The temperature was nearly 80 degrees, but it felt even hotter when runners gathered in front of the metal gate that serves as the starting line for the TARC Summer Classic. It was only 7 a.m., on Saturday, Aug. 8, and it was already shaping up to be a scorcher.
Continue reading Runners Overcome Extreme Heat at Scorching TARC Summer ClassicTag Archives: Trail Animals
Results: TARC Summer Classic
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the 15th edition of the TARC Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, 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 in the summer heat.
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Redemption, Resilience On Display at Rain-Soaked Wapack and Back
The Wapack Trail has been known to dish out plenty of punishment to the healthiest of hikers and trail runners during the best of conditions. For those who are either injured or on the mend, it’s an intimidating place to be, especially on a rainy day.
For Rob Breckenridge and Jeff Johanson, the Wapack Trail was a place to face their fears and put their mended bodies to the test when they took part in the 18th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s Wapack and Back Trail Races on Saturday, May 9, in Ashburnham, Mass.
Continue reading Redemption, Resilience On Display at Rain-Soaked Wapack and BackResults: TARC Wapack and Back Trail Races
The 18th edition of the Trail Animals Running Club’s Wapack and Back Trail Races took place Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Ashburnham, Mass. Runners took on a 43-mile out-and-back of the Wapack Trail, a 50-mile race that included the 43-mile out-and-back plus an additional 7 miles, or a 21.5-mile one-way journey through the course. Since its founding in 2007 by Bogie Dumitrescu, the event has been held annually with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It rained steadily for much of the race for the second straight year.
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Gnomes and Good Times Galore at Sun-Soaked TARC Spring Classic
The TARC Spring Classic holds a special place in the history of the Trail Animals Running Club as it was the first new event created specifically for the TARC Trail Series. The event has played host to some of the largest gatherings of Trail Animals in the club’s history – as well as some of the wettest gatherings of Trail Animals.
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Wrong Turns are Tradition at DRB, But Missed Miles Impact Results at 30th Edition
MILTON, Mass. – There are plenty of stories about runners getting lost in the woods, encountering each other from opposite directions, or suddenly swapping positions despite a pass never taking place during the early years of the Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K. Those were some obvious tells that someone likely misread their map, missed a turn, or had some other navigational mishap while trying to complete the event’s unmarked course on the trails of the Blue Hills Reservation.
Continue reading Wrong Turns are Tradition at DRB, But Missed Miles Impact Results at 30th EditionResults: TARC Spring Classic
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 14th edition of the TARC Spring Classic 50K, marathon, half marathon and 10K trail races on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Jericho Woods in Weston, Mass. A crowd of 402 runners toed the starting line for any of the four distances, which took place on a 10K loop course on mixed terrain trails in the forest.
Continue reading Results: TARC Spring ClassicResults: Trail Animals “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 50-Mile
The Trail Animals Running Club played host to the 30th annual “Don’t Run Boston” 50K and 17th edition of the DRB 50-miler on Saturday, April 19, 2026, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. Runners took on an unmarked course through the reservation, amassing around 5,700 feet of elevation gain for the 50K and nearly 7,000 feet of climbing for the 50-miler.
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Fun, Fellowship Aplenty On the Trails at To Hale and Back
WESTWOOD, Mass. – Rick Abradi gazed at the water as he ran along the sandy North Beach of Noanet Pond during his first loop of the TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, March 21, at Hale Education. A grin spread across his face and he shook his head.
“Who has more fun than us?” Abradi declared, allowing his rhetorical question to linger as he continued across the beach and disappeared into the woods on a singletrack trail.
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Results: TARC To Hale and Back
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) played host to the ninth running of the TARC To Hale and Back 6-Hour Ultra on Saturday, March, 21, 2026, at Hale Education in Westwood, Mass. Runners took on a 3.5-mile single-loop course that they could complete once in a fixed-distance 3.5-mile race, or as many loops as they wanted during the 6-hour ultramarathon event.
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