TARC To Hale and Back

Welcome (Back) To Hale!

Winters can be long in New England and in March all Trail Animals are invited to crawl out of hibernation to welcome dirt and longer days, back at Hale Education in Westwood, MA. Come and join us because TARC IS GOING TO HALE AND BACK! This race is held on a Saturday in late March, hoping that we can avoid feet of snow pack and maybe get a chance to feel some fresh dirt under our paws (er, shoes). So come on out, shake all that winter snow off your back, and join the pack To Hale and Back! AHHHHHWWWWOOOO!

Basic info:

• Start/Finish area (not actually where you park): Powissett Lodge at Hale Education, 80 Carby St, Westwood, MA 02090
• 3.5 miler starts at 8:00 AM
• 6 hour starts at 8:05 AM

***********************

The Race Handbook with full details is available here: TARC To Hale and Back Race Handbook

***********************
Course Description and Aid Station

• A course map (mostly accurate) is available here: TARC To Hale and Back Course Map
• The course is certainly not the easiest 3.5 mile loop you've ever run. It is largely singletrack, with a few short/stout climbs, but overall, just a general flow of up/down/side-to-side. There is technical footing, but the reward is following the shores of two idyllic ponds (dare you to jump in!), and getting out onto nice stretches of singletrack. The course will likely change slightly from year to year due to flooding, snow, trail changes, etc.
• There will be ONE aid station at the start/finish with water and electrolytes, plus a variety of food that folks have come to associate with TARC. Plan on being OUTSIDE ALL DAY, with no indoor access. If we can access the lodge (TBD closer to the event), then consider it a bonus!

Let There NOT Be Cups

• We will NOT have cups for your drinks. Please plan accordingly! We strive to do everything we can to limit our impact on the places we like to spend our time. Please simply use your water-bottle, or bring a light-weight, collapsible cup with you. It takes just a little more planning on your part, and means we won't have pre-poured soda and drinks, but it will mean our impact on Ma' Nature is significantly less than it could be.

Getting There & Parking

• The start/finish will be at Powisett Lodge in Hale Reservation. Use 80 Carby St, Westwood, MA for GPS, and then drive down the road about 1.5 miles (it's the last building, on the left, down the road). Please drive very slowly through the reservation as there will likely be other people on the road. Note: this is not necessarily where you will park though!
• Parking locations will be shared closer to race day, but we typically have use of several parking lots throughout the property, with the farthest away being about a .75 mile walk along the course to the start/finish area. Please be prepared to walk a bit from where you park and plan accordingly by allowing extra time for the walk. As always, parking will be tight. If at all possible, run/bike/carpool to the race!

Refunds, Deferrals, Bib Swapping, etc.

• None of these are allowed! Event transfers between the 3.5 miler and 6 hour are allowed as long as the event you're transferring to is not sold out; you will need to pay any price difference and no refunds will be given if switching to a cheaper race option. If you sign up and are unable to attend the race, please contact us to withdraw your entry. Your entry fee will go toward a donation to our friends at Hale Education, who let us hold this event on their beautiful trails!

Wait List

• Once the race is full, the wait list will open! If you sign up for the wait list, be aware that as spots open up, your credit card will automatically be charged and you will be let into the race; there is no option to accept or decline the entry into the race. If you do not want to remain on the wait list at any point in time, please contact us to remove you from the wait list.

Hale Education

• Hale Education is our primary benefactor of the proceeds from this race! You can learn more about them and the great work they do at their website https://hale.education .

For anything else, check out the race handbook : TARC To Hale and Back Race Handbook