FLRC Board Election and Runner Survey

Posted December 1, 2021 by Adam Engst

Good day, runners! We hope you’ve benefited from and enjoyed the community, camaraderie, and competition of FLRC’s races, teams, group runs, workouts, and virtual events in 2021. Now we need your help to make 2022 even better.

Our bylaws require us to hold an election from December 1st through 15th for next year’s board of directors and officers. This year we’re making the election part of a survey to learn more about who you are, what you think about running and FLRC, and how we can improve.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey by the end of the day on December 15th. To encourage you to complete it, we’ll be selecting three respondents at random to receive free entry to all FLRC races in 2022 (except Finger Lakes 50s), a $250 value. (Drawing rules here.)

The proposed slate for next year’s board of directors is:

President: Adam Engst
Treasurer: Charlie Fay
Secretary: Bill Watson
VP of Trails: Pete Kresock
VP of Roads: Mickie Sanders-Jauquet
VP of Track: Adam Engst
Members-at-Large: Heather Cobb, Tonya Engst, Ian Golden, Nancy Kleinrock, Tim Logue, Rebecca Lovenheim, Steve Shaum, and Charlie Trautmann.

Thanks to all of them for volunteering their time and expertise, and to you for being a part of the running community and filling out our survey!

FLRC Footnotes for November 2021

Posted November 30, 2021 by Adam Engst

Greetings, runners! Our racing season is over for the year, but we have results to share about how our runners fared in the overall PGXC series competition and photos from the Turkey Trot. Sadly, we’ve been forced to cancel the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile and the indoor track meets seem unlikely.

CLUB NEWS

Be careful when running trails during deer hunting season!

It’s that time of year, so if you’re planning on running trails where hunting is allowed, including the Danby Down & Dirty, Thom B., and Forest Frolic courses on the FLRC Challenge, be sure to wear blaze orange so you’re plainly visible to hunters. Stay safe out there!

Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile canceled, winter indoor track meets unlikely

It should come as no surprise that reserving the indoor track in Barton Hall isn’t something that Cornell is enthused about letting FLRC do this year, so we have been forced to cancel the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile, which would have taken place in January 2022. We haven’t officially canceled our January, February, and March indoor track meets (which require much less advance preparation) because it’s possible something will change, but don’t get your hopes up.

Board election and runner survey coming soon!

Keep an eye out for FLRC’s upcoming board and officer election, which we’re combining with a survey to learn more about who you are, what you think about running and FLRC, and how we can improve. The election and survey will run from December 1st through the 15th, and we’ll pick three lucky respondents at random to win free entry to all of FLRC’s 2022 races (except Finger Lakes 50s).

Saturday group runs keep touring FLRC Challenge courses

Heather Cobb continues to lead all-comers group runs on FLRC Challenge courses, with just a couple more to go before the FLRC Challenge ends for the year. Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details on those and other group runs.

FAQ #3: What’s a good way to browse the FLRC Forum?

Make sure you’re logged in so the system knows what you’ve read in the past. Then start at the home page at http://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/. It shows all the topics in all the different forums, with the topics that have the most recent activity at the top. Click or tap the title of any topic to read it, with the system automatically scrolling to show new posts if you’ve already read some of the older ones. You can also click the colored forum name (General, Group Runs & Workouts, FLRC Challenge, etc.) to see just the topics in that forum. Return to the home page at any time by clicking the FLRC logo in the upper-left corner of the page.

UPCOMING RACES

Winter Chill 5K Series scheduled for January 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th

We’re still waiting on a few administrative details before opening registration, but mark your calendars for the last four Sundays in January, when the Winter Chill 5K Series is scheduled to return, thanks to the efforts of race director Sarah Drumheller. These low-key 5Ks in Cass Park are free, but you have to be an FLRC member to run, so make sure to join or renew online before the races. There won’t be any day-of-race joining, but membership is just $20 for an individual or $35 for a family for a year, with multi-year discounts if you don’t want to fuss with it annually.

RACE RESULTS

Turkey Trot brings hundreds of runners back to Ithaca High School

After being forced to go virtual last year, it was great that race director Bruce Roebal was able to bring the Turkey Trot prediction run back to an in-person event at Ithaca High School on Thanksgiving morning. Hundreds of runners and walkers participated, wearing silly hats and raising money for Loaves & Fishes. Thanks to all who came, and be sure to check out the fabulous photos in FLRC’s photo library.

