Virtual COVID-19 Run Results and Gift Card Winners

A huge thank you to each and every one of you for helping out Ian and Finger Lakes Running Company! Together we raised $15,335.00 to help Ian and his shop stay above water while closed under the New York governor’s mandate. When I put this run together I expected maybe 200 people max. Instead, we had 527 people register—361 in the 19-mile, 129 in the 19K, and 38 in the 1.9-mile. People with ties to Ithaca or to Ian and his store signed up from all over the country. We even had a few runners participate in London, one in China, and one Ithaca expatriate now living in Jerusalem. Let this serve as a testament to how strong and dedicated our running community is to paying it forward and helping one another!

Gift Card Drawing

Congrats to our randomly drawn gift card winners!

The following ten winners will receive gift cards for $50 apiece to Finger Lakes Running & Triathlon Company, purchased by the Finger Lakes Runners Club. We’ll email each of you about how to get your prizes to you.

  • Carol Luthy
  • Stephen Jesch
  • Brian Rahm
  • Tom Pepinsky
  • Mikhail Kern
  • Ellen Abrams
  • Sandra Gregorich
  • Jessica Kerns
  • Paige Anderson
  • Karen Nassan

Robert Swizdor is the winner of the $50 gift card for Happily Running, donated by Vinny Cappadora.

Results

Self reported results are available now on UltraSignup , and will soon be posted to the FLRC race Web page. If there are any errors in the listed times, please let me know ASAP so I can correct.

Meanwhile, anyone who completed their distance can add this digital finishers badge to your online accolades. Then check out all the stories people shared about their runs on our Facebook event page, and on Twitter and Instagram with #SaveOurShops and #RunGorges.

Several people took videos during their run. While I can’t link to all of them here, these are a few of the highlights.

Simon Ingall running the Danby Down & Dirty course 
Scott Dawson’s tour de Trumansburg 
Ian Golden’s “A Slice of Ithaca”
Ian’s “Thank you” message

Tompkins Weekly’s news article on the fundraiser

Thank you again to everyone for making Finger Lakes Runners Club’s first run of this type a huge success! I hope you are all motivated to keep active and stay healthy. Thanks again for the overwhelming turnout and show of support!

Pete Kresock, Race Director

FLRC Footnotes for April 2020

Greetings, runners! It seems like an eternity since the last issue of FLRC Footnotes, with our entire world hunkering down to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Since that time, FLRC has been forced to cancel a number of races and all group runs. But there were good times in the past month too, back when public gatherings were a thing, including an informal party to watch three local women run in the Olympic Trials Marathon. Plus, we held the club’s Annual Meeting, where Bailey, Chelsea, and Ellie shared their experiences and where we handed out snazzy awards to our 2019 Trail Circuit winners.

Read on for club news, local runners with impressive race results, and details on FLRC events and workouts.

CLUB NEWS

Join Fellow Runners on the new FLRC Discussion Forum!

We may not be able to get out to run together in groups these days, but FLRC’s new online discussion forum at forum.fingerlakesrunners.org has been giving local runners a place to get training and injury advice, post trail conditions, chat about the latest running news, ask for gear recommendations, share stories, and more. (The FLRC board, race directors, and committees also rely on private forums for club business.) In March, we migrated all subscribers to the old mailing list to the forum, bringing the user count to over 700. Since the beginning of the year, it has accumulated over 1,200 posts, 1,800 user visits, and 38,000 page views. Check out the wide variety of public forums!

  • Announcements: Very low-volume forum restricted to posts from FLRC.
  • Group Runs & Workouts: Post or check here if you’re looking for company on a run.
  • Injuries: Ask questions about injuries and whine to people who understand your pain.
  • Training: Wondering how to train for a marathon, or get in shape for a 5K? Ask here.
  • Where to Run: Share your recommendations and ask for route advice.
  • Running News: Talk about what’s happening in the wider world of running.
  • Youth Running: Talk about kids and running—games, workouts, races, and more.
  • General: Use this forum for anything running-related that doesn’t fit elsewhere.

