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For the 2026 FLRC Challenge, we’re bringing back all our past courses and adding a new one for a total of 44 courses! Courses range in length, surface, hilliness, and location. Check out their pages for driving directions, course maps and directions, and (in time) custom RunGo voice directions using your smartphone or Apple Watch. We have once again worked hard to introduce you to new courses both in Ithaca and the outlying communities.
Classic Challenge Courses
The ten courses in the 2026 Classic Challenge are listed below. Tap or click any course to see the full description.
East Hill Rec Way
A fast, slightly downhill mile that works for both personal records and casual efforts.
Easy and fast, this 1-mile slight downhill course is a favorite of speedsters and walkers alike. Try for a mile personal record!
Duck Trails
A short, approachable trail run that offers an easy introduction to off-road footing.
Never run trails before? This course is short and easy, but it will introduce you to trail navigation in the pretty scenery surrounding Cornell’s world-famous Lab of Ornithology.
Waterfront Trail
A flat lakeside out-and-back that makes for a straightforward, scenic 5K effort.
Starting and finishing at the east end of the Waterfront Trail in Stewart Park, this flat out-and-back course takes you along the shore of Cayuga Lake and past the golf course.
Beebe Lake
A varied loop combining Cornell Arboretum trails and a scenic circuit around Beebe Lake.
This course takes in some trails within the F. R. Newman Arboretum and extends out around Cornell’s scenic Beebe Lake. Don’t get sucked up the stairs!
Taughannock Rim & Falls
A dramatic trail route pairing iconic waterfall scenery with a distinctly hilly profile.
You can’t beat the view of Taughannock Falls, one of the area’s iconic destinations. At 215 feet high, Taughannock is even taller than Niagara Falls, and you get to run the rim trails and all the way to the base of the falls. Yes, there are hills.
Sights of the Heights
A rolling neighborhood 10K with memorable houses, sculptures, and a 10K race-substitution option.
This course takes you around the Cayuga Heights neighborhood past some of the nicest and most interesting houses in the area. You’ll even find a few personal sculpture gardens! Like the Sweet 1600 and Lakefront Loops, you can substitute race results from any 10K for this course during the Challenge—a report on remote races is required!—so you can keep up with the Challenge while on vacation.
Treman Trailipop
A tougher mixed route with a Lick Brook climb and a rewarding loop around Lake Treman.
This course starts at the Finger Lakes Land Trust parking area for Lick Brook near the base of Treman State Park, then climbs the Lick Brook hills before making its way over to Buttermilk State Park for a loop around Lake Treman.
Black Diamond Trail
A central, low-gradient route with smooth footing and multiple direction choices.
The Black Diamond Trail is an FLRC Challenge favorite thanks to its central location, minimal elevation change, and smooth surface. You can run the entire trail in either direction or turn around halfway; it’s on you to identify the halfway point.
Ludlowville Loop
A scenic long road run with ridge views and a significant hill.
Few people know about Ludlowville Falls, but you’ll start at Ludlowville Park and then run out the scenic Salmon Creek Road before climbing Brooks Hill Road to return on the ridge, enjoying glorious views the entire way. Or run it the other way to hit the hill early.
Dryden Lake Lollipop
A long but approachable half-marathon route that stays flat and avoids technical terrain.
This course uses more of the Dryden Rail Trail, starting in Freeville and running to Dryden and out the Jim Schug Trail, but then sends you around Dryden Lake for the head of the lollipop. It’s long, but mostly flat and non-technical.
Personal Challenge Courses
These additional courses are available for Personal Challenges. Tap or click any course to see the full description.
Sweet 1600
A simple, standardized mile effort that fits track meets, travel weeks, and quick workouts.
Feeling frisky? Test your legs at 1600 meters on any standard track in the world (just 9 meters short of a mile—we’ll round up for mileage calculations). You can run the Sweet 1600 in FLRC’s summer track meets for some competition, and it’s a great way to continue to rack up Challenge efforts while you’re traveling.
Ellis Hollow Creek Crossings
A short trail outing that adds stream crossings for a bit more adventure than its distance implies.
This course is short, but it will introduce you to trail navigation, terrain, and yes, multiple stream crossings just a few miles from Ithaca.
Cornell Botanic Gardens
A short, attractive Cornell Arboretum route suited to easy runs with little traffic.