FLRC and High Noon teams and individuals bring home PGXC awards

Although our teams didn’t fare as well as we would have liked at the championship race, we still had some strong performances for the overall awards in the PGXC cross country series. The FLRC Women’s Open team took first place for the series, our top team spot. The FLRC Women’s Masters team was fourth, and the FLRC Women’s Vets team fell to second after losing the final race tiebreaker. On the men’s side, the High Noon Men’s Open team took third, the High Noon Men’s Masters team was third, and the High Noon Men’s Super Vets team was fourth. Two other teams—the FLRC Mixed U19 team and the High Noon Men’s Vets team—failed to place due to lacking a full team at the final race. Showing up is half the battle.

Individually, awards go to the top ten finishers in each age group. In the Women’s Open category, Kathleen Kanaley took third overall in the series, Jenny Berkowitz was sixth, and Sarah Codd was eighth. In the Women’s Vets category, Caitlin Loehr placed second overall, Brenda Osovski was sixth, and Sandy Gregorich was seventh. In the U19 category, four FLRC runners finished the final race and swept the overall awards in first through fourth: Banyan Love, Benjamin Lambert, Oliver Lambert, and Trent Thibault. For the Men’s Open category, Adam Pacheck was sixth overall, and Alex Drazic took tenth. In the Men’s Vets Category, Adam Engst placed fourth, and Jean-Luc Jannink took sixth. And finally, in Men’s Super Vets, Casey Carlstrom ran to eighth overall with just two races. Congratulations to all, and we hope more of you will join our teams next year!

Four more runners complete the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge in November!

The FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge continues to draw, with four more runners completing all ten FLRC Challenge courses in a 24-hour day, something that’s gotten harder with colder temperatures and less daylight. Congratulations to Aaron King, whose completion set the fastest running time (10:54:59) and total elapsed time (15:07:01) on November 7th. On November 19th, Paul Maza and Jami Landry completed the Ultra Challenge together, with a running time of 17:13:53 and an elapsed time that just squeaked in under the 24-hour cutoff in 23:39:37. And most recently, Damian Clemons completed the Ultra Challenge on November 27th with a running time of 15:18:14 and an elapsed time of 23:04:47. Making Damian’s achievement even more impressive is the fact that he had attempted the Ultra Challenge earlier in the month but ran out of time to finish the last course before he had to go to work. Be sure to follow the links above for their fascinating reports.

Sixty-six runners have now completed the FLRC Challenge—will you?

The FLRC Challenge still has a month to go, and the completions are coming fast and furious now, with 16 new completions since last month. Even more impressive, we’ve crossed the 4000-run mark and are closing in on 19,000 total miles. Will we hit 20,000 by the end of the year? Standings haven’t changed much since last month, except for the Most Miles competition, where Bob Walters remains in the lead with 1076 miles but is in the sights of Pete Kresock, who has 1051 miles and recently passed Karen Ingall (1009 miles) to move into second. It’s impressive that all three have exceeded 1000 miles; in fourth place, Heather Cobb has run “only” 721 miles.

Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

FLRC Footnotes for October 2021

Posted October 31, 2021 by Adam Engst

Greetings, runners! Our racing season is winding down, but we have results to share from the Danby Down & Dirty, with three men breaking the previous course record, and multiple club wins in the fourth PGXC cross-country race. One more PGXC race remains on the calendar in November, and we’re looking forward to the return of the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. But first, here’s what’s happening with the club.

CLUB NEWS

FLRC photo library gains photos from 27 more classic club races!

The new FLRC photo library continues to expand, with thousands of photos from past runnings of the Skunk Cabbage Classic, Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile, Forest Frolic, Twilight 5K, and other races photographed by the energetic Steve Gallow. Steve is working his way through uploading all his FLRC photos, so you may see some blank albums until he finishes, but they’ll all be up soon. 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.

