TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run
Join us for the 2024 Trail Animals Running Club Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run at Blue Hills Reservation! You can read all the exciting details below!
Please note: This race sells out, and there are no refunds, no transfers, and no deferrals (except for emergencies)!
Saturday, June 29, in Milton, Massachusetts
Race Start Location: 1904 Canton Avenue, Milton, Massachusetts (Blue Hills Ski Area Parking Lot)
The TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run is a gnarly, old school 12K race with approximately 2,300 feet of climbing. The course is on the Blue Hills Reservation North & South Skyline Trail. The terrain is rocky and steep and will demand your attention, balance, and agility. In addition to epic staircase climbs and tumbling rock downhills, runners can expect a classic New England path through the woods with East Coast technicality and scenic views of the Boston skyline (if you dare to look up from the rocks under your feet)!
Course Description: The course starts at the Blue Hills Ski Area, runs along the Accord Path until you hit the Skyline Trail. Follow the Skyline Trail and blue blazes up to the top of Great Blue Hill, and take your first right to follow the southern Skyline Trail. Follow this to the first road that crosses near the Blue Hill Reservation Headquarters. Cross the road and see the aid station. From here to the next road is an out and back. Follow Skyline until you hit the road past Buck Hill, then turn around and go back to the aid station, and cross the road and follow the northern Skyline Trail back to Great Blue. Take a left and follow Skyline to Accord Path and back to the finish in the parking lot.
Course markings: This race is not for the directionally challenged or faint of heart! Course markings entail only the Skyline blazes. It is the participant's responsibility to be aware of the course beforehand. Everyone is encouraged to study the online map beforehand and download the GPX file to their watch if necessary. Participants can also print out the map ahead of time and bring it with them on the day of the event. At the request of the DCR, please stay on the race course and be aware that cutting around people on the trail causes trail erosion.
Aid Stations: The course has one aid station at the road crossing that you will pass twice (once on the way out and once on the way back). Aid will also be at the start/finish. Participants are required to have hydration packs or handheld bottles with them due to the minimal aid available.
Leave No Trace: The TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run has a Leave No Trace policy. Please adhere to the Leave No Trace principles during the duration of the event (and we hope whenever you are out in nature).
Land Acknowledgement:
The TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run is held on land that is home to the Pokanoket Nation, descendants of the Wompanoag people, the original stewards of this territory. We encourage our participants to educate themselves on the history of the land we will be running on as well as the history of the land where you train and call home.
Schedule:
Saturday, June 29, 2024 | Race Day
6:30 a.m. | Bib Pick Up Opens in Parking Lot
7:20 a.m. | Prerace Briefing
7:30 a.m. | Race Start (& Yeti Howl!)
12:00 p.m. | Course Closes for All Participants
Spring & Summer Course Preview Runs:
Join us for some casual training miles at Blue Hills Reservation at our monthly group runs.
Cost & Registration:
We keep the cost of all TARC events low to try and make our events as accessible as we can. The cost of the TARC Blue Hill Skyline Trail Run is $25. Please see below for information on our discounted youth entries. Our event profits are donated to land conservations & trusts in support of our trail running passion. Please reach out if the cost is in any way a barrier to you. We want everyone to have the opportunity to experience the incredible trails and community at our event.
No race day registration is offered, and online registration closes at the beginning of race week. We recommend registering early in advance, as this event will sell out.
Canceling Registration:
Participants will have to email the Race Director in order to cancel their registration.
USATF Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running Youth Initiative:
To raise awareness of trail races among young runners and increase participation, the American Trail Running Association has partnered with the USATF MUT Youth Initiative to create a “Youth Trail” certified program for race directors. The TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run is one of the early adopters of their program, and we offer discounted entries ($10 off) for youth 19 years old or under.
Please reach out if you are looking to register yourself or someone else through this program.
Trail Sisters Approved Event:
The TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run is proud to be Trail Sisters Approved! The commitment includes, when applicable, equal podium spots, equal prize money & awards, women’s specific swag & apparel, menstrual products at aid station porta potties (where applicable), and equal opportunity/space for women on the starting line. You can learn more about the standards and their awesome organization here.
Pride on Foot Partner:
Pride on Foot works with run groups, race directors, and fitness organizations who want to understand how to be more accepting and inclusive of Transgender, Genderqueer Intersex, Gender non conforming, and Non binary people. Through education and policy changes they create affirming, inviting, and safe spaces where everyone can be free to workout while living an authentic life.
Adaptive Athletes:
We welcome the participation of adaptive athletes at our event!
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Adaptive athletes must be able to run the course.