What could be lovelier than a run around the glorious F. R. Newman Arboretum in spring, summer, or fall? Avoid these roads when icy!
Mulholland Waterfalls
A short gorge run that packs varied footing and classic Ithaca scenery into a compact route.
This course in the heart of one of Ithaca’s iconic gorges is short, but it features plenty of varied terrain to introduce you to trail navigation.
Lakefront Loops 5K
A flat, car-free 5K near downtown that is especially convenient for routine efforts. Substitute any 5K race for this course.
For those in downtown Ithaca, this course on Cass Park and the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park trails provides a flat 5K with no cars. Like the Sweet 1600, you can substitute race results from any 5K or parkrun for this course during the Challenge—a report on remote races is required!—so you can keep up with the Challenge while on vacation.
Lansing Center Trail
A mown-grass cross-country style course that gets better once you learn its loops.
To give everyone a sense of classic cross-country running, this loopy course takes you on mown paths around fields. You’ll want to run this one multiple times after you get your bearings.
Cayuga Cliffs
A north-of-Lansing trail route with open meadows and a few notably steep wooded sections.
This course takes us to a Finger Lakes Land Trust trail north of Lansing that offers rolling meadows and a few steep forest trails.
Lindsay-Parsons
A twisty set of loops through diverse terrain. Make sure to bring a printed map!
The Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve south of Ithaca has 554 acres and several miles of trails leading to a forest, lake, and beaver pond. RunGo has trouble with directions when the loops intersect, so familiarize yourself with the map first!
Lime Hollow
A scenic nature-center loop on attractive trails—pay attention to stay on the right trails.
The Lime Hollow Nature Center on the Ithaca side of Cortland has a bunch of lovely trails. We’ve carved out a 4.5-mile loop, and while RunGo works well here, pay close attention because there are numerous other trails.
FH Fox
A convenient Cornell-area mixed route featuring the Dryden Rail Trail and the FH Fox 4Ever bridge.
With a starting point at the Stevenson Road intersection of the Dryden Rail Trail, this course crosses the famous FH Fox 4Ever bridge over Route 366 and offers a scenic trail option for those at Cornell looking to get a run in before or after work, or at lunch.
Cornell Scenic Circuit
A varied Cornell-area tour mixing campus landmarks, trails, stairs, and a substantial climb.
With a starting point in the F. R. Newman Arboretum, this course heads toward Beebe Lake before climbing the stairs to North Campus and running around the A Lot, where it shows you the Palmer Woods Trail into Cayuga Heights. From there, you’ll head back into Cornell and up Tower Road.
Fall Creek Trails
A practical Cornell-area route that links familiar roads with lesser-known Fall Creek trails.
For those at Cornell looking to get a run in before work, at lunch, or after work, this course combines familiar paths and roads around the Cornell Botanic Gardens with a detour to some less well-known trails on the north side of Fall Creek.
Tortoise & Hare
FLRC’s classic Tortoise & Hare race course, which trades a hard climb for strong scenery and good trails.
Buttermilk State Park hosts this traditional FLRC trail race course, which rewards those who climb the hill with beautiful trails around the lake at Upper Buttermilk.
Long Loomis
A longer Hammond Hill option that revisits a favorite forest on snowshoe-race terrain.
We can’t resist one of our favorite state forests at Hammond Hill with this course from our Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race.
Town & Gown Up & Down
An urban-to-campus route that samples Ithaca’s terrain, neighborhoods, and lots of elevation change.
You’ll experience all the elevation between Cornell University on the hill and the City of Ithaca by the lake. This course takes in downtown Ithaca, Collegetown, the Cascadilla Gorge Trail, Cornell campus, and Cayuga Heights, plus you’ll go by four Ithaca schools.
Danby Down & Dirty
Another FLRC race course, this is a classic forest route built around the scenic Abbott Loop in Danby.
A classic autumn FLRC trail race, this 6-mile course in the Danby State Forest takes you on Michigan Hollow Road and the scenic Abbott Loop.
Inlet Shore Trail
A downtown out-and-back with water views, park trails, and minimal interaction with traffic.
This downtown Ithaca course takes you out and back on the shores of the Cayuga Inlet, through Cass Park and around the trails at Allan H. Treman State Marine Park. It’s a great mix of urban and natural running with no major road crossings.