Saturday group runs keep touring FLRC Challenge courses

Do you need the Pseudo Skunk Cabbage course to finish off your FLRC Challenge? Or maybe you’re just looking for a companionable weekend group run. Either way, Heather Cobb continues to lead all-comers group runs on FLRC Challenge courses, with Pseudo Skunk Cabbage scheduled for November 13th. Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details.

FLRC Forum FAQ #2: What’s the advantage of logging in to the FLRC Forum?

Everyone can read public posts on the FLRC Forum website without logging in. This helps newcomers get a feel for what makes our running community special. However, you must have an account and be logged in to reply to posts, “like” messages, respond to polls, and send and receive private messages. Also, when you read posts while logged in, the system keeps track of which you’ve read so you can easily read only new ones on subsequent visits.

Accounts are free and simple to set up—click the Sign Up button in the upper-right corner of the screen. (If you already get email notifications from the FLRC Forum, you have an account.)

Once you have an account, you can log in with your email address and password, or use your Facebook, Google, or Twitter credentials if they rely on the same email address as your forum account. Like most systems, you can have only one email address associated with an account. So, if you’ve signed up using a Gmail address, you can’t log in using a Cornell email address.

If you haven’t yet logged in to the FLRC Forum, give it a try! It’s fast, modern, and a great way to catch up on past discussions you might have lost track of in email.

UPCOMING RACES

Turkey Trot scheduled for Thanksgiving morning on November 25th

Although it’s still a month away, be sure to block off the morning of Thanksgiving for our annual Turkey Trot. We expect 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. Could you do us a favor and post this Turkey Trot poster on bulletin boards you see frequently?

RACE RESULTS

Danby Down & Dirty 10K course record broken by top three men

It was a gorgeous fall day for the 2021 running of the Danby Down & Dirty, with 127 finishers. Thanks to some incentive from previous record-holder Ian Golden, three men broke the 10K course record. Golden’s 41:47 had stood since 2007, but Mason Coppi (38:48), Matt Lipsey (41:34), and Dan Timmerman (41:44) all came in faster. Francine Barchett was first for the women in 57:12, with Liz Hartman second in 59:14. In the 20K, Kristofor Norberg continued his trail winning streak with a 1:37:03, outpacing Tim Phelps in 1:40:52. Katie Sick was the top woman in 1:47:31, followed by Amelia Kaufman in 1:53:35. Kudos to race director Pete Kresock for putting on a well-marked and organized race, aided by numerous FLRC volunteers. Don’t miss the excellent photos from photographer Jamie Love!

FLRC Open and Vets women win again in PGXC #4 at Taughannock State Park

Despite race organizer Charlie Fay having to reroute the course due to Cayuga Lake flooding parts of Taughannock State Park, the FLRC Open and Vets women’s team both won closely contested races on October 31st, the third win for each this season. The Open A team of Bella Burda, Kathleen Kanaley, Sarah Codd, Jenny Berkowitz, Gabrielle Woo, Margaret Frank, Liz Hartman, and Amanda King tied with Buffalo’s Checkers squad with 32 points but won the tiebreaker on the strength of Gabrielle Woo’s fifth-place finish being two places ahead of the fifth-place finish for Checkers. (That’s the glory of cross-country scoring, where people who aren’t the fastest can be the most important!) The Vets team of Caitlin Loehr, Brenda Osovski, Sandy Gregorich, Kim Jackson, and Julie Randall won as well, sneaking past Rochester’s GVH team by a single point. Also taking home a team trophy by virtue of fielding five runners was the unopposed FLRC U19 team of Jack Barton, Banyan Love, Benjamin Lambert, Oliver Lambert, and Ryan Savage. The fifth and championship race is coming up fast on November 7th at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua—good luck to all our runners!

Four runners complete the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge in October

As summer temperatures have waned, interest in the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge has risen. For the Ultra Challenge, you have to run all ten FLRC Challenge courses in a 24-hour day, a test of logistical planning as much as physical endurance. Congratulations to Karen Ingall and Bob Talda, who completed the Ultra Challenge together on October 16th, in 17:42:35 running time and 22:36:49 total elapsed time. Props too to Dennis Stadelman, who completed the Ultra Challenge on his own on October 20th, with a running time of 18:16:04 and a total elapsed time of 23:10:43. And finally, in an impressive effort that goes down in the books with an asterisk, Heather Cobb completed all ten courses on October 23rd with a running time of 20:25:17, but sadly, she was just over the cutoff with a total elapsed time of 24:48:54.

