TARC Winter Fells 40 Mile Race Recap

First off, I want to say thank you to the race directors and all the volunteers who spent many hours out on the trails making sure the runners had everything they could possibly need. I also want to give a big thank you to my girlfriend, Charlotte, and one of my best friend’s, Victoria, both of whom crewed me for this race. I couldn’t have done it without them.

As far as this race goes, this was my 3^rd Ultra ever. Going into this race I had been putting in consistent 50-mile weeks, which is at least double the amount I had been running for my last Ultra. Obviously, the mileage should have been a little higher, and there should have been a few longer runs, but I was confident in my abilities and believed I could finish.

Fast forward to race morning and my alarm goes off bright and early at 5 AM. The forecast for the race was cold, with temperatures in the high 20s to start, and only warming up to about 38 by the end of the race. As a result, I had packed a few different clothing options with me so I could add and subtract layers depending on the weather and how I was feeling. The previous day I had visited a local running store in Lexington, MA and picked up a much-needed pair of winter running gloves, which made a world of difference come race time. At 5:50 AM we set off for the race which was located in Stoneham, MA. We arrived at the Middlesex Fells Reservation around 6:15 AM and I quickly went to pick up my number before getting back to the car to prep my crew. Soon enough it was time to make my way to the start line, where I recognized one of the people running, John Fegyveresi, one of only 14 or so people to ever finish the Barkley Marathons, a 130 Mile brutal trail race in Tennessee! As I was at the starting line, I tried to think back to the only time I had run on the course before, a slow four mile run with some friends back in September of 2016. I remember the course being pretty brutal, but it was even worse than I had imagined. 

Pre-Race! Credit: David Metsky, TARC

At 7am sharp, the race began. My pacing strategy was “conservative”, but “conservative” is just a relative term in ultras. It is highly likely that you will slow down, sometimes by minutes each mile, so it’s all about focusing on your perceived effort. The TARC Winter Fells takes place on the Skyline Trail of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The 32 Mile Race featured 4 laps of the trail, while the 40 Mile features an additional lap. Runners complete about a .25 Mile out-and-back at the start and end of each lap. The race director describes the course as ‘A nightmarish course of rocks and roots with a bit of elevation thrown in”, and somehow that description does not even do it justice. The nice thing about the Skyline trail is that since it is a loop the race director allows runners to go either CW or CCW around the trail, and since the people ahead of me had all chosen CW to start, I wasn’t about to go off by myself the other way. Since there were 32 Mile runners going a little bit faster than me it was nice to have people with me and ahead of me for directions, as I sure needed guidance that first lap. I settled into a nice group of about four to five runners to start and we carried along on the technical terrain. I finally got myself a Garmin, the Fenix 3 HR, so I could actually know my splits from now on rather than being in the dark on it. 

Lap 2, Credit: David Metsky, TARC

I hit the first Mile in 9:59, which sort of shocked me considering my heart rate was already in the 160s. The thing about the Skyline trail, however, is that it is highly advisable to walk or power hike up some of the larger and steeper inclines if you want to have any chance at all of the finishing the event. As we carried on the first loop, the trail only got worse. There are actually some spectacularly steep rock faces that you have to climb up on your hands and knees to continue on the trail, something I have never had to do before in a race. It’s usually not a good sign when it feels a little difficult to run an 11:27 Mile 3, but that is the nature of the skyline trail. As I figured out during this first lap, going CW means that you get a majority of the largest hills and all the rock faces out of the way in the first 3.5 Miles of the loop, with the remainder of the loop being “less technical”, although I’m not really sure that is the right way to put it! As we began the second half of the loop our group had splintered to three people, one of whom was named Sylvain, who I had a great chat during this loop with about what else but, you guessed it, running. As hard as a tried it was incredibly difficult to settle into a rhythm as there really are no flat and totally runnable areas, save for a few sections. Even the downhills on the course are just as brutal and require you to be incredibly careful to avoid falling, which I’ll get too later. About a mile and a half before the end of the loop, things finally open up and become slightly more runnable, with the only stretch where you can really open up your stride lasting maybe 0.4 of a mile. Sylvain and I had gone from low 11s to high 7-minute pace for at least part of this section. Finally, we popped out of the loop portion of the trail and headed back on the 0.25-mile flat stretch to the fueling station. We crossed the end of loop one side by side.

