MEDFIELD, Mass. – Rather than the typical mid-summer sauna, the TARC Summer Classic welcomed runners with remarkably pleasant conditions for the 14th annual event on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield. That’s not to say it was easy by any means; runners still had to overcome an uncomfortable mix of mosquitoes and humidity, but temperatures that ranged from the upper 50s to low 80s made for a mostly delightful day in the woods.

The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 14th edition of the TARC Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathon distances or a single-loop 10-mile race on rocky, rooty trails.

The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 14th edition of the TARC Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on the traditional 40-mile and 50K distances, while a 10-miler was offered for the second year in a row. The following is a small sample of photos from the race by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full photo gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Flickr page.

MEDFIELD, Mass. – A few moments after completing his first of four 10-mile loops at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic, Jason Bacon called out to Race Director Laura Ricci.

Bacon didn’t need medical attention, and he wasn’t making any plans to drop out of the race. Instead, he needed to make an introduction.

The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 13th edition of the TARC Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathons as well as a 10-mile trail race on a loop course.

MEDFIELD, Mass. – The Trail Animals Running Club has a proud history of creative race-day treats. From the legendary Yeti Balls masterfully crafted by Alyssa Adreani, to the “Skeptical Jeff” – a quesadilla with peanut butter, banana, and chocolate from a 3-foot tall chocolate bunny first created at the 2017 TARC Spring Classic, to various other innovations in the TARC Test Kitchen, the Trail Animals have a knack for cooking up tasty snacks and inventing palatable new concoctions.

The 11th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Summer Classic trail races took place Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, at Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. Runners took on 40-mile and 50K ultramarathons or the inaugural edition of the Summer Classic 10-miler.