Fifty runners have now completed the FLRC Challenge—when will you?

Despite being 36 weeks in, the FLRC Challenge continues to pick up new registrants, now up to 192 participants, 50 of whom have completed all ten courses. Total mileage is closing in on 17,000 miles, and we’ve collectively logged nearly 3600 runs. It’s not too late to sign up if you want to challenge yourself to run ten courses by December 31st!

Standings have changed a bit since last month. In Most Points, Adam Pacheck has increased his lead with 987 out of 1000 points, and Bill Watson has moved into second, ahead of 15-year-old Crosby Woods. The women’s standings haven’t changed much, but Jullien Flynn’s 964 point lead is now only 23 points ahead of Gabrielle Woo in the women’s standings. 62-year-old Bob Walters (923 miles) now has a commanding lead in Most Miles, with Karen Ingall (840 miles) holding on to second place and Pete Kresock (799 miles) coming up fast in third. In the Age Grade competition, 55-year-old Caitlin Loehr lost and regained her lead, with 29-year-old Adam Pacheck taking the lead and then dropping back to second after Loehr ran a stellar South Hill Rec Way. 54-year-old Jean-Luc Jannink remains in third. Finally, in the team competition, the Thundering 30s continue to lead with 32 points, while the Fabulous 50s remain in second but have slipped slightly to 39 points.

Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

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

Posted October 5, 2021 by Pete Kresock

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 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

FLRC Footnotes for September 2021

Posted September 29, 2021 by Adam Engst

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

Monster Marathon and Half Marathon Results

Posted September 20, 2021 by Pete Kresock

What a fabulous day we all had yesterday! Sure, it was a bit (ok, a lot) humid out, but we didn’t get any rain! And that’s a win for this summer.

Thank you to all the runners who came out to participate in the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon yesterday. We hope you were able to see the forest monsters at least once!

See results.

BIG CONGRATS TO OUR WINNERS! Yvette De Boer was our half marathon champion (with a new course record!) and Gerrit Van Loon was our marathon champion. All runners should be proud. This was a hard course on a very hot and humid day!

Did we really have a race if there isn’t photographic evidence? Of course not! We got some great shots. You can check them out in FLRC’s photo library.

Download, upload, and do all the Internet things, but make sure you tag @FLRCithaca and do all the appropriate hashtag-ing so we can share the love.

We wanted to give a shoutout to our lunch caterers, Fitnell Farms! They’ve got the best post-race food around town, and we hope all the runners and volunteers enjoyed refueling with some tacos and sides. Be sure to keep an eye out on all the good stuff they’ve got going on.

Finally, a GIGANTIC THANK YOU to all the volunteers who came out yesterday. They kept runners safe, well hydrated, well fueled, and generally happy. We could not have put this race on without them!

We hope to see everyone at Danby Down and Dirty in just a couple of weeks!

Your race directors,

Cat Massa, Dave Kania, Mikhail Kern

FLRC Footnotes for August 2021

Posted August 31, 2021 by Adam Engst

Greetings, runners! We have results to share from Forest Frolic, Forge the Gorgeous, the August track meet, and upcoming races include the Monster Marathon and Danby Down & Dirty! 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 are once again fielding men’s and women’s teams to run in the five-race Pete Glavin Cross Country Series against teams from Auburn, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and more. It’s just like high school cross country, but with better food and beer and chocolate for prizes. Although the competition can be pretty stiff, everyone is welcome to run, regardless of age or ability. We already have some 19-and-under runners signed up, and there is even an Ultra Vet category if we can find at least three 70+ runners. For full details and signup links, read all the introductory posts on the PGXC forum.

FLRC photo library continues to collect race photos—please upload yours!