Valley Views
A Brooktondale road course offering rolling countryside and attractive Burns Road views.
Brooktondale hosts this road course, which starts at the Brookton Market and takes you on two loops of the countryside, including the lovely views from Burns Road.
Six Mile Creek
A mixed-trail route that adds lesser-known singletrack to the familiar South Hill Rec Way.
This course mixes the South Hill Rec Way with a couple of singletrack trail loops between the Rec Way and the Six Mile Creek reservoir. We bet most of you have never explored these before! RunGo is a must!
South Hill Rec Way
A flexible course built around all three legs of the South Hill Rec Way trail network.
Start at the playground and run out and back on all three legs of the South Hill Rec Way in any order you want for this course.
East Hill Dryden Rail Trail
A longer East Hill route that combines the Rec Way with the Dryden Rail Trail.
Incorporating the East Hill Rec Way mile, this course adds in the Dryden Rail Trail, taking you all the way out to Route 13 and back.
Abbott Ascent
A demanding Danby route with Pinnacles views and the tougher side of the Abbott Loop.
You’ll be familiar with this course if you’ve run the 23K distance at the Danby Down & Dirty trail race. If not, prepare to experience the scenic Abbott Loop in the Danby State Forest, complete with long views from the Pinnacles.
Jim Schug Trail
A flat, fast rail-trail out-and-back through wetlands and alongside Dryden Lake.
Starting smack in the village of Dryden, this course takes you out and back on an old railroad bed for a flat, fast run through wetlands and alongside Dryden Lake.
Blueberry Patch
A Finger Lakes National Forest run with ultra-course flavor and a more remote feel.
Starting at the Blueberry Patch Campground in the Finger Lakes National Forest, this trail takes in portions of the popular Finger Lakes 50s ultra course. Points for finding wild blueberries!
Thom B. Trail Run
A longtime Hammond Hill trail-race course on some of the nicest trails in the state forest.
You’ll head out toward Dryden to Hammond Hill State Forest for the Thom B. Trail Run course, another longtime FLRC trail race.
Hammond Hill Hoctathon
Another lovely Hammond Hill route that takes in trails many runners may not know.
Some of the best running trails in the area are at Hammond Hill, and this course takes you on some that you may never have seen before!
Forest Frolic
A destination forest run in Virgil on the course used for FLRC’s Forest Frolic 15K race.
Kennedy State Forest in Virgil is your destination for FLRC’s popular Forest Frolic course on the other side of Greek Peak.
Triple Hump
A classic hilly road workout favored by marathoners and Cornell cross-country runners.
This classic course for Ithaca marathoners and Cornell cross-country runners combines long distances and challenging hills on quiet country roads. Don’t count the humps, but if you run it the RunGo way, you’ll enjoy a long downhill at the end.
Brookton Hill & Dale
A longer Brooktondale road route through steady rolling hills and valleys.
You want to run long, and you want to keep it on roads. This course takes you through the rolling hills and valleys of Brooktondale, starting and finishing at Brookton’s Market.
Run Rabbit Run
A longer Trumansburg-area route mixing Black Diamond Trail miles with West Hill roads.
The Black Diamond Trail is an FLRC Challenge favorite, so this long Trumansburg-focused course incorporates some of the trail along with West Hill roads.
Freeville Fly-In
A flat, road-based half marathon that heads toward the airport before returning to Freeville.
Our longest course of the year starts at Campbell Meadow Park and sends you out and around flat roads all the way to the Ithaca airport before you turn and retrace your steps.
Lick Brook & Treman FLT
A demanding trail half that links Treman and Lick Brook on the Finger Lakes Trail.
Our longest and toughest course this year follows the Finger Lakes Trail alongside Treman State Park on the west and Lick Brook on the east. Work your way up to this one, and there’s no shame in hiking it.
North Country Half
A long trail effort on the North Country Trail with plenty of distance and gorgeous scenery.
This trail monster course starts at the Lick Brook parking lot and follows the North Country Trail all the way alongside Robert H. Treman State Park. It’s a long one, but what better way can you think of to spend a summer morning?
Pseudo Skunk Cabbage
A half marathon on familiar Ellis Hollow roads that echoes FLRC’s marquee spring race.
With a start/finish at the Ellis Hollow Community Center, this half marathon follows some of the same route as FLRC’s marquee race, the Skunk Cabbage Classic.