cycles, sometimes it’s difficult to avoid training for races during the winter months. But snowshoe running can seem a little intimidating.
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Results: TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-Mile Night Race
Following a one-week postponement due to a massive Nor’easter, the Trail Animals Running Club played host to the third running of the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and the first edition of the 15-mile night race on Feb. 5-6 at Hale Reservation in Westwood, Mass.
Continue reading Results: TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-Mile Night RaceWatuppa Trail Races to Return in May
After five years as a short-distance event, starting as a 5-miler before switching to a 10K, the Watuppa Trail Race went long in 2018 with the addition of a 30K race and a 50K ultramarathon. Both options proved popular, and the 50K provided a welcome addition to the growing ultra scene in southern Massachusetts.
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Trail Animals Postpone Frozen Yeti Due to Approaching Nor’easter, Potentially Hazardous Conditions
The Trail Animals Running Club has postponed the TARCtic Frozen Yeti 30-Hour Ultra and 15-mile night trail race by one week, the race directors announced in an email to runners at 6:11 p.m. today.
Continue reading Trail Animals Postpone Frozen Yeti Due to Approaching Nor’easter, Potentially Hazardous ConditionsA Year After COVID Cancellation, Snow Doesn’t Stop G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
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.
Continue reading A Year After COVID Cancellation, Snow Doesn’t Stop G.A.C. Fat Ass 50KResults: G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
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.
Continue reading Results: G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K
Registration Opens for TARC Spring Classic
The resurrection of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Trail Series continued this morning with the opening of registration for the TARC Spring Classic.
Continue reading Registration Opens for TARC Spring Classic
Trail Animals’ Wapack and Back Set to Return in May
Though the Trail Animals Running Club’s Wapack and Back Trail Races officially offer 50-mile and 21.5-mile events, runners are offered the option of signing up for the 50-miler but stopping after 43. That somewhat unofficial race distance represents the successful completion of a full out-and-back of the Wapack Trail, so it is a significant feat. In fact, the last time runners toed the starting line at Wapack and Back, the most dazzling performances were delivered in that most unusual of race distances.
Continue reading Trail Animals’ Wapack and Back Set to Return in May