The new FLRC photo library continues to expand, thanks to extensive uploads from Pete Kresock, Steve Shaum, and Lorrie Tily. We now have 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. In particular, we could still use some photos from the August track meet. 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 restart on Tuesdays at 6 PM

As summer winds down, it’s time to start thinking about cross country season. To help anyone planning to race in the PGXC series this fall, or anyone who would like a structured weekly workout, Adam Engst has restarted the 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 continue to focus on FLRC Challenge courses

RACE RESULTS

Forest Frolic brings 119 runners back to Kennedy State Forest in Virgil

With just a few weeks off after directing Finger Lakes 50s, race directors Pete Dady and Mike Stone did a bang-up job with the Forest Frolic 7K and 15K trail races. 48-year-old Dan Augustyn won the 7K overall in 35:10, and Margo Lee took first for the women and third overall in 40:28. 55-year-old Steve Shaum snagged the men’s masters title in 44:21, and 57-year-old Louise Mahar was first for masters women in 46:32. The 15K came down a sprint, with 33-year-old Kristofor Norberg holding off 15-year-old Crosby Woods by 1 second to record the win in 1:07:34. Margaret Frank was the first woman by a lot in 1:18:09. On the masters side, 48-year-old Brian Lee was the top man in 1:10:51, and 61-year-old Nancy Kleinrock took the women’s crown in 1:29:50.

Forge the Gorgeous returns to its Thursday night time slot and pizza party

Race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving brought Moravia’s Forge the Gorgeous trail race back to its traditional Thursday night slot for 68 runners, with lots of no-shows due to hot weather and thunderstorm threats. That didn’t stop Kristofor Norberg from notching another win in the 7-mile race in 55:17, followed by first masters runner Brian Lee in 56:48. Margaret Frank also repeated her win from Frolic in 1:07:42, with Yvette de Boer placing second for women and first for masters women in 1:11:16. Teenagers ruled the 3.5-mile race, with 19-year-old Thomas Hicks recording a 33:30 to win the men’s title and 14-year-old Lauren Augustyn running 35:43 as the first woman. Aaron Hicks won the men’s masters title in 35:18 for a father/son double, and Sandy Gregorich was the first masters woman in 38:26.

August track meet sets record for the fastest completion in memory

Thanks to heavy rain earlier in the day and the threat of thunderstorms, attendance was low again at meet director Adam Engst’s August track meet, with 38 finishers matching the July meet’s numbers. With FLRC’s estimable track volunteers firing on all cylinders, however, we completed a four-event meet in just 37 minutes, fast enough to avoid getting wet. In the 100m, the most popular event with 24 runners across five heats, Anthony Smith took the win in 11.49 seconds, with Kiara Tornusciolo first for the women in a speedy 13.92. In the 1-mile race, Alex Simpson pulled away from Scott Weeks and Adam Berkowitz to win in 4:35, while Liz Hartman took the women’s crown in 5:59. The 400m shrank to only two heats, with Keshawn Jones running the single lap in 55:59 seconds and 6-year-old Kaarina Granroth posting a 1:47.48 to win the kids’ heat. The night’s final event was the 800m, where William Hartnett ran alone to win in 2:09, with Liz Hartman doubling her distance wins to come in second overall and first for the women in 2:50.

Thirty-one runners have now completed the FLRC Challenge—when will you?

Despite being 28 weeks in, the FLRC Challenge continues to pick up new registrants, now up to 182 participants, 31 of whom have completed all ten courses at least once. FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge finisher Pete Kresock has done better than that, finishing all ten courses an impressive four times, with Gabrielle Woo completing them all three times. Total mileage will likely exceed 13,000 miles by the end of the week, and we’ve collectively logged nearly 2800 runs. It’s not too late to sign up—surely you can run ten courses by the end of the year!

Overall 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 96 points, whereas Jullien Flynn’s 968 points put her 28 points ahead of Gabrielle Woo in the women’s standings. Most Miles keeps seeing lead changes, with 62-year-old Bob Walters (694 miles) roaring ahead of Pete Kresock (580 miles) with Heather Cobb (533 miles) reclaiming third place. In the Age Grade competition, 55-year-old Caitlin Loehr continues to hold on to 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 and now have just 30 points, but the Fabulous 50s have recently closed the gap, dropping their point total to 36.

UPCOMING RACES

Monster Marathon and Half Marathon next up on September 18th

Race directors Dave Kania, Mik Kern, and Cat Massa have been prepping FLRC’s return to the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon trail course in Treman State Park. Remember that these races feature age- and sex-based early starts for women and for men 38 and older, leveling the playing field, if not the steep trails that wind up and down through Treman and the Finger Lakes Trail. Register soon so we can be sure to have enough food for all finishers in the included post-race lunch!

