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⏵ Course guide · Massachusetts / New Hampshire ridgeline ultra

TARC Wapack and Back Course Guide

Wapack and Back is a technical out-and-back ultra on the Wapack Trail, starting at Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts and running north to North Pack Monadnock in Greenfield, New Hampshire, before turning around and coming back. Worth being upfront about: the course is roughly half Massachusetts and half southern New Hampshire, not a New Hampshire-only route. I will walk you through the terrain first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for slow, technical ridgeline miles. There are free calculators along the way to dial in your own numbers.

⏵ At a glance

TARC Wapack and Back quick facts

Date
Early-to-mid May, check the current year's schedule (date has shifted year to year)
Location
Wapack Trail, starting at Mount Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, running north to North Pack Monadnock, Greenfield, New Hampshire, and back (roughly half Massachusetts, half southern New Hampshire)
Distances
50 mile (full out-and-back), 43 mile, and 21.5 mile one-way
Elevation gain
50 mile: about 10,800 ft total · one-way: about 4,600 ft
Cutoffs
Windblown (mile 34): 3:30 PM · Watatic (mile 43): 5:00 PM · Finish: 7:30 PM
Entry style
Low-cost, volunteer-run TARC event, roughly $60-75 with a youth discount

These facts come from trailanimals.com. The race date has shifted in past years, so confirm the current date, cutoffs, and race-day details before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.

The course: two states, one demanding ridgeline

The full 50-mile option runs the entire Wapack Trail out and back: south to north from Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts up to North Pack Monadnock in Greenfield, New Hampshire, then the same technical terrain back the way you came. That is roughly half Massachusetts and half southern New Hampshire, with about 10,800 feet of total climbing over the round trip.

Northbound: technical from the first mile

The Wapack Trail does not warm you up gently. Rocky ledges, boulder fields, granite slabs, and roots show up early and stay the whole way, yellow-blazed the entire route. The northbound leg to North Pack Monadnock carries about 4,600 feet of climbing, and it is slow climbing, technical footing eats time that flat trail would not.

Runners doing the 21.5-mile one-way option get this leg and this leg only, which makes it a real look at the terrain without the return trip. It is a demanding day even at that distance.

The turnaround: the same trail, a different fight

For the 50-mile and 43-mile options, the return leg covers the same technical ground you just climbed, now with miles in your legs. The terrain does not get easier heading south, and fatigue plus technical footing is a combination that catches people who paced the outbound leg like it was the whole race.

Protect your feet and your attention on the way back. Careless footing on tired legs is where a slow-but-manageable day turns into a genuinely long one.

Aid and cutoffs: Windblown and Watatic set the pace

The published cutoffs, 3:30 PM at Windblown (mile 34), 5:00 PM at Watatic (mile 43), and a 7:30 PM finish, are your real pacing checkpoints on the return leg. Because the terrain is slow relative to its mileage, do not assume a comfortable early pace guarantees a comfortable cutoff margin late. Track your splits against these checkpoints as you go.

Pacing strategy for a slow, technical out-and-back

Wapack and Back runs slower than its mileage suggests because of the terrain. Pacing this course off a flat-trail 50-mile time will leave you short against the cutoffs.

Pace by grade and by footing, not by the mile marker

A grade-adjusted pace matters here as much for the technical footing as for the climbing. Hold a steady, honest effort on the rocky, rooty sections rather than chasing a flat-ground pace that the trail will not allow. Runners who try to force road-pace splits on this terrain either burn out or take unnecessary risks on technical footing.

Build a realistic finish window against the return-leg cutoffs

Do not estimate your Wapack and Back time off a smoother 50-mile course. The roughly 10,800 feet of total climbing and the technical footing both add real time that a flat-course prediction will not catch. A vert-aware finish prediction built for this terrain gives you an honest window to work back from the Windblown and Watatic cutoffs, so you know your real margin heading into the return leg.

⏵ Free tools to pace this course

Fueling strategy for a long, slow technical day

Because Wapack and Back runs slower than its mileage suggests, plan fueling around your realistic time on feet, not the raw distance.

Carbs: fuel for the hours, not just the miles

Aim for around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Since technical footing slows your overall pace well below a typical trail ultra, your total time out there, and therefore your total fueling need, will be higher than a flatter 50-miler at the same distance. Plan your total carb and calorie load around your realistic finishing time, not a generic 50-mile estimate.

Sodium and fluid: a grassroots, lightly supported event

Scale sodium to conditions, generally in the 300 to 700 milligram per liter range. Because TARC runs Wapack and Back as a low-cost, volunteer-run event, do not assume heavy aid-station support the way you might at a large commercial race. Carry enough fluid and backup calories to cover longer-than-expected gaps between aid.

⏵ Build your fueling plan

Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and this course's technical pace with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.

⏵ Train for it with Summit Line

Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact Wapack Trail course profile, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for technical ridgeline terrain, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.

Start free →Explore the demo

TARC Wapack and Back FAQ

How hard is the TARC Wapack and Back?

Wapack and Back is a genuinely technical ridgeline ultra, run on the yellow-blazed Wapack Trail over rocky ledges, boulder fields, granite slabs, and roots for the full 50-mile out-and-back. About 10,800 feet of total climbing over the round trip, combined with technical footing the entire way, makes this a slow, demanding course relative to its mileage. It is run by TARC (Trail Animals Running Club), a volunteer-run, low-cost event, so do not expect a heavily supported production, this is a grassroots trail race in the true sense.

Is the Wapack and Back a New Hampshire race?

Only about half of it. The course starts at Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, runs north on the Wapack Trail to North Pack Monadnock in Greenfield, New Hampshire, and returns the same way, so the route is roughly half Massachusetts and half southern New Hampshire. If you are looking for a race entirely inside New Hampshire, this is not quite it, but it is a strong pick if you want technical Wapack Trail terrain across the state line.

What are the distance options for Wapack and Back?

There are three: the full 50-mile out-and-back covering the whole route both directions, a 43-mile option, and a 21.5-mile one-way. The one-way option only covers about 4,600 feet of climbing versus roughly 10,800 feet for the full round trip, so pick the distance that matches your fitness for sustained technical climbing, not just your longest training run.

How should I fuel for the Wapack and Back?

This is a slow course for its mileage because of the technical footing, so plan fueling around time on feet, not just distance. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium scaled to conditions, generally 300 to 700 milligrams per liter. Because the terrain is technical enough to slow your pace well below a typical trail ultra, build in more total calories than a flatter 50-miler would need for the same finishing time. Run your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator.

What are the cutoff times for the Wapack and Back?

The published cutoffs are 3:30 PM at Windblown (mile 34), 5:00 PM at Watatic (mile 43), and a 7:30 PM finish cutoff. Confirm the current year's exact start time and cutoff schedule before you register, since TARC has shifted the race date in past years.

What is the terrain like on the Wapack Trail?

Expect technical rocky ledges, boulder fields, granite slabs, and roots along the yellow-blazed Wapack Trail the entire way. This is not runnable forest doubletrack, it is deliberate, careful-footing terrain for long stretches, which is a big part of why the mileage takes longer here than on a smoother course. TARC is the Northeast's largest trail running community, and the event reflects that grassroots, low-cost, volunteer-run character.

This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and race-day logistics come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.