As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. To put that theory to the test, the Trail Animals Running Club brought back a popular distance at the TARC Winter Classic to close out the 15th edition of the TARC Trail Series on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham.
Continue reading Return of 40-Miler Highlights TARC Winter ClassicTag Archives: TARC
Results: TARC Winter Classic
The 15th season of the TARC Trail Series concluded with the annual TARC Winter Classic on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. It was the 16th running of the event overall, 14th edition under the TARC umbrella, and third year with the new Winter Classic format that offered an 8-mile single-loop race on the Skyline Trail alongside a 32-mile, four-loop race. Additionally, after two years without it, the event’s other traditional ultra distance – the five-loop 40-miler – returned to the lineup.
Continue reading Results: TARC Winter Classic
Reynolds Feasts on Whipple Hill Trails, Earns TARCkey Trot Victory
WINCHESTER, Mass. – Two weeks before Thanksgiving, the Trail Animals Running Club kicked off the holiday season with the ninth running of the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Wright-Locke Farm. Nobody savored the trail-running feast more than Donal Reynolds.
Continue reading Reynolds Feasts on Whipple Hill Trails, Earns TARCkey Trot Victory
Results: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the ninth running of the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester, Mass. A field of 106 runners had six hours to complete as many 3.5-mile loops as they wanted on the trails of the farm and neighboring Whipple Hill.
Continue reading Results: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
Photos: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the ninth running of the TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester, Mass. A field of 106 runners had six hours to complete as many 3.5-mile loops as they wanted on the trails of the farm and neighboring Whipple Hill. The following are a small sample of photos from the day by MassUltra Editor Chris Wristen. A full gallery can be viewed on the MassUltra Flickr page.
Continue reading Photos: TARCkey Trot 6-Hour Ultra
Rollock Rolls to 100K Victory, Tracy Tops 50-Mile Field at Stone Cat
When the Trail Animals Running Club revived the Stone Cat Trail Race in 2023 and restored the event’s original 50-mile and marathon distances, a few new distances were added to improve access to those seeking to run fewer miles–and one was added to entice runners to go even farther. That latter distance, the 100K, has rewarded and–mostly–punished those who dared attempt it during the three editions. The most recent offering came at the 24th edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race – and third addition of its reincarnation as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival–on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass.
Continue reading Rollock Rolls to 100K Victory, Tracy Tops 50-Mile Field at Stone CatResults: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival
The 24th edition of the Stone Cat Trail Race – and third addition of its reincarnation as the TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival – took place on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich, Mass. A gathering of 478 runners took on a variety of distances, including 100K and 50-mile ultramarathons, marathon, half marathon and 10K sub-ultra distances, as well as free youth fun run.
Continue reading Results: TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival
Trail Animals Try to Outrun the Storm at TARC Fall Classic
From the moment the sun rose over Great Brook Farm State Park on Saturday, Sept. 6, runners at the Trail Animals Running Club’s TARC Fall Classic knew a storm was coming. The race was on–against the clock, and to beat the rain. Those in the sub-ultra distances had no need to worry, but the early starters in the event’s ultramarathons spent the day with one eye on the trail and the other eye on the sky with Carlisle, Mass., and most of the region under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Continue reading Trail Animals Try to Outrun the Storm at TARC Fall ClassicResults: TARC Fall Classic
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 13th edition of the TARC Fall Classic on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Carlisle, Mass. More than 500 runners gathered and took on a variety of distances, including 50-mile and 50K ultramarathons, as well as 20-mile, half marathon and 10K distances on the trails of Great Brook Farm State Park.
Continue reading Results: TARC Fall Classic
Familiar Faces, First-Timers Shine at TARC Summer Classic
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.
Continue reading Familiar Faces, First-Timers Shine at TARC Summer Classic
MassUltra 