2019 Trail Circuit Winners and Rankings

Congratulations to the winners of FLRC’s 2019 Trail Circuit! For the Pebblehead and Stonehead rankings, points are awarded as a percentage of the winning time, with the Pebblehead winners picking their best three races and the Stonehead winners capturing the most overall points. The Boulderhead award goes to the runner who completes the most miles. The 2019 Pebblehead winners were Greta Sieve and Eric Sambolec. Sarah Ridenour and Bill King took home the rocks in the Stonehead category. And our Boulderhead of the Year award goes to FLRC board member and Danby Down & Dirty race director Pete Kresock. See the full writeup on the forum, complete with a picture of the laser-engraved stone awards.

Annual Meeting Brings New Lifetime Members, Volunteer of the Year, and Dessert Contest Winner

At FLRC’s Annual Meeting—a month ago when it didn’t seem strange to gather with 70 friends for an event—we honored Gary McCheyne and Dave Jones with lifetime membership. Over the past 12 years, Gary has been on the FLRC board, served as VP of Trails, been the club’s equipment manager, and directed multiple races. Dave has been in the club for decades and has been a dedicated volunteer throughout that time. For 2019, the club’s Volunteer of the Year award went to Tonya Engst for her efforts on the FLRC board, captaining the women’s cross country team, volunteering at track meets and other races, and organizing group runs. Last, but far from least, Mike Stewart won the dessert contest with his tasty and gluten-free cheesecake.

FLRC MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Sam Lagasse 7th in the Boston University Indoor Last Chance Meet

Congrats to Sam Lagasse, who ran an impressive 14:28.72 for 5000m in Boston University’s elite level Indoor Last Chance Meet on February 29th, placing 7th in the second heat. To give you an idea of the level of competition, the first heat was won by Nike’s Shadrack Kipchirchir in 13:08. More details…

Jenny Berkowitz 2nd in the Belmar Parade Day Mile

Another strong local finish came from Jenny Berkowitz, who ran 5:27 to take 2nd place (and a $100 prize) in the Belmar Parade Day Mile in Binghamton on March 7th. On the men’s side, local runners Mik Kern finished just out of the money in 4th place with a 4:59 and Adam Berkowitz was 7th in 5:09. More details…

Adam Pacheck Takes 4th at the Tipperary Hill Shamrock Run

Also on March 7th, FLRC’s Adam Pacheck ran a strong 4th place at the Tipperary Hill Shamrock Run 4 Mile Race, finishing only 44 seconds behind the Syracuse Track Club’s Sam Morse, who competed in the Olympic Trials Marathon. Kudos to Adam, Winter Chill 5K Series race director Sarah Drumheller, and all the other local runners who competed in the nearly 3000-person race. More details…

RACES AND GROUP RUNS

Introducing the FLRC Virtual COVID-19 Fund Run to Benefit the Running Store

We’re pleased to announce our FLRC Virtual COVID-19 Fund Run to benefit Ian Golden’s Finger Lakes Running Company—Ithaca’s only specialty running shop. The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting small businesses especially hard, and many are struggling to stay afloat. Ian’s running store has been a pillar in the Ithaca community for the past 14 years, and this virtual event lets us all give back to one of the institutions that makes Ithaca special. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Finger Lakes Running Company to be used as needed while closed under the “New York State on PAUSE” executive order. Registration is now open on UltraSignup and you can find more details on our Web site. (In short, run 19 miles during the week of April 27th through May 3rd, and if that’s too much, try the 19K version or the 1.9-mile distance with your kids. We’ll be giving out $50 gift cards to the store to 10 randomly chosen runners who submit their finishing times before the end of the day on May 4th.)

FLRC Provides Weekly Workouts on the Forum

As you’re probably aware, FLRC has canceled all formal group runs until such time as public health officials tell us that it’s once again safe to congregate. However, to give you some structure in these times of uncertainty, we’re posting weekly workouts for middle (5K to 15K) and long (half marathon and marathon) distances. If you run with a friend or find yourself in the presence of walkers or runners, please follow FLRC’s recommendations for safe running!

