For $12, runners get 12 hours in Lawrence Woods, a quieter corner of the Middlesex Fells Reservation on the west side of South Border Road in Medford, Massachusetts. The race is a timed trail ultra: runners start in the morning, keep going until evening, and log as many 4.5-mile loops as they want. Medford High School’s parking lot gives direct access to the woods, so the setup is simple and close to the trails.
The course uses the same woods where Northeast Trail Crew meets for weekly group runs, with several miles of trail and enough loop options to support a long day without leaving the area. Friends of the Fells had hosted shorter trail racing there before, and NTC member Russell Grant created this longer format around favorite local paths. The field is small and local-feeling, but the mileage can get serious: runners have gone past 50 miles, several have reached 50K, and the event has produced first ultramarathon finishes as well as outright wins near 60 miles.