Eastern New England Trail Race Series

The series is inspired by the popular and successful Grand Tree Trail Race Series run by the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club. This series includes races located in the western portion of Massachusetts as well as New York State. Trail runners in the Eastern and Central parts of Massachusetts were looking for a similar challenge that would extend throughout the calendar year but was within easy driving distance. A small number of trail race directors began communicating with each other and with the encouragement and guidance of the directors of the Grand Tree Series contacts were made with many established trail races and a schedule of twenty-two trail races was compiled for the inaugural running of the Eastern New England Trail Race Series, twenty-four in the second running of the series and a similar number for this year's schedule. Distances range from 3 miles (Trav’s Trail Run) to 17.5 miles (Wapack 17.5M Trail Race). While most races are located in Massachusetts two have been run in Rhode Island, the Lil’ Rhody Runaround 8M Trail Race and the Diamond hill 22.5K and two in New Hampshire, The Moose on the Loose 10M Trail Race and Relay and the Wapack 17.5M Trail Race. This year the series has added a third trail race in New Hampshire, the Whale of a 5K Trail Race and Kid's Fun Run in Rye, NH on April 25th. The series also welcomes Maine to the schedule with the addition of the 5th Annual Pineland Farms Running Festival 25K being held in New Gloucester, ME on May 30th. Scoring for the series will be a calculated percentage of the winner’s time. Results of each race as well as the series standings will be posted on the series’ website www.easternnewenglandtrailraceseries.org.

The average trail runner is unique among the running community in that the environment that they run in is as important as the activity itself. The series hopes to provide new venues for our fellow trail runners as well as an opportunity to participate in a structured race format.