Run the Skunk Cabbage Virtual Race to Get a Finisher’s Medal

This shouldn’t be news to anyone at this point, but in accordance with public health policies, FLRC canceled the Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon that was scheduled for April 5th. Thanks to all those who donated their registration and T-shirt fees to the club; we refunded everyone else who asked. While supplies last, we’re offering the 2020 Skunk half marathon finisher’s medal to anyone who ran a 10K or a half marathon distance on or before April 5th (see the race reports and photos on the FLRC forum). It’s entirely on the honor system, and we’ll announce when it’s possible to pick up medals at the Finger Lakes Running Company store and when we’ll be able to mail medals to those who can’t make it to Ithaca. More details…

Canceled: March Track, Thom B, Tortoise & Hare, Twilight 5K, June and July Track

Along with Skunk Cabbage, we had to cancel our March indoor track meet. Subsequently, the FLRC board and race directors have decided to cancel the Thom B. Trail Runs, Tortoise & Hare Trail Runs, Twilight 5K, and the June and July outdoor track meets. Details about refunds and more are available on the Announcements forum. Additional race cancellations may be in our future, unfortunately, and we’re monitoring the situation.

Until next month, stay fit, stay healthy, and we look forward to being able to run together again!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

Thom B, Tortoise & Hare, Twilight 5K, and June/July Track Canceled for 2020

Sad news. The FLRC board and race directors regret to announce the cancellation of the following races: the Thom B. Trail Runs, the Tortoise & Hare Trail Runs, the Twilight 5K, and our June and July outdoor track meets. If you have any questions, please ask them in the FLRC forum.

We made this decision to comply with the New York State PAUSE executive order and recommendations from public health officials, and because we believe that physical distancing is a necessary measure to slow the spread of the potentially deadly SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. We hate canceling races, but we must all do what we can to reduce infections in our community.

Over the next few weeks, we will be issuing full refunds (minus transaction fees) for those who have pre-registered for the canceled races.

The board and race directors will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and evaluate other upcoming club races at our monthly board meetings. In the meantime, we have (hopefully temporarily) suspended pre-registration for all remaining FLRC races in 2020.

Although all FLRC group runs and workouts have also been canceled, we strongly encourage everyone to exercise regularly to keep your immune system strong. One way to gain some motivation is to sign up for the FLRC COVID-19 Mile Fund Run virtual race to benefit our local running store, the Finger Lakes Running Company. Whatever you decide, avoid groups and crowded areas when running, and please follow our COVID-19 recommendations.

Stay fit, stay healthy, and we look forward to being able to run together again!

FLRC Cancels Official Group Runs

As much as it pains us to say this, until further notice, FLRC is canceling all official club group runs, including our 1st and 3rd Saturday runs on the Black Diamond Trail, the Sunday Skunkday runs, and the Tuesday night MITHACAL MILERS track workouts.

We are taking this step due to COVID-19 being found in Tompkins County and because the CDC has updated its guidance 1 to recommend cancellation of group events of more than 50 people. Most FLRC group runs aren’t quite that large, but we believe the club should support the public health message of using social distancing to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

However, from the perspective of an individual, running is one of the best things you can do right now. The stress-relieving benefits of running—and of being outside in general—are significant, so if the news gets overwhelming, you’ll probably feel better after a run. Plus, a 2018 article in Frontiers of Immunology suggests that exercise—even vigorous exercise—can reduce the incidence of infections. In short, running makes you happier and healthier. Yay!

Although we are canceling official group runs, we see little risk at this point in running with a friend or in small groups. Those who are feeling sick are unlikely to come out to run, there is little or no physical contact, there are no surfaces to infect or to be infected by, and even if someone was carrying the coronavirus, the mere act of running minimizes shared air. Feel free to post in the Group Runs & Workouts forum if you’re looking for company.

As always, please follow FLRC’s COVID-19 recommendations for runners!

