Update 10/9/12: The course has been marked with a few small changes updated below. Parking is at the Hart Barn & Ski Center on Lowell Rd.
The Trail Animals Running Club is putting on a 10K, half-marathon, marathon, and 50K in the Great Brook Farm State Park which is only a few minutes from my house. Despite the close proximity to my home, I had yet to go to this park. Wow, have I been missing out!
I signed up for the 50K and decided to preview the course based on information posted on the web. The 50K is 5 laps of mostly single track with some sections of gravel/fire roads. PDF of the course TARC Fall Classic Course 2012.
A few observations that I had about the course (all turns are well marked with signs and pink flagging along the trails).
- I did not notice the left turn at Junction 3 and cut off the small loop.
- Junction 6 is a hard left hand turn with three options, take the far left turn.
- At the top of Indian Hill at Junction 33, there is a hard left hand turn.
- Coming on the straight section just before the bridge it is easy to miss the right turn to get to the bridge just before Junction 10.
- Junction 30 is tricky. Take the hard left on the way out which will bring you back to the same Junction and again take a left.
- Junction 7 has a few side trails around.
Follow the blue triangles!Take a hard right hand turn on an unmapped trail that rejoins the Woodchuck trail near the top of the hill. - The turn onto Stone Row before Junction 8 is a left hand hairpin turn. There is a downhill coming into this turn so it is easy to carry speed. Turn left at the Stone Row sign.
- A short distance after Junction 32 (didn’t see a junction marker but the T junction is obvious) there are rock steps down a hill, which are easy to miss. Stay to the right of a waist-high rock and down the stone stairs.
A few pictures to help the visually oriented. Sorry for the blurry images.
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- TARC Fall Classic Course 2012
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- Junction 6
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- Junction 10
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- Junction 7
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- Junction 8
Hi Jerimy,
This is _super_ helpful for the rest of us who will be running the course tomorrow for the first time. Thanks for taking all the time to annotate the course and document tricky spots. Have a great race tomorrow.
Best, Eric
Eric, it was great to be able to get out on the course a few time so I though I’d try and help those that couldn’t. See you tomorrow for what looks like a cold start!