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Tethers and guides may be used for athletes with a visual impairment.
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Leg prosthetics may be used for amputees.
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Crutches, braces, or poles may be used if indicated/necessary, with approval from the Race Director.
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Please reach out with any questions or to let us know how we can best support you and your race day needs.
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Guides for adaptive athletes can register as participants if they want their own time/result.
Volunteer Opportunities:
We need volunteers to help make this special day happen and to give our participants the experience they deserve! This includes help with bib pickup, course directing, aid stations, course sweeping, start/finish area support, parking guidance, etc. Volunteers are what make TARC events so fun and also run so smoothly. No experience is required, and it can be your first time attending one of our events! If you are bringing along family or friends to spectate, we encourage them to also get involved by volunteering. If you are running one of the shorter races, consider hanging around to help out afterward. Even if you can't make it on the day of the race, there are still opportunities to get involved. If you need service requirements for other races, we can also sign off on your hours! If we get enough folks, too, it's never a problem for our volunteers to become "course marshalls" and get some running in on the trails. All we ask is you help fill up some water bottles and tell runners they look awesome.
Please reach out if you or your organization are interested in volunteering. We welcome running clubs, hiking groups, sports teams, local businesses, and more to join us.
Registration for the various shifts will open around two months before the race date, but feel free to email us beforehand if you or your group is interested in volunteering.
Participant Camaraderie:
Whether you are competing for the win or bringing up the rear of the pack, we are all out on the trails to have fun and move our bodies in nature. All of our participants are incredible for just getting to the starting line, and you all have impressive journeys for getting there. On race day, we hope you will be everyone else's top cheerleader, cheering on and providing support for one another throughout the morning. Be sure to spread the love and joy with your fellow trail animals. We also welcome and encourage you to bring chairs and stick around after your own race to cheer on other participants as they come through the finish.
Parking & Travel:
Parking is available for participants right at the start/finish area in the parking lot of the Blue Hills Ski Area. Here is the address. Please help us out by carpooling with as many fellow trail animals as possible. Participants can post in the Trail Animals Running Club Facebook Group or in the TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run event page coordinating carpools.
Running in the Woods & Weather:
Please prepare for all manner of weather, insects, critters, trail rash, etc! Historically, this race has fluctuated between nice and cool days and uber duber hot ones! In New England, we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best!
Community Resources:
Looking for folks to run and train with? Here are some local groups:
TARC Blue Hills & Great Brook Farm State Park Monthly Group Runs
Northeast Trail Crew Weekly Runs
Greater Framingham Running Club
Looking for trail shoes and gear? Here are some local stores we recommend:
Marathon Sports (multiple locations)
Heartbreak Hill Running Company (multiple locations)
Fleet Feet/JackRabbit (multiple locations)
Recreation Equipment Inc. (multiple locations)
New England Running Company & Trail (Beverly)
Charles River Running (Norwood)
Who We Are:
The Trail Animals Running Club is a nonprofit running club rooted in the Boston area. We aim to act as community stewards by providing equitable access to trail running and promoting positive trail running culture. We welcome people of all races, nationalities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities & expressions, ages, and abilities. Our event profits are donated to land conservations & trusts in support of our trail running passion. You can RSVP for emails about our runs here.
Trail Animals Running Club Apparel:
You can purchase our fun club apparel here! We are working on offering additional apparel which will be added to this page!
Refund Policy:
TARC races maintain a no refund policy. There will be NO refunds or deferrals for ANY reason. Any requests for a refund will be politely directed to this blurb. Please consider your race entry a donation to the trails, but one where you also get a chance to challenge yourself physically and mentally while taking in all the beauty the landscape has to offer.
History of the TARC Blue Hills Skyline Trail Run:
Held on July 08, 2007
Held on July 13, 2008
Held on July 12, 2009
Held on July 11, 2010
Held on July 10, 2011
Held on July 08, 2012
Held on July 07, 2013
Held on July 13, 2014
Held on July 12, 2015
Held on July 10, 2016
Held on July 09, 2017
Held on July 08, 2018
Held on July 07, 2019
Scheduled on July 12, 2020 (canceled)
Scheduled July 2021 (canceled)
Held on June 25, 2022
Held on July 01, 2023
Scheduled on June 29, 2024
Course Records:
12K Male Record: 01:08:00 | 2023 | Patrick Caron (26)
12K Female Record: 01:22:00 | 2023 | Alicia Cutter (27)
12K Non Binary Record: To be determined
Reviews & Reports:
Let us know if you have any reviews or reports of our event that you want to share with the community!