Skunk Cabbage and Indoor Track Meet Canceled

It is with deep regret that FLRC must announce the cancellation of the 2020 Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon on April 5th, 2020 and the club’s indoor track meet on March 29th, 2020, both of which take place at Cornell University. On March 10th, Cornell announced proactive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a ban on all events with over 100 people. The FLRC board explored the possibilities of postponing or moving these races, but neither proved feasible.

Skunk Cabbage Donations, Refunds, and Virtual Race

We understand (and share) your disappointment, particularly for those who have been training for Skunk for months and the hundreds of people who pre-registered. Although FLRC has a general no-refund policy for races, in this special circumstance, we would like to offer everyone who has already registered two choices:

  • Donate your registration and shirt fees to the club. You don’t need to do anything to donate your registration and shirt fees (the shirts weren’t printed). Income from Skunk makes up the lion’s share of FLRC’s revenues for the year. They allow us to maintain low registration fees for our races and to support other worthy running-related organizations, such as Girls on the Run, the Ithaca Youth Bureau, and Wilderness Search & Rescue.
  • Request a refund, minus a cancellation fee. If you wish instead, we’ll refund your entry fee, minus RunSignUp’s registration and cancellation fees. To request a refund, please send an email message to fingerlakesrunners+skunk@gmail.com with your name and address. It may take a few weeks to process all the refunds.

Skunk 2020 medalRegardless of whether you donate your registration fee to FLRC or request a refund, we invite all pre-registered runners to participate in a virtual Skunk and receive a half-marathon finisher’s medal! Run a 10K or half marathon on your own, wherever you want, any time on or before April 5th, 2020, and you can pick up your medal at the Finger Lakes Running Company after March 18th. If you can’t make it to Ithaca, give us your address and we’ll mail it to you. (Medals available while supplies last.) This virtual race and medal giveaway is on the honor system, and we encourage you to post about your effort on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (tag #VirtualSkunk and @FLRCithaca), and consider joining FLRC’s Strava group.

If you have any questions, please ask them in the FLRC forum, where we’ve started a topic to address all queries.

Indoor Track Meet Canceled

Along with Skunk, we have to cancel our indoor track meet on March 29th. Since we don’t collect fees at pre-registration, there is no need for a refund policy. We sincerely hope that the situation will improve sufficiently that our summer outdoor track meets will be able to take place. They aren’t on the FLRC Web site yet because we’re still determining where we’ll be holding them—construction is forcing some changes.

Advice for Preventing the Spread of COVID-19

Although there aren’t currently any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins County, we should all do our part to prevent a potential outbreak. To that end, FLRC has put together a set of (hopefully) commonsense suggestions for keeping the running community healthy.


FLRC believes everything is better when we run together. However, given the risks of COVID-19, our wider community benefits if we all work to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.

We recommend the following habits and etiquette:

  • Stay home if you aren’t feeling well! We don’t want to hear, “it’s just a cold.”
  • Avoid handshakes and hugs. Try a jaunty salute or 👍. Bonus points for 🖖.
  • Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes with unwashed hands. That includes gloves, which should go in the laundry regularly.
  • Clear your nose and spit away from other runners. Which you do anyway, right?
  • Dispose of gel packs, tissues, drink cups, and other personal items in the trash.
  • Don’t share water bottles, energy bars, gel packs, or the like.

Please exercise common sense before and after your runs:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Do this especially after you have been in a public place, after using the bathroom, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. Ever thought about what lives on your car’s steering wheel?
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

For more information and local details, we encourage you to turn to the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Department of Health, and the Tompkins County Health Department.

FLRC 2019 Trail Circuit Winners: Pebblehead, Stonehead, and Boulderhead

FLRC is extremely pleased to announce the winners of FLRC’s 2019 Trail Circuit, as presented at yesterday’s Annual Meeting.

If you’re not up on how the Trail Circuit works, here’s the deal. For each race, every runner gets a score determined by dividing the winning time by their time, then multiplying by 100. So the winner gets 100 points, and everyone else gets a score under 100.

