Greetings, runners! I’m Adam Engst, and I have the honor of serving as the president of FLRC this year. Many of you probably know me from my work directing track meets, timing races, captaining the High Noon cross country team, and organizing MITHACAL MILERS workouts and pancake breakfast runs.
In these hopefully regular Footnotes, I’m hoping to provide a look at some of the things that FLRC does behind the scenes, shine a spotlight on the work that your fellow club members do in putting on FLRC’s many races, call out the top performers in those races, and share details of FLRC group runs and other events. Thanks to Pete Kresock and others on FLRC’s Communication Team for development and editing help on this month’s Footnotes.
We have big plans for 2020, and we’d love to have your help in making them a reality—see our Volunteer Opportunities page. You can always reach me at ace@tidbits.com.
Read on for club news, details of our recent and upcoming races, and how to join FLRC group runs and workouts.
Club News
FLRC Elects New Board and Officers for 2020
Many people may not realize how much work goes into FLRC behind the scenes. Sure, you probably know that race directors and volunteers make our races possible, but even further in the background is FLRC’s Board of Directors. This year, FLRC members elected a new slate of officers and members-at-large, and you can now learn more about who these shadowy figures are on our Board of Directors page. Our board meetings on the second Wednesday of the month are open to the public; contact me or any board member for time and location details.
FLRC Testing New Discussion Forum—Check It Out!
You may have noticed that we’re testing a new Web- and email-based discussion system, with a General forum and a Group Runs & Workouts forum to start (along with a bunch of private forums for board business and committees). Take a look and join the discussions! As traffic increases, we’re considering additional forums for topics like training questions and injury advice. You can browse and read online at any time, but to get or post messages via email, or to respond to a poll, you’ll need an account. The system is easy to use and will even walk you through an online tutorial, but I’ve also written some instructions that explain more and offer additional configuration advice. If you have questions about how to use the site, there’s a Site Feedback forum.
Local Runners to Compete in the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta
Three Ithaca-area women have qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials by running a sub-2:45 marathon on a certified course within the past three years. On Saturday, February 29th, Chelsea Benson, Bailey Drewes, and Ellie Pell will line up to compete against America’s top marathoners. In addition, keep an eye out for Julianne Quinn, who was a fixture on the Ithaca running scene for a number of years until recently moving to Virginia. In the Trials race, the top three men and women will make the US national team to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. You can catch the race on live TV on NBC, from 12–3 PM or rewatch the race online after its conclusion. While you’re watching the finish line, look for FLRC friend Pat Leone because his Leone Timing company will be there to ensure accurate times and quick results.
FLRC Annual Meeting Scheduled for March 8th from 3–5 PM at Agava
Save the date for FLRC’s Annual Meeting, where Chelsea, Bailey, and Ellie will be sharing stories from the Olympic Marathon Trials, showing pictures, and answering questions. At this free event, we’ll also be revealing our Volunteer of the Year, announcing new Lifetime Members, presenting the 2019 Trail Circuit Stonehead, Pebblehead, and Boulderhead awards, and enjoying the entries in our traditional dessert competition (nom nom!). And, of course, if you’d like to get more involved with FLRC, perhaps through races, other events, communications, or more, this is a great opportunity to learn more and talk to board members.
RACES
The start of the year is FLRC’s busiest time, with seven events in five weeks: four Winter Chill 5Ks, an indoor track meet, the venerable Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile, and the scrappy Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race. Phew!
Winter Chill Series Sets Record Attendance, Boosts Club Membership
Thanks to race director Sarah Drumheller for putting on a successful Winter Chill series at Cass Park in January! The four Winter Chill races are free to FLRC members as a way of encouraging local runners to join the club, and thanks to her work with Winter Chill, we’re now at 651 members, up from 610 last year. We posted a record 388 entries across all four races, and a record 29 runners completed all four races, with Brennan Brockway and Caitlin Loehr setting the fastest average times among that dedicated group. You can see results for WC#1, WC#2, WC#3, and WC#4, plus the series standings and a collection of photos.
FLRC January Indoor Track Meet
Despite unseasonably warm weather in the 60s, FLRC opened the 2020 indoor track season with a fun, relaxing meet in Cornell’s Barton Hall. Along with some fast times and exciting races, we had numerous heats of kids, with 23-month-old Jude Heffron taking the prize for youngest runner after he completed the 60m dash. His father, Rich Heffron (who won both the mile and the 3000), says Jude is now training hard with a goal of breaking 30 seconds at the February 23rd meet. Full results are available, and we’ve also published an album of photos.
Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile Makes the TV News
Now in its 53rd year, the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile once again attracted some of the top masters runners in the country, thanks to the efforts of Adam Engst (your humble president), Charlie Fay, and Tom Hartshorne. Special thanks to Megan Powers for creating a professional results booklet that garnered numerous compliments from runners.
The winning times were a 4:36.65 from 48-year-old Peter Brady of Scarsdale, NY and a 5:30.08 from 49-year-old Dianne DeOliveira of Brick, NJ. In terms of age-grading (a technique that levels the field among athletes of different ages—anything above 90% is world-class), 61-year-old Susan Lynn Cooke of Odessa, FL, took the overall honors and was top woman, with a stunning 97.15%. For the men, 55-year-old Kenneth Barbee of Philadelphia netted the top prize with a 91.06%. Our oldest competitors were the 95-year-old Dixon Hemphill of Fairfax Station, VA (25:02) and the 85-year-old Edna Hyer of Fairport, NY (13:43). Check out the complete results, Steve Gallow’s fabulous photos, race reports from runners, and the TV news coverage of the event.
Super Frosty Loomis Enjoys Perfect Weather and Posts Record Numbers
Now in its sixth year, the Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race has become a fixture among Northeast snowshoe races, thanks to the hard work of race directors Boris Dzikovski, Dave Kania, and Eric Sambolec. This year’s race went off earlier today without a hitch, with race director Eric Sambolec winning the 10K but recusing himself from the eclectic awards because he was pretty sure he’d failed the drug test (kidding!). Amelia Kaufman was the top woman in the 10K. In the 5K, Colin Ridgley won the race, but finished just a half-second ahead of top woman Avery Voehl. Results are now available, and photos from the race will be coming soon.
Sign Up for FLRC’s February 23rd Indoor Track Meet
Whether you want to go long (5000m) or short (60m), there’s an event for you at FLRC’s indoor track meet on February 23 in Barton Hall. Runners of all ages are welcome, and we particularly encourage families to bring kids—it’s a great environment for kids to get started with running, especially during the cold, wet, winter months. Learn more and (please!) pre-register.
Group Runs and Workouts
Sunday Skunkday Group Runs Start in February
Are you training for the Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K or half marathon? Or would you just like some company on your Sunday long run? FLRC is organizing a simple Sunday group run each week through Skunk, which takes place on Sunday, April 5th. All we ask is that you sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver if you haven’t already done so in 2020. For the first Sunday Skunkday run, we’re meeting at Barton Hall at 8:30 AM on February 2nd. Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for subsequent run details; things may change.
MITHACAL MILERS Tuesday Night Workouts Continue in Barton
Want to train indoors? FLRC’s MITHACAL MILERS group meets every Tuesday night at 7 PM in Barton Hall. Workouts focus on the 1-mile race with the goal of helping runners improve their mile time throughout FLRC’s winter track season. Each week, your humble president will set a pace-based track workout (see the Group Runs & Workouts forum), lead the group in dynamic warmups, and close with strength and mobility exercises. All ages and abilities are welcome, although adults should be running at least 15–20 miles per week to ensure that the workouts are appropriate. These workouts are part of the FLRC Family Running Program, so children 7–13 are welcome and will run custom workouts based around running games. FLRC membership is required. Learn more and be sure to sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver once for 2020.
Black Diamond 1st and 3rd Saturday Group Runs Continue Apace
Thanks to Heather Cobb taking over as group run coordinator from Shelly Marino, our 1st and 3rd Saturday morning group runs continue on the Black Diamond trail. These free runs start and finish at the base of the Black Diamond Trail behind the Ithaca Children’s Garden at Cass Park (121 Turtle Lane, Ithaca, NY 14850). Registration, warmup, and mingling start at 7:30 AM, and the run begins at 7:45 AM. We’ll run out on the wide, smooth Black Diamond Trail for 30 minutes, and then turn around and run back. You’ll likely find someone at your pace, and everyone should finish at about the same time. Feel free to add in some walking, or to turn around before 30 minutes. Learn more and be sure to sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver once for 2020.
Until next month, happy running!
—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track