Greetings, runners! We have results to share from the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon (including a new course record!) and the first two PGXC meets. We’re also looking forward to the Danby Down & Dirty trail race in a few days and the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. But first, here’s what’s happening with the club.
CLUB NEWS
Want to run cross country? Join our teams for the PGXC series!
We’re two races into the five-race Pete Glavin Cross Country Series, and our teams are competing well against larger groups from Auburn, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. We need more runners, particularly for our home meet on October 31st at Taughannock State Park! Cross country is a completely different vibe from normal trail and road races because you’re part of a team—we hang out at the team tent together, warm up together, and cheer our teammates on during and after the race. It’s just like high school or college cross country, but with chocolate and beer for prizes. Although the competition can be stiff, everyone is welcome to run, regardless of age or ability. We especially need runners for the 19-and-under and 40-49 age groups, and with two more guys, we could field a men’s 70+ team. For full details and signup links, read all the introductory posts on the PGXC forum or contact team captains Tonya Engst (women) or Adam Engst (men)
FLRC photo library continues to collect race photos—please upload yours!
The new FLRC photo library continues to expand, with great shots from the Monster Marathon and our PGXC races. We now have over 50 albums available, with some photos dating as far back as 2008. For shots from recent races, it’s easy to upload from your phone or computer—no account needed. And if you have a bunch of old pictures from FLRC events, let Adam Engst know, and we’ll figure out the best way to get them uploaded.
MITHACAL MILERS workouts continue on Tuesdays at 6 PM
Whether or not you’re racing with our teams in the PGXC series, everyone is welcome to join our MITHACAL MILERS workouts. Join the group on Tuesday nights at 6 PM, currently meeting at the Cornell Botanic Gardens (the parking lot north of the ponds). The workouts are free and open to all FLRC members, but everyone must sign an online waiver once for 2021. It’s the same as for the FLRC group runs, so if you’ve signed that one this year, no need to do so again. Please bring a mask, and if you aren’t fully vaccinated, wear it whenever you aren’t running. Learn more and follow the Group Runs & Workouts forum for each week’s workout.
Saturday group runs keep touring FLRC Challenge courses
Heather Cobb continues to lead companionable group runs on FLRC Challenge courses, generally on the first and third Saturday mornings of every month. It’s a great way to explore the FLRC Challenge courses and some of the area’s most gorgeous trails. Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details about the next group run.
FLRC Forum FAQ #1: What is the FLRC Forum, and what can it do?
The FLRC Forum is a Web-based discussion system that you can also read and post to via email, just like a standard mailing list. At the top level are forums—also called categories in the interface—dedicated to subjects like FLRC announcements, general discussions, group runs, injuries, running news, and more. Within a forum are topics, which other systems might call threads or conversations. A topic comprises a collection of posts, individual messages related to the first message. Posts can include text with formatting, links, images, videos, and even simple polls. Beyond posts, you can also send email-like direct messages to other users, letting you have private discussions without sharing email addresses.
The Discourse software that the forum uses works well in both desktop and mobile Web browsers. If you prefer an app experience on your smartphone, there are several options. The makers of Discourse have created DiscourseHub for iOS and DiscourseHub for Android. For a slightly different interface and support for immediate notifications of new posts, check out Fig for iOS. To read more FAQs and ask for help with anything, visit the Site Help & Comments forum. And if you haven’t visited yet, we encourage you to go in and explore!
UPCOMING RACES
Don’t Miss the Danby Down & Dirty on October 2nd!
Race director Pete Kresock’s Danby Down & Dirty, FLRC’s final trail race of the year, lets you choose between 10K and 20K on the pretty but challenging trails of the Danby State Forest. Race day is October 2nd, and registration closes at 6 PM on October 1st, so sign up today! For those participating in the FLRC Challenge, its Danby Down & Dirty course is nearly the same as this in-person race’s first loop. As such, you can clock your split to the final road crossing and submit your time for the FLRC Challenge.
Turkey Trot Scheduled for November 25th—Thanksgiving morning
Although it’s two months away, be sure to block off the morning of Thanksgiving for our annual Turkey Trot. We hope to be able to hold the low-key prediction run as normal, and race director Bruce Roebal has plans well underway. Remember, voluntary cash donations from this run support Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County, which feeds hundreds of people in our community every month.
RACE RESULTS
Yvette De Boer and Gerrit Van Loon win the Monster Half Marathon and Marathon
Attendance may have been a bit low with race day coming just a week after the Virgil Crest Ultras, but the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon enjoyed gorgeous weather, fabulous food, and terrific times. Remember, this is the race with age- and sex-graded head starts, which levels the playing field (if not the precipitous trails) for older runners. The result was that 58-year-old Yvette De Boer won the half marathon and set a new course record in a time of 1:28:18; that joins her 3:06:45 course record for the marathon from 2019. She beat 72-year-old Ron Wrightman, who came in second in 1:38:36. 60-year-old Gerrit Van Loon won the marathon in a time of 3:58:40, outkicking 61-year-old Nancy Kleinrock by 40 seconds in the final throes of the race. Congrats to all the finishers, and huge thanks to race directors Cat Massa, Dave Kania, and Mik Kern, plus the numerous volunteers who made the race happen. Don’t miss the pictures, complete with a rare shot of the actual monsters making it clear to our intrepid race directors who’s in charge.
FLRC Women’s Open and Vets teams dominate the first two PGXC races
Congratulations to the FLRC women, whose Open (20-39) and Vets (50-59) teams won both of the first two PGXC races. Led by grad students Jenny Berkowitz, Kathleen Kanaley, and Sarah Codd, and ably backed up by Amanda Lockett, Sarah Ridenour, Amalia Skilton, Louise Debefve, Molly Doruska, and Ashley Brown, the FLRC Open women snuck past a tough Syracuse Track Club team in both races. The FLRC Vets women won more commandingly, thanks to strong performances from Caitlin Loehr, Brenda Osovski, Sandy Gregorich, and Kim Jackson. Although the injury-plagued High Noon men haven’t yet captured a team title, the Open team took second and third in the first two races, the Masters team third in the first race, the Vets team fourth and second, and the Super Vets fifth and fourth. Check out the photos from the Long Branch and Everest Park races!
Thirty-six runners have now completed the FLRC Challenge—when will you?
Despite being 32 weeks in, the FLRC Challenge continues to pick up new registrants, now up to 187 participants, 36 of whom have completed all ten courses. Total mileage has blown past 14,000 miles, and we’ve collectively logged over 3100 runs. It’s not too late to sign up—surely you can run ten courses by December 31st!
Standings haven’t changed much since last month. In Most Points, Adam Pacheck retains the lead with 959 out of 1000 points to lead 15-year-old Crosby Woods by 89 points, whereas Jullien Flynn’s 968 points put her 28 points ahead of Gabrielle Woo in the women’s standings. 62-year-old Bob Walters (810 miles) now has a commanding lead in Most Miles, with Karen Ingall (667 miles) holding on to second place and Heather Cobb (605 miles) coming up fast in third. In the Age Grade competition, 55-year-old Caitlin Loehr continues in first, with 54-year-old Jean-Luc Jannink in second and 29-year-old Adam Pacheck in third. Finally, in the team competition, the Thundering 30s have led the entire year but have recently slipped to 32 points, with the Fabulous 50s only 5 points behind with 37.
Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!
—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track