Spotlight on Trail Running: Celebrating the Fells as a Training Ground

Courtesy of Matthew Darcy Photography.
By Mollie O’Leary

The Middlesex Fells is home to over 100 miles of mixed use trails. Located only five miles from Boston, the Fells is a rare urban nature place where trail runners can access challenging, technical, forested terrain. From Boston, hop on the Orange Line to Oak Grove and walk to one of the many gates to enter the Fells or take the #132 or #99 bus from Malden Center, and in under an hour, you can be surrounded by a beautiful second-growth forest, the hum of nearby Route 128 softened by the rustling of elm trees and the chirps of black-capped chickadees.

At Friends of the Fells, we’ve noticed that many of our most engaged members and donors also happen to be trail runners, using the Fells not only as a refuge to decompress from the frenetic energy of the city, but also as a training ground for some of the most challenging trail races in the country and the world. The Fells may not have any 4,000 footers like our White Mountain neighbors in New Hampshire, but one loop of the 8-mile Skyline Trail rewards runners with nearly 1,000 feet of elevation gain, a rarity in the mainly flat and low-lying Boston basin. 

To celebrate the trail running community and the Fells’ unique relationship with the sport, we interviewed five trail runners who frequent the Fells. Keep reading to learn about Patrick, a professional athlete and board president of Trail Animals Running Club, Graham, a trail runner who has trained almost exclusively in the Fells for some of his biggest races, Tovar, a rock-climber turned trail runner and Hoka rep, Tom, an ultrarunner who has run the 215-mile Tor des Geants in the Italian Alps four times, and Meg, a litigator and FOF board member who has spent countless hours running in the Fells.

 

Patrick

I met Patrick while tabling for Friends of the Fells at the Trail Animals Running Club Winter Classic in December 2025. Runners braved the freezing temperatures and snow flurries to run either 8, 32, or 40 miles on the notoriously tough Skyline Trail. Patrick not only organized this event but also participated in it (and won the 8-mile race)!

Patrick making announcements at the beginning of the TARC Winter Classic, 2024. Courtesy of Nick Heath photography.

So, what is TARC?

Patrick: 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. Founded in 1994, the 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 located all around the world. We currently host beginner friendly group runs each month and twelve trail races throughout the year. We have a race and a place for everyone in our community.

TARC Winter Classic participants, 2024. Courtesy of Chris Arson Photography.

We know TARC hosts awesome events in the Fells each year! What do you enjoy about hosting these events in the Fells?

Patrick: We have hosted numerous events in the Fells throughout the years, including our annual TARC Winter Classic. Since its inception in December 2011, this event has welcomed and challenged thousands of runners. Our mission is rooted in making trail running accessible, and the Fells greatly aligns with this mission as it is conveniently located in the “backyard” of hundreds of thousands of people in the Greater Boston region. For many local trail runners, the Fells serves as their training grounds, and for the growing number of aspiring trail runners, the Fells offer hundreds of miles of trails with varying levels of difficulty and diversity of terrain, creating an ideal playground to learn and develop skills and confidence.

Runners brave the cold at the beginning of the race! Courtesy of James Hoffman Photography.

TARC supports the Fells through volunteer efforts and donations. Could you tell me a little bit about TARC’s involvement in the Fells and how other interested runners can get involved?

Patrick: Our club is passionate about collaborating with other groups that promote trail use and stewardship. By engaging and connecting individuals with natural spaces through trail running, we aim to foster deeper relationships of care and feelings of appreciation for these places, and we encourage our community to find ways to give back, whether that is through volunteerism, advocacy, donations, or other acts of support that are feasible for them. 

TARC donates tens of thousands of dollars each year from our event proceeds to several local stewardship focused nonprofits, and we also help host and promote trail work and cleanup days throughout the year. We are grateful for the work of Friends of the Fells in building community around the Middlesex Fells Reservation, and for their ongoing advocacy and involvement that contribute to the continued care of this great resource!

Graham

Graham and I chatted at a Friends of the Fells fundraising event where he mentioned that he loved running in the Fells. Graham has run many ultramarathons, including the Run Rabbit Run 100 out in Colorado, the Wapack and Back 50 miler, the Jigger Johnson 100 through the White Mountains, and the Riverlands 100 in Maine. How did he prepare for many of these races? By running almost entirely in the Fells!

Graham on the Skyline Trail during the TARC Winter Classic, 2024. Courtesy of Chris Arson Photography.

How did you find the Fells and Friends of the Fells?

Graham: I found the Fells when I was looking for good trail running routes around Boston. On both AllTrails and Strava, it quickly stands out as the place to be!

After a while, I then got connected to a great group of people that all run primarily in the Fells. Once you’ve got a crew to go running through the woods, it really becomes a magical place to be.

The Friends of the Fells then stuck out to me when a number of the wooden footbridges around Sheepfold were rebuilt. Every late winter/early spring those areas would be giant slush zones or really deep puddles. So, when that was fixed, I was curious who made those improvements and what I could do to help support them doing more of that!

