Tarc Wapack and Back
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TARC Wapack and Back
The TARC Wapack and Back is a trail running event on the Wapack Trail in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, organized by the Trail Animals Running Club. The event offers three distances:
- 21.5 mile end to end trail race.
- 43 mile ultramarathon option.
- 50 mile ultramarathon option.
The route follows the Wapack Trail between Mount Watatic in Massachusetts and North Pack Mountain in New Hampshire. The course includes rocky ledges, boulder fields, granite slabs, single track with rocks and roots, and sections of fire road. Elevation gain is about 4,600 feet in each direction, and the 50 mile course totals roughly 10,800 feet. The trail is blazed with yellow triangles; additional markings are minimal and participants are encouraged to use course maps and GPX files for navigation. Four aid stations provide water and additional aid, and stations are spaced no more than 7.5 miles apart. Binney Hill will have water only in early morning.
43 mile and 50 mile participants check in at the Mount Watatic trailhead parking area while 21.5 mile participants check in at the Fitchburg Sportsmen's Club and are bused to the start. Headlamps are required for the longer distances at the start of the race. Drop bags can be transported to designated locations with limited capacity and must be collected by the course closure. The event is manually timed, has a no refund policy, and offers a youth discount for those 19 and under. The event follows Leave No Trace principles and welcomes adaptive athletes. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