Loop One: 1:20:47, (10:05 Pace), 6^th Place.

Lap 2, Credit: David Metsky, TARC

At the aid station, I was able to see Charlotte and Victoria and refuel my supplies. For the race, I had decided to drink Nuun’s Electrolyte and Carbohydrate replace, since I couldn’t find tailwind, and consume mostly solid food, like cookies and chips. I only spent maybe 2 minutes refueling, but Sylvain was long gone before then, I wouldn’t see him again until the finish. I started off the second lap with another runner doing the 40 Mile who had come in about a minute after I had on the first loop. We quickly passed the first few miles talking about running, vacations, college, and Asheville, NC. About ten miles into the race we almost missed a turn and I had to turn fast, placing my foot hard on an especially pointy rock. Examining it the next morning, there is definitely a sizable bruise. Eventually, we parted ways going up one of the rock faces and I was on my own. I had paid attention to where I was going on the first lap, so I knew I had a solid understanding of the course. However, there was one turn on the back half of the course that did not clearly indicate which way to go, and as a result, I paused there for about 45 seconds to let the people I could hear behind me catch up. There were two runners, with one of them being a lively 23-year-old named Matthew, whom I shared a few miles with. We were about 13 Miles into the 40 Mile race when he just yells “Today is a great day to be alive!”, and I loved it. We split up when I stopped at the mid-race aid station to grab some food, but I stayed within eyeshot of them for the remainder of the lap. I was still feeling great when I came to the aid station at the end of lap two.

Loop Two:  1:23:32 (10:26 Pace), 5^th Place. Total Time: 2:44:19, (10:16 Pace)

Lap 3, Credit: David Metsky, TARC

I began loop three alone, but feeling strong, having no idea how bad I would feel in just a few miles. I crested the now familiar steep hills and knew exactly which sections I needed to take a little slower, or just walk entirely. I had another runner, who was entered in the 32 Mile, just a little bit in front of me, and we had been trading passing each other for most of the second lap and third lap thus far. Right around Mile 19, I was going down a steep hill, and another runner was going up, making the footing were technical. I misplaced by foot, slipped, and crashed hard, with my face going right into a rock. I was very fortunate that only my cheek hit the rock because there could have been many worse outcomes there. I was now bleeding from my face and had also landed hard on my hip and both my knees. I had to sit on the side of the trail for several minutes while I waited for my left knee to stop shaking enough to begin running again. At this point, I seriously considered turning around and dropping out, but instead, I took it a little more slow and gingerly. About three miles left in the loop I was caught again by Matthew and another runner, whom I had assumed were ahead of me, but they had actually just stayed at the aid station a little longer. Again, we ran within eyeshot of one another for most of the rest of the loop. As I began the last stretch to the aid station I felt tired and in pain. This was definitely my low point of the race.

Skyline Trail Blazes! Credit: David Metsky, TARC

Loop Three:  1:33:00 (11:36 Pace), 5^th Place. Total Time: 4:17:19, (10:43 Pace)

I’m sure my crew was shocked to see me with my bloody face coming into the aid station. I took extra time to get some food and water, and to clean off my cut. I told my crew I wasn’t entirely confident I had two loops left in me, but I was going out for my fourth. I left again, alone, and began to trudge my way up the first half hills. My pace had slipped considerably from the first lap, but still not outrageous. However, I will say that I had never in my life expected to “run” a 14:20-minute mile (Mile 27) and have my heart rate be in the 170s. The rest of this lap was slow going, although I did begin to feel better than the previous lap.  I took a few more falls over the rest of the lap, which I had just begun to accept as an inevitable occurrence. Again, I stopped at the mid-race aid station to refuel my water bottle and stuff my jacket with potato chips. For the rest of the lap, I focused on catching up to the 32 Mile Runner who had practically been only a minute ahead of me for the past 24 Miles. I passed him shortly before the end of the loop, wishing that I too had only signed up for the 32 Mile.