Skyline trail marker. Courtesy of Matthew Darcy Photography.

Tell us your favorite challenging, hilly routes in the Fells!

Graham: The Skyline, the Skyline, the Skyline! Very few races will have more than 200 feet per mile of climbing and descent, and the Skyline will have you constantly churning out miles that are up and down 200 feet each mile. A group of us like to joke “keep the Skyline jagged” because of all the work it takes to consistently run and hike that loop. If you can survive there, I personally think you can survive nearly anything

I’d also add that it never hurts to do hill repeats on the steeper stuff, especially if you’re trying to get used to trekking poles. If you do loops on Wright’s Tower, Bear Hill, or in the eastern Fells (Goodyear road all the way up to Black Rock is a personal favorite), you’ll get mountain legs real quick. There’s also a strange zen that comes from repeating the same route over and over. It really gives you a deep sense of the place, how the forest and animals are handling the day around you, and puts you in a great mental place to hopefully just accept the climbing task laid out before you.

Graham on a trail run in the Catskills.

Do you have any advice for beginner trail runners looking to get more involved in the sport?

Graham: Number one, hiking is part of trail running! In hillier races, there is no one, from the winner to the back of the pack, who doesn’t hike or walk some part of the race. So, if an uphill feels too challenging or a downhill too sketchy, it’s always great to hike it until you build up that confidence. The biggest difference in trail running vs road running is the variability of the terrain, so it’s always fine to build that comfort zone at whatever pace feels comfortable to you.

Number two, meet people who are also into trail running! Personally, I’ve always found trail runners to be much more laid back and chill than our road running relatives. Trail runners generally love helping each out and simply spending time outdoors. So, you’ll likely never get a better jolt of energy than finding a friend or a running group (like the Northeast Trail Crew who run in the Fells) to share the miles with.

Number three, just get out there! The beauty of running is that anyone can win simply by beating where they were before. That could even be as simple as finally running 1, 2, or 3 miles. All of those are awesome milestones and deserve to be celebrated!

Sun filtering through the leaves on a snow-packed trail. Courtesy of Ran Cui.

We’ve noticed that many of our most engaged Fells volunteers and donors are also trail runners! Why do you think trail runners are such great Fells stewards?

Graham: I think trail runners, like most hikers, deeply appreciate the awesome outdoor spaces we get to experience and understand we have a duty to care for those spaces. If you enjoy a place, and you want others to enjoy it, you need to be part of the solution in making that happen. Especially in such a unique place like the Fells, how many massive metros have killer trails less than 15 minutes from downtown? It’s critical to make sure overuse or improper use doesn’t wreck the resource for everyone.

Finally, I think the Friends of the Fells is doing the best work to make the Fells more runnable. The Friends of the Fells Trail Crew is doing great work to improve trails, add better water drainage, and generally improve the trail user experience. With more financial and volunteer support, the Trail Crew should be able to tackle more and more projects as we continually refresh and protect the trails we call home.

Tovar

I met Tovar while at a Matthew Henson Tribute Run in the Fells hosted by The Great Malden Outdoors. A few years ago, Tovar made the jump from working in the medical and clinical research industry to joining Hoka as a Field Experience Representative, a decision in large part motivated by his passion for pushing his limits and spending time outside.

Tovar posing at the end of the Tesla Hertz Run in Rocky Point, NY.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you found the Fells!

Tovar: I am an outdoor enthusiast that participates in multiple sports that involve exploration such as climbing, mountaineering, hiking, and trail running. I love the outdoors and some of my fondest memories involve exploring mountains, difficult weather conditions, and long days outside. Born and raised in Mexico, having traveled in every continent, and now living in New England for the last 13 years, I have had the chance to explore almost every environment and I am always looking for the next challenge.

I found the Fells when looking at options that would give me technical terrain, marked trails extending for long distances, and a short drive from the Boston surrounding areas. It was recommended to me by a fellow runner from Trail Animals Running Club.

Pine needles cover a well-shaded trail in the Fells, a small snapshot of a 100+ mile trail network. Courtesy of Matthew Darcy Photography.

How did you discover trail running, and what keeps you signing up for ultras?

Tovar: Running was originally a way to stay in shape for rock climbing and mountaineering. Having better endurance allowed me to explore longer and more complex routes, making my time outside more fun! Eventually, I realized I really enjoyed running, and trail running as a stand-alone activity, not just as part of my training. I signed up for my first ultramarathon out of fear of my first marathon. A friend signed me up for my first road marathon and I was so scared of it that I figured running an ultra first would make it easier…logically!

What I love about ultra racing is that even though the distances are long and “time on feet” is sometimes up to multiple days, making it a daunting goal, it is really just made of small decisions. 0’s and 1’s. Am I hungry? Yes. Do I have time to eat? No. Run a bit faster to get to the next aid station and eat there. Am I thirsty? Yes. Do I have water? Yes, drink. And so on… Simple decisions that make up an amazing feat of resilience. Nothing mutes the outside world better than focusing on the next step only.

