Swag | Courses | Prizes | Timing | Rules | Ultra Challenges
It’s time to cover the ground in an all-new way! The FLRC Challenge offers Ithaca-area runners an open-course virtual running experience. To make the Challenge more accessible and inclusive, we’ve brought back all courses from the past five years for a total of 44, extended the timeframe to allow for lovely fall running, and added an alternative goal. You’ll also record all your times on our new dynamic leaderboard, which also pulls in your results from previous years.
You can still push yourself to complete the Classic Challenge of 10 carefully selected courses, split evenly between road and trail, and with distances ranging from 1 mile to a half marathon. Or you can claim your medal by completing your own Personal Challenge that encompasses a different number of courses, one terrain or the other, or only courses under a certain distance. You can opt to hide your times. Define your Personal Challenge when you sign up!
Your mission is to run, walk, or hike all the courses in your Challenge from April 18 through November 15. Register today and complete them all to win an all-new FLRC Challenge medal! Don’t miss our snazzy new shirts for 2026, available in straight, fitted, tank, and racerback styles!
To increase the fun of the Classic Challenge, we have individual and team competitions for the speedy, the consistent, the deliberate, and the social. The twist is that you can run each course as many times as you want. Individuals compete for over 200 cash prizes based on the fastest times (overall and age group), best average times, and most efforts for each course. 10-year age group teams go up against other generations for bragging rights based on age-graded times and most efforts. 2026 will retain our “community stars” for running with a group or sharing a photo or run report. Check your individual and team standings after every run on the leaderboard.
For ultramarathoners, we have several tests of your grit, determination, and sanity. The ultimate challenge is the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge. Run all 10 Classic Challenge courses in one 24-hour day to win not only an FLRC Challenge medal and the awe of the community but also a 12×12-inch FLRC Challenge course sign, personalized to commemorate your achievement. Plan carefully and make sure you’re aware of the additional Ultra Challenge requirements. If the Ultra Challenge is too much, consider the Tough Trail Challenge or Tough Tarmac Challenge, which focus on just the trail or road courses. Those who complete one of the Tough Challenges win smaller signs.
Registration for the 7-month FLRC Challenge costs $75, and there is a $25 discount for FLRC members, dropping the price to $50. Join or renew today! If financial considerations would prevent you from entering, use coupon code FLRCRUNFREE2026 during registration to waive the entry fee.
You can register for the FLRC Challenge at any time, but you can submit results only for runs made after your registration. You must set up a free account with Webscorer as part of the online registration process to be able to use the timing app and submit your results.
If you have questions, ask in the FLRC Challenge category on the FLRC forum or contact Challenge Director Adam Engst. Let’s run!