Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the fifth running of the Mt. Toby Ultra and Trail Race on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Sunderland, Mass. The event offered 50K, 24K and 13K distances on technical trails with plenty of climbing.

There is never an “easy time” to run the trails of Mt. Tom State Reservation. They’re steep, rocky and rough every month of the year. When Race Director Amy Rusiecki added an October race at Mt. Tom to her Beast Coast Trail Running Race Series in 2021, the accomplished trail- and ultrarunner decided those always-tough trails would be even more fun to run while covered in leaves.

Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the third annual Mt. Tom Trail Race and second edition of its 50K offering on Saturday, Oct. 21, in Easthampton, Mass. The race started and finished at Millside Park in Easthampton. In between, runners took on one or two loops of a course on the trails on and around Mt. Tom. Photographer Jonathan Loyche was on the scene to capture images of the day, and he shared them with MassUltra. The following are just a sample of Loyche’s photos; a full gallery can be viewed here.

Beast Coast Trail Running played host to the third annual Mt. Tom Trail Race and second edition of its 50K offering on Saturday, Oct. 21, in Easthampton, Mass. The race started and finished at Millside Park in Easthampton. In between, runners took on one or two loops of a course on the trails on and around Mt. Tom. Runners in the 25K race amassed around 3,600 feet of climbing while 50K runners gained around 7,000 feet of elevation.

When Amy Rusiecki organized the inaugural Mt. Tom Trail Race 25K and team relay in 2021, the Beast Coast Trail Running race director crafted a course that lulled runners in with a smooth, speedy road section warm-up before smacking them with a strong dose of rugged New England singletrack – much of it hidden under a blanket of leaves. The result was some blood and brutality, outshined by a whole lot of fun.

So much fun was had that Rusiecki doubled down on the event for 2022 and added a 50K ultramarathon to the lineup.

Beast Coast Trail Running’s second annual Mt. Tom Trail Race also played host to its first ultramarathon offering in 2022. Race Director Amy Rusiecki’s event offered 50K, 25K and 25K relay options on the trails of Mt. Tom Reservation while starting and finishing at New City Brewery in Easthampton, Mass. All photos in this gallery are courtesy of Jonathan Loyche and represent a small sample of his images from the race. Click here to view a full gallery of his photos.

Beast Coast Trail Running’s second annual Mt. Tom Trail Race also played host to its first ultramarathon offering in 2022. Race Director Amy Rusiecki’s event offered 50K, 25K and 25K relay options on the trails of Mt. Tom Reservation while starting and finishing at New City Brewery in Easthampton, Mass.