Friends of the Fells volunteers definitely agree that hats are IMPORTANT!

What is your must-have piece of gear as a trail runner? 

Tovar: HAT! I cannot run without a hat. It also makes for a great way to carry snacks out of aid stations and just put them in your vest on the move.

Tom

When Tom and I met on a site visit in the Fells to check out a meadow Friends of the Fells is restoring, I mentioned I had run a few marathons. I soon realized that we had different definitions of distance running, since a 26.2 mile race made up barely an eighth of his preferred race length!

From our Fells 5k archives. Should we bring it back?

How did you find the Fells and Friends of the Fells?

Tom: In the early 2000s, I was living in Boston and training for a series of Adventure Races (multi-sport races including map and compass navigation, trekking, biking, paddling and climbing). My teammates first introduced me to the Fells. When we moved from the city, proximity to the Fells was one of the main factors in selecting the town and house where we now live. By that time, my focus had shifted to ultramarathons. 

Easy access to trails has been instrumental in maintaining my participation in outdoor trail sports for 25 years. I first became involved in the Friends of the Fells when I saw a Facebook post in 2018 looking for a Race Director to take over the Friends of the Fells 5K which I did for a couple years.

Tom’s view during the Tor des Geants, a 215-mile race in the Italian Alps

As a trail runner based in the (mostly) flat Boston area, it can be hard to find challenging hills! What is your favorite running route in the Fells to get in some good vert?

Tom: Training in the Fells has been the bedrock training ground for the approximately 40 ultras I have run including a sizable number of 200+ mile races in high mountains, deserts and woodlands. The Fells have a nice mixture of trails with relatively easy, flowing terrain and others with a bit more up and down with technical, rocky sections. 

What trails I choose to run more frequently depends on what is a better match to my upcoming races. For an event like the Moab 240, the elevation profile of the Fells matches pretty well except for a few long sustained climbs and descents. The terrain isn’t particularly challenging for much of the race so I make use of the wider fire roads and green trails more often…but there are still sections that are more suitable for training on the Skyline trail.

Tom at the Tor des Geants

Have you ever trained for a race by running predominantly in the Fells? If yes, what was the event and what drew you to the Fells?

Tom: Big mountain events are the races that I find most appealing. The 215-mile Tor des Geants in the Italian Alps is one I have raced 4 times, and it has approximately 90,000 ft of vertical gain so the few 120-160 ft climbs in the Fells are not ideal. However, the Fells is still my day-to-day training ground given its proximity. 

I make heavier use of the Skyline and Rock Circuit trails and do a lot of hill repeats at the 2 towers with 2500-4000 ft of gain in a session as the goal. I do try to get up the White Mountains or Mt Sunapee with some frequency to train on more sustained ascents and descents but it can be tough to get away. I also have an incline treadmill and altitude simulator to augment my training.

Meg

Originally from Maine, Meg has been on the Friends of the Fells board for over three years and serves as secretary. Now a Malden resident, she has spent countless hours running and exploring in the Fells. Meg has participated in 50ks, 5ks, and even a sunrise trail run in the Fells with FOF Field Programs Manager, Maddie!
Meg in the Fells!

Could you tell me a bit about yourself and how you found the Fells?

Meg: I discovered the Fells when I moved to Malden in 2014 (or more precisely, I moved to Malden because there was a big green park on the map and I wanted to live near it). I have twin seven-year-olds; we regularly hike in the Fells–rocky trails with lots of ups and downs and the Cascade are their favorite things. By day, I’m a litigator at the Attorney General’s Office, where I focus on consumer protection litigation.

Meg with her twin boys!

What draws you to the Fells as a place to run?  

Meg: For me, running in the Fells is almost meditative–it allows me to disconnect from the stresses of life, process challenges, and be reminded that no matter what is going on in the wider world, there is a peacefulness and rhythm to nature that endures, which gives me hope.

My love of running in the Fells is so well-known in my family that my twin seven-year-olds have come up with a plan for my birthday later this year. They are planning to drop me off at a trailhead, want me to run a long, winding loop (“because mom really loves nature and running in the Fells”), and then will meet me for a picnic in the woods. 

Courtesy of Mary New Photography.

How has trail running changed or influenced your relationship to the Fells?  

Meg: Trail running has made me feel more passionate about ensuring that this incredible space continues to be protected for generations, both for its human visitors and for the many creatures and plants that call it home–we are so lucky to have the Fells.

This April and May, we’re launching new group runs in the Fells. We have a run coming up Saturday, April 11th with Marathon Sports Melrose and another on Sunday, May 3rd with the newly formed Fells Trail Run Club. Keep an eye out on Eventbrite for our Women’s Social Runs, which will be starting up again this spring!
*Cover photo courtesy of trailanimals.com