Clear Skies and Blazing Fast Times at the Danby Down & Dirty

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The weather for yesterday’s Danby Down & Dirty was the best it’s been in recent memory. By now all runners have had plenty of time to cool down their calves and hose off the mud! 10K and 20K results are available on Webscorer and on the race Web page. If anything seems amiss let me know so we can correct it.

We have tons of great finish line photos up on our gallery, mostly from photographer Jamie Love. Got anything of your own to share? Tag @FLRCithaca on Instagram and Twitter and use #DanbyDownAndDirty Meanwhile, check out Scott Dawson‘s and Amy Dawson‘s reports from the 10K race. 

The men’s 10k race was a real barn burner. Congrats to FLRC trail series first-timer Mason Coppi for bettering the men’s 10K course record by 2 minutes 59 seconds with his winning time of 38:48. Hot on his muddy heels were Matt Lipsey and Dan Timmerman, both also finishing under Ian Golden’s previous course record (41:47 in 2007). For the ladies, Francine Barchett edged out Liz Hartman to take the win in 57:12. Katie Sick took the top women’s spot in two-loop 20K in 1:47:31. On the men’s side, FLRC trail series regular Kristofer Norberg bagged another win on the local circuit in 1:37:03, adding to his first place finishes at Forest Frolic and Forge the Gorgeous. Several others notched age-group wins and took home some drinkable prizes for their efforts, including nine-year-old Mckenzie Leonard, the race’s youngest finisher (who also finished the 10k two years ago at age 7!)

The in-person race also saw 17 runners record finishes for FLRC Challenge Danby 10K course by clocking their splits from the race start to the Challenge sign. Benedetta Carnaghi’s 10K was her 10th Challenge course completion, making her the 37th finisher in the series. After scouting the course on Friday, Adam Pacheck ran 43:30 for the Challenge segment during Saturday’s race, putting him atop the standings for the Danby course. Similarly, Bill Watson’s 49:56 moved him squarely into second on this course for the men, while Liz Hartman’s 57:30 bumped her up to third for the women.

Video of the start taken by Aaron King

Big thank yous to the volunteer team that made the race run so smoothly: Alan Lockett for helping with setup and handing out bibs at the start (before running the 10k and winning his age group); Stephanie Mulinos for handing out bibs; the timing team comprising Adam Engst, Jesse Koennecke, and Bob Talda, with Bob also making the all-important donut run to Wegmans on his way out of town; Sarah Dellett and Michelle Dardia for filling cups and directing runners at the Bald Hill Road aid station, and Katie Durrant, Aaron King, and Michael Lee for doing the same at the Smiley Hill Road aid station; Gerrit Van Loon, Sue Aigen, and Amelia Kaufman for sticking around at the end to help pack up the van; Sandy Gregorich for sweeping some of the course; the Cortland-based WSAR team for tracking bib numbers and making sure no one got permanently lost; Dave Priester of the Cayuga Trails Club for clearing downed trees in the days before the race; Gary McCheyne for handling the equipment and gear; and Kristina Harrison-Savage for helping with a number of things, including course marking, clearing trees with her husband Steve Savage, course sweeping, setup and bib pickup.

The Finger Lakes Runners Club has one last event for 2021—the 49th annual Turkey Trot Prediction Run on Thanksgiving morning, which serves as a fundraiser for Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County. Looking ahead to ‘22, our Winter Chill 5k Series will return in January as will the Super Frosty Loomis Snowshoe Race in February.

I hope to see you all again on the trails soon!

Pete Kresock
FLRC Race Director, Danby Down & Dirty