Loop Four: 1:40:00 (12:30 Pace), 5^th Place. Total Time: 5:57:19, (11:09 Pace)

After the Fall. Credit: Chris Wristen of Mass Ultra

After stopping for only about two minutes to get fuel from my crew, I began the fifth lap, determined to finish strong. I knew that I felt good, and didn’t have another lap after, so there would be no going conservative now. I was going all in for my final lap. It a weird feeling, but also a great one to pass the landmarks that you have become accustomed too for the last 6-7 hours, although I’m not sure I was going to miss them. About a mile into the last lap, I noticed a runner maybe a minute ahead and tried hard to reel him in over the next few miles. I know he could sense I was behind him and it felt like he was trying hard to stay ahead of me. I was feeling great though, and even running up hills I had walked in the previous few laps. Finally, I passed the other runner with around 4 miles to go when it looked like he stopped to retie his shoes. I wasn’t about to have him see that I was hurting too, so I speed up as I went by him for the next few minutes to put some distance between us. I passed the aid station for the last time, pausing to get more water and to thank the volunteers. Before I knew I had entered the two miles of relative easier running. I felt surprisingly good and really wanted to bring it in hard. As I ended that final loop and started on the last 0.25 miles back to the finish, I turned on the speed and finished that last quarter mile in about 6 flat pace after 40 miles of difficult trails. Overall, I crossed the finish line with a big smile on my face in 7:30:03 and 4^th Overall!

Loop Five: 1:32:44 (11:34 Pace), 4^th Place. Total Time: 7:30:03, (11:16 Pace)

After the race, I talked to both Sylvain and Matthew for a little bit, who came in 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively. I had made up about 6-7 minutes on each of them on the last lap, although I had run out of trail to try and catch either of them! Charlotte, Victoria, and I did not stay much longer since I was in significant pain, and freezing now that I had stopped running. Overall, I had a spectacular time at this race. The race directors and volunteers have truly put on something special. I hope that next year, and in the future, I can tackle the “Fells” once again.

Finish! Credit: Charlotte Hayes 

TARC Fall Classic 50K Race Recap

The TARC Fall Classic 50K marked my first ultra-marathon since the Weymouth Woods 100K and only my second ultra-marathon ever. I ran the Weymouth Woods 100K back in January of 2016 when I was only 18 so to say running another ultra was overdue would be an understatement. The race was located in Carlisle, MA which is only a 25-minute drive from my apartment at Bentley University, so not much travel was required. However, the race did have a more aggressive start time than I was used to at 6 AM.

Pre-Race!

On race morning, my alarm went off bright and early at 4 AM. I put on my running clothes, ate a light breakfast, and then double checked that I had everything I needed. I had packed numerous water bottles, salty snacks like peanut butter pretzels and potato chips, and a few pairs of socks and a change of outfit since there was supposed to be rain throughout the race. At 4:45 AM, I was met by my girlfriend, Charlotte, and our friend Victoria, both of whom had graciously volunteered to crew me for my race, not that I had really given them much of a choice. We arrived at Great Brooke Farm State Park at around 5:15 AM. Sunrise was not until 6:45 AM, so I would be running for the first part of the race in the dark. For this race, the course featured a 10+ Mile loop that I would have to complete 3 times. The TARC Fall Classic also had a 50 Mile Race that started at 6 AM which was 5 laps around the 10 Mile course, and then a Half Marathon and 10K that started later at 8 AM. I prepped my sleepy crew on what I would need each time I came to the aid station, mainly a change of running gear, salty snacks, and a refill on my water and Tailwind. At 5:50 AM, there was a very brief pre-race meeting, and before I knew it I was on the start line.