Danby Down & Dirty to finish off the Trail Circuit on October 2nd

The Danby Down & Dirty, FLRC’s final trail race of the year, lets you choose between 10K and 20K on the gorgeous trails of the Danby State Forest. It takes place in October but is still barely more than a month away. Race director Pete Kresock has opened registration, so sign up soon. 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.

Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

Ithaca 5&10 Canceled for 2021

Posted August 11, 2021 by Adam Engst

The FLRC board regrets to announce the cancellation of the Ithaca 5&10 for 2021. Although we’ve been able to hold most outdoor track meets and trail races this year, it proved impossible to get permits and recruit enough volunteers in time to prep for a large downtown road race. Our apologies!

We hope you’ll run or volunteer at our remaining events this year, join our cross country teams for the five-race Pete Glavin Cross Country Series, and participate in our low-key group runs. Events include:

Aug 12: Forge the Gorgeous
Aug 17: Outdoor track meet
Aug 26: FLRC Annual Picnic
Sep 18: Monster Marathon and Half Marathon
Oct 2: Danby Down & Dirty
Nov 25: Turkey Trot

FLRC Footnotes for July 2021

Posted July 28, 2021 by Adam Engst

Greetings, runners! Racing almost feels like it’s back to normal, and we have results to share from the Finger Lakes 50s, the Fillmore 5K, and our July track meet. Upcoming races include Forest Frolic, Forge the Gorgeous, the August track meet, and the Ithaca 5&10—and don’t miss the FLRC Annual Picnic! But first, here’s what’s happening with the club.

CLUB NEWS

FLRC launches community-driven photo library for club events

As the saying goes, “pics or it didn’t happen.” Whether it’s documenting the amount of mud or blood you accumulated during a race, getting shots of your kid’s first track meet, or just participating in a club group run with friends, photos bring all the memories back. (And believe us, the nostalgia only increases with time.) To aid in that effort, FLRC has created a centralized library for photos of our events. The twist is that since we’re all taking pictures with our phones now, we can all upload our photos to the appropriate album to share with everyone else. No account is necessary, and you can upload directly from your phone. Check it out!

Join us at FLRC’s Annual Picnic on August 26th

No running is involved with this event—just food, friends, and fun at Upper Buttermilk State Park on Thursday, August 26th starting at 5 PM. That’s right, FLRC’s Annual Picnic is back, with food from Fitnell Farms Catering, the same people who provision Finger Lake 50s and the Monster Marathon, and beer from Liquid State Brewing, along with non-alcoholic beverages for those who prefer them. We’ll have thank-you gifts for our volunteers and awards to present to FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge finishers Jesse Canfield and Pete Kresock, and it’s always a good time. The event is entirely free, but please RSVP on Webscorer so we know how many people to order food for. As with our races, everyone is welcome, but we ask that those who aren’t fully vaccinated wear masks to protect our community.

High school runners Elinor Kops and Nickolas Talijan win FLRC scholarships

Congratulations to Elinor Kops of Ithaca High School and Nickolas Talijan of South Seneca High School, who received $1000 FLRC scholarships based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated passion for running. Elinor Kops plans to continue her education and running career at Vassar College, where she hopes to run on their track and field team as a multi-event athlete, while Nickolas Talijan will be attending Paul Smith College for psychology. See FLRC scholarship coordinator Lorrie Tily’s full write-up on the forum.

FLRC board member and local standout Jullien Flynn departing for MIT

We bid a fond farewell to Jullien Flynn, who has been a valuable member of the FLRC Board of Directors for several years now, most recently heading up the club’s Diversity Committee. She has been a key volunteer at all of FLRC’s track meets and also served as president of the Ithaca Triathlon Club for the past few years. Having completed her PhD at Cornell, Jullien is moving on to a postdoc at MIT. She leaves Ithaca firmly in the lead for Most Points in the FLRC Challenge, and she has also notched first-place finishes in this year’s Fillmore 5K and Tortoise & Hare races, along with a second at Thom B.

