Tag Archives: Trail Animals

TARC

With 100 on the Horizon, LeBlanc Blazes at Summer Classic

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The Idaho Mountain Trail Ultra Festival (IMTUF) 100-miler is a month away, but that didn’t stop Samantha LeBlanc from entering the TARC Summer Classic for a tune-up run.

IMTUF is a rugged mountain race, whereas the Summer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 10, had plenty of rocks and roots but a lot more runnable surface on the trails of Noon Hill Reservation in Medfield, Mass. That meant there’d be a lot more running and a lot less power-hiking practice for LeBlanc – and she made the most of the opportunity to throw down some speed. Continue reading With 100 on the Horizon, LeBlanc Blazes at Summer Classic →

TARC

After Chilly Spring, Warmth Returns for Wapack and Back

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After training through what has been an unseasonably cool spring, runners were granted a reprieve from the rain, clouds and dampness at the 13th annual Wapack and Back 50-mile, 43-mile and 21.5-mile trail races on Saturday, May 11, in Ashburnham, Mass.

After starting by the glow of headlamps at 5 a.m. at Mt. Watatic State Park, runners of the ultramarathon distances soon ditched their lights and endured the direct sun of a mostly clear day where the temperature rose into the 70s. Continue reading After Chilly Spring, Warmth Returns for Wapack and Back →

TARC

Burke, Damon Splash, Dash to Victories in Spring Classic 50K

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WESTON, Mass. – Of course it rained. It was always going to happen. This is the Spring Classic, after all.

The Trail Animals Running Club’s Spring Classic has established its share of traditions through the years – the yeti howl at the start; the wooden “trophies” foraged from the course; the MarketBasket sushi tray for volunteers – but perhaps the most predictable feature of the early-season event is rain. Nearly every Spring Classic has experienced at least a bit of the wet stuff, usually during pre-race set-up or at some point in the first loop or two of the race. Continue reading Burke, Damon Splash, Dash to Victories in Spring Classic 50K →

TARC

Speed, Doubling and Durability on Display at ‘Don’t Run Boston’

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Two years ago, with Josh Katzman running by his side, Matt Picard made a memorable Don’t Run Boston debut. The duo stuck together throughout the day, finished together, and set a course record for the 50K race at the Trail Animals Running Club’s original event.

After a year away, Picard returned to the race on Sunday, April 14, at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass. This time, the 34-year-old resident of Jamaica Plain, Mass., spent most of the day running solo, but he enjoyed a similar outcome. He didn’t move quite as quickly as when Katzman was pushing him (4:45), but Picard earned his second victory at the event with a winning time of 5:04. Picard’s 2019 effort ranked as the sixth-fastest in the 23-year history of the DRB 50K. Continue reading Speed, Doubling and Durability on Display at ‘Don’t Run Boston’ →