Rooted in Community
The Trail Animals Running Club (TARC) is a nonprofit running club that aims to act as community stewards by providing equitable access to trail running and promoting positive trail running culture.
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Founded in 1994, our club is the largest trail and ultrarunning community in the Northeast United States, with our home base in Eastern Massachusetts, and our "trail animal" friends are local, national, and international.
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We welcome people of all races, nationalities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities & expressions, ages, and abilities. We believe in club and trail culture that honors the diversity of life circumstances, identities, perspectives, and interests of our community members.
Our event profits are donated to land conservations & trusts in support of our trail running passion. So whether you’re new to trails or have been running them for decades, we want to meet you. Come get your feet dirty with us, and join our free group runs and low cost races from 5K to 100+ miles.
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Awwwwooo!
We start every event with our traditional "Yeti howl," so start practicing!
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Whether you like flowy singletrack, forested dirt paths, rolling farmland, scenic ridgelines, or relentless rocky and rugged climbs and descents, our twelve events around the region offer an array of terrain that welcome new trail runners and seasoned veterans alike.
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We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the outdoors and engage in trail running, and are committed to providing support and addressing barriers through low cost entry fees and scholarships, beginner friendly group runs, gear swaps, educational workshops, mentorship, and more.
Giving Back and Amplifying Impact
We aim to give back to the trails where we run, through trail maintenance and donating our event profits to groups and initiatives focused on outdoor access and land stewardship. All donations to our nonprofit help us continue to host low cost trail running events and provide opportunities to broaden access to trail running and the community we all love. We believe in the power of the collective to create positive impact and change. Thank you to the tens of thousands of TARC participants who have contributed to our mission throughout the years.