Start Line 

Since the race was held by the Trail Animals Running Club (TARC), each race began with a ceremonial “howl” as the starting signal. After the start, I focused on going out conservatively and trying to stick with someone because I only had my cell phone for a flashlight, and I did not know the course at all. The 50K started with a mile loop around an open field before connecting with the main 10 Mile trail. I was passed by a few people during the first 30 minutes or so while I found my rhythm. Starting out conservatively was especially important to me, as my longest run of th past month and a half had been 9 Miles and I had only been averaging about 25-30 Miles a week. I did not want the last 10 Miles of this race to be a slow death crawl. As it grew lighter, I started to get a better bearing for the course. Some of the race consisted of more open, wider trails, but the great majority was rooty, rocky, and windy single-track trails. I can’t even remember how many times I stepped on a root the wrong way, or almost stumbled going down a rocky section of trail. I had been running alone for a good deal of time now, which was concerning to me as this was my first time ever on this course. I debated speeding up to catch someone ahead and run with them, but I decided again it. About an hour into the race, I blatantly missed a turn. I was supposed to turn right but missed the sign and ran straight for about three minutes or so before realizing I was going the wrong way. I backtracked and ran into a group of people and stuck with them while I attempted to regain my composure and not allow this to throw off my race. Not 10 minutes later, our group went off course again. This time, however, there was clearly no trail marking anywhere. After about two minutes we backtracked and passed about 8-10 people, all who were none too happy to see us as they realized they were going the wrong way as well. After stopping at an intersection, our group of about 10-12 realized that we were meant to go up a very steep narrow trail. The course was covered with pink markers and had arrows at major intersections, but at this turn, they appeared to be hidden, or not there at all. All told I lost about 10 minutes or so. I stuck with a smaller group for the rest of this loop, which continued for about 2 more miles. The last 2 miles of the course was the most challenging of the loop as it featured more winding trails and abrupt steep climbs. Finally, I was done with the first loop, which ended with the same circle around the field that we ran at the beginning of the race.  I finished the first lap slower than I anticipated in about 1:40 to 1:41.

Motivational Sign #1

I did not spend long at my crew’s station. I changed from my long sleeve shirt and Boston Marathon jacket into a more breathable singlet, replaced my Tailwind and water mixture, and stuffed my face with handfuls of potato chips. Charlotte and Victoria told me that I looked pretty good and that despite the missed turns I was in 12th place and seemed like I was in good spirits. I set off on my second lap with the same guy that I had been running with to end the lap and we chatted for a few minutes. I must have felt like I needed to make up time, however, as I quickly lost him. I caught up and passed another runner about ten minutes later. I was moving pretty well and feeling pretty well too. About two and a half hours in it started to pour down rain, and around this time was where I started to feel not as fresh. The positive here was that this lap I did not make the same mistakes as the first lap and I stayed on course. About 7 or 8 Miles into the second lap I started running into people doing the Half Marathon and the 10K who were running a modified shorter loop of about 6 miles. The issue here was that it was incredibly difficult to pass some slower people or groups of people especially the last 3 Miles of the course. Combining the downpour, having to expend energy passing people, and being already 20 Miles into the race, I was feeling pretty spent by the time I was nearly the end of the second lap. I had moved into 10th place but was passed hard by another runner with a little bit left to go. Finally, I reached the open field and finished up my second lap in around 1:27 or so and total time so far of 3 hours and 8 minutes. This time around I spent longer at my aid station. I grabbed a hat, drank an extra water bottle, and refilled my tailwind and grabbed a snack. Charlotte and Victoria told me that I looked good, albeit very wet. After 5 minutes or so I started off on my final lap.

Motivational Sign #2

The final lap was practically a blur for me. I was completely alone and fighting to keep my legs moving. Stopping to refuel gave me a boost of energy for about 30 minutes or so, but by the time I hit 4 hours of running I felt spent. Every root I stepped on sent shooting main from the bottom of my foot up to my hips. I was in a low place, but thankfully still moving. Every person I passed told me that I looked good and to keep it up, which was encouraging. I passed the mid-race aid station for the final time and began the last 3 hilly miles. I was out of water and fighting hard to get to the finish. I was fairly confident that as long as I kept moving I would be a bit under 5 Hours. I was also conscious that I had slowed down to mid to high 9 Minute pace and was at a risk of being passed. Finally, I emerged out of the woods and knew I only had a few minutes to go. I entered the open field for the last time and actually kicked it in a bit as I went around the final bend. I crossed the finish line in a time of 4:51:38, 11th place out of about 80 runners, with a finishing pace of 9:23 per mile. My last lap had taken me about an hour and 38 minutes to complete.

We did not stick around afterward very long due to the weather, and the fact that my crew was pretty tired after waking up at 4 AM. Overall, this was a tough race, much harder than I anticipated it being. I was happy with my result, but believe I have much more potential with some solid training and some actual long runs. Currently, I am planning on running the Cambridge Half Marathon in November, the Turkey Trot 8K on Thanksgiving, and the TARC Winter Classic 40 Miler in December! Time for a few days of recovery before I resume training!

Finish!