Group runs continue to explore FLRC Challenge courses

FLRC group runs are going strong! Heather Cobb has been leading FLRC group runs, with as many as 18 runners gathering for companionable morning runs. The group runs help introduce runners to the FLRC Challenge courses and some of the area’s most gorgeous trails. Heather’s next group run is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th, and will feature post-run bagels and cream cheese! Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details!

We need your help—can you volunteer at an FLRC race?

After a year away from racing due to the pandemic, we need to rebuild our volunteer database to help race directors find the volunteers who make it possible to put on races. FLRC is an all-volunteer club, and volunteering is a great way to give back, have fun with friends, and meet other runners. (Seriously, we wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t a good time.) Can you volunteer at a race this year? To indicate that you can help, please fill out the FLRC Volunteer Signup form. To learn about what’s involved with race volunteer tasks and how other skills would be useful, check out the FLRC Volunteer Tasks and Attributes working document.

RACE RESULTS

Finger Lakes 50s sees 195 finishers despite deep mud

Kudos to race directors Pete Dady and Mike Stone, who stepped up late in the game to direct FLRC’s national-class ultramarathon, the Finger Lakes 50s. It’s a colossal coordination job, and they pulled it off with aplomb. In the 25K (long!), Trumansburg’s Dan Timmerman won the race in 1:54:39, with Donna Langerfeld from Port Byron, NY, finishing second overall and first for women in 2:20:19. In the 50K (longer!), Sarah Briggs came up from Montrose, PA, to post an overall win in 4:34:59, with Tim Phelps third overall and first for the men in 4:51:46. (That’s right, the first two finishers were women!) In the 50-mile race (longest!), Etan Levavi from Cold Spring, NY, won in 7:40:20, followed by Riley Brady of New Hope, PA in 7:40:59. Full results here, and don’t miss the mudfest videos!

Husband and wife Mohamad Alsabbagh and Jullien Flynn win Fillmore 5K

Thanks to race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving, the Fillmore 5K went swimmingly this year, aided by torrential rain that blew through shortly after the start. Triathlete Mohamad Alsabbagh, who was the alternate for Syria in the Tokyo Olympics, took the overall win in 16:46 for the men, while his wife, Jullien Flynn, was fourth overall and first for the women in 19:20. Columbia Warren (19:28) and Katie Durrant (22:14) topped the masters category. Full results here.

Local runners return to the track in FLRC’s July track meet

With meet director Adam Engst coordinating FLRC’s experienced and capable track volunteers in the club’s first meet since February 2020, runners returned to Lansing High School’s track to compete in four events. In the 100m, which also featured a three-generation heat that included a 1-year-old, her mother, and her 73-year-old grandfather, 14-year-old James Saunders (12.35) and 56-year-old Stephanie Mulinos (19.00) recorded the top times. Mulinos doubled in the 400m, winning in 1:31, and Colin Johnston ran 51-second time to place first for the men. In the 800m, Alexander Simpson (2:00) and Liz Hartman (2:48) took the wins. Finally, in a large heat of the mile that we combined to finish the meet before the rain hit, Adam Pacheck (4:35) and Michelle Woods (7:04) broke the tapes for the wins. Full results and photos here.

Twenty-five runners have completed the FLRC Challenge!

The FLRC Challenge now has 178 participants, with 25 people having run all ten courses at least once and more lining up to reserve their medals every week. After 23 weeks, we’ve run over 10,600 miles total! Check out the improved FLRC Challenge leaderboard to see how each day’s results change the standings for individuals and the 10-year age-group teams. Note that the leaderboard now offers group pages and helps participants find compatible running partners.

In Most Points, Adam Pacheck has 969 points out of 1000 currently to lead the men by a long shot, whereas Jullien Flynn’s 973 points put her 28 points ahead of Gabrielle Woo in the women’s standings. Most Miles keeps seeing lead changes, with Bob Walters (482.4 miles) sneaking past Mickie Sanders-Jauquet (482.3 miles), who had held the top spot for the past few weeks. In the Age Grade competition, 55-year-old Caitlin Loehr continues to hold on to first, with 54-year-old Jean-Luc Jannink moving into second ahead of 29-year-old Adam Pacheck in third.

UPCOMING RACES

Download FLRC’s race schedule, and please post a copy on bulletin boards you see regularly!

Forest Frolic fast approaching on July 31st

The word from our group run on July 24th was that the Forest Frolic course out in Virgil’s Kennedy State Forest is surprisingly dry and in good shape despite the storms that dropped a few dozen now-cleared trees on it earlier this summer. Register by 6 PM on July 30th (there is no day-of-race registration) for either the 7K or the 15K, put on by the race director team of Pete Dady and Mike Stone. Note that the 15K follows the same route as the FLRC Challenge Forest Frolic course, so you’ll be able to submit your race time in the Challenge as well.

Forge the Gorgeous returns to Thursday evening slot on August 12th

After a 2019 experiment with a morning start, race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving have returned Forge the Gorgeous to its traditional Thursday evening time at Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia, where it will kick off the Fillmore Days Festival. You can choose from two partially overlapping loops for a 7-mile race or cut it short after one for a 3.5-mile distance. Be sure to register by 6 PM on August 11th—there is no day-of-race registration.

One more chance to test your speed on the track on August 17th

Couldn’t make the July track meet? You have another chance to see what you can do on the track on August 17th, when meet director Adam Engst’s second meet of the summer will feature four events: the 100m, 400m, 800m, and 1 mile. Online registration via DirectAthletics is required, but to thank the community for its patience with our canceled meets in 2020 and 2021, FLRC is waiving all fees. Join us on the track for low-key, kid-friendly meets!

Save the date—August 22nd—for the Ithaca 5&10

The venerable Ithaca 5&10 race, headed up by Gary McCheyne, is moving earlier in the calendar this year and will take place on August 22nd. The distances will once again be 5K and 10K, and we’ll be opening registration once we get a few more details sorted.

Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

Elinor Kops, Nickolas Talijan Receive $1000 FLRC Scholarships for 2021

Posted July 22, 2021 by Adam Engst

The Finger Lakes Running Club has awarded $1000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors Elinor Kops of Ithaca High School and Nickolas Talijan of South Seneca High School. FLRC scholarships are awarded based on applicants’ academics, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated passion for running.

Ithaca High’s Elinor Kops takes pride in pushing herself intellectually and genuinely wants to learn. She is active in her community, volunteering at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Second Wind Cottages, Habitat for Humanity, and the Ithaca Advocacy Center, where she focuses on athletic consent and sexual assault awareness on sports teams. In her application, she wrote, “I am very passionate about volunteering, and my love for sports and the track community absolutely shows in the projects that I take on.” She has participated in track and cross country since 7th grade, joining the varsity track team as an 8th grader. In track, she was a multi-event athlete, and from cross country, she learned “that failure is an opportunity for improvement.” She wrote of the difficulty of friendships and bonds formed with older teammates and how she became a mentor to the modified girls track team. Elinor plans to attend Vassar College, where she hopes to run on their track and field team as a multi-event athlete. She “plans to leave a legacy of a fearless woman.”

In his application, Nickolas Talijan of South Seneca High School wrote of being raised by a single mother, the strong ties he has to his uncle and grandfather, how he never thought college was “in my cards” until he had a conversation with his mom about his plans to go into the nursing program in the military. She told him he could be anything he wanted to be and asked him to look at some schools to see if he would change his mind. He did, and he will be attending Paul Smith College for psychology. Academically, Nickolas struggled throughout school but credits his mother for believing in him and working two jobs to provide him the support he needed to be successful. In track, Nickolas started with discus throwing because it was a small group and quickly achieved success, becoming the top thrower in New York State with a throw of 105.5 feet as a freshman. That success fed his confidence, and his coaches urged him to try running events as well. “At 6’ 3″ and 185 pounds with legs like telephone poles,” he did not have faith he could be a runner. With encouragement from his mother, Nickolas decided to step up to the challenge. With training, he became the anchor on his school’s relay team because he has the speed to make up any lost ground from earlier legs. Nickolas plans on running for the rest of his life. “Running has given me an opportunity that I did not think I ever had making me step out of who I was. I know I have used the words confidence a few times but really, I did not have any before track. It changed my life and who I am today and, most importantly, the person I want to become.”