  • Pebblehead: The Pebblehead rankings are based on each runner’s top three races, and the Pebblehead awards are usually won by runners who have won or placed high in three races—Pebbleheads are our speedsters. Awards are given to the top man and woman.
  • Stonehead:  For the Stonehead rankings, all qualifying races count, and scores are tallied cumulatively. The more races in the circuit you run, the more points you garner. Stoneheads may not be the fastest, but they’re our quintessential trail runners, grinding out solid race after solid race. Awards are given to the top man and woman.
  • Boulderhead:  The Boulderhead rankings use a simpler scoring system—1 mile equals 1 point, regardless of finishing place. The runner—and there’s only one—who notches the most miles wins. Run the longest distance in each of our trail races and you’ll hit 150 miles.

Congratulations to the 2019 winners, who each received a custom award (a rock, of course!) engraved with their name. For the full rankings in each category, click the headings below.

  • Pebblehead (F)Greta Sieve — 293.87 points, thanks to wins in the Thom B. 26K and Tortoise & Hare, and a second-place finish in the Finger Lakes 50s 50K.
  • Pebblehead (M)Eric Sambolec — 300.00 points, thanks to wins in the Super Frosty Loomis 10K snowshoe race, the Thom B. 26K, and the Danby Down & Dirty 20K.
  • Stonehead (F)Sarah Ridenour — 568.42 points, tallied across 8 of 9 races, missing only Lucifer’s Crossing.
  • Stonehead (M)Bill King — 649.47 points, again thanks to his dedication in running 8 of 9 races, missing only Super Frosty Loomis.
  • BoulderheadPete Kresock — 105 miles, with many of them coming in the Thom B. 42K and the Finger Lakes 50s 50-mile race.
Trail Circuit awards

Finally, huge thanks to Steve Supron and Michael Xiao of Rev, Ithaca’s business incubator, who put in hours of work helping us create this year’s awards on Rev’s Glowforge laser engraver.

Skunk Cabbage and Indoor Track Meet Scheduling Issues

6 March 2020: As a precaution to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Cornell University is postponing or canceling non-essential events of more than 100 people. The FLRC board is discussing how this will affect the next indoor track meet (March 29th) and the Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon (April 5th) while we wait to hear additional details from our contacts at Cornell. In the meantime, we have paused registration for those events. As we learn more, we’ll update this post and share updates in the FLRC Announcements forum.

FLRC Footnotes for March 2020

Greetings, runners! Lots has been happening with FLRC over the last month, with an indoor track meet, numerous group runs and workouts, and a highly enjoyable party to watch the Olympic Trials Marathon (alas, we didn’t catch sight of the Ithaca women). There’s plenty coming up too, between our Annual Meeting, the last winter track meet of the year, the Skunk Cabbage Classic, and many more opportunities to run together.

Read on for club news, details of our recent and upcoming races, and how to join FLRC group runs and workouts.

CLUB NEWS

Last Chance! FLRC Annual Meeting Scheduled for March 8th from 3–5 PM

Please RSVP for FLRC’s Annual Meeting, where Chelsea BensonBailey Drewes, and Ellie Pell 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.

Coming Soon: FLRC Discussion Forum Transition

You’ve been seeing more links to FLRC’s new online discussion forum at forum.fingerlakesrunners.org 2—it’s where to go to learn what’s new, find out about group runs, and chew the fat with fellow runners. Over the next few weeks, we plan to migrate FLRC mailing list subscribers to the forum, so stay tuned for more information.

FLRC Adopts Trail Sisters Race Recommendations

At its February meeting, FLRC’s board voted unanimously to adopt the recommendations from the Trail Sisters group whenever possible. As such, FLRC commits to providing women with equal podium spots and awards (we’ve always done this), women-specific swag and apparel (if available for the item in question), equal opportunity/space on the starting lines of our races, and menstrual products at aid stations for races of half-marathon length or longer. Questions and comments welcome in our General forum.

FLRC MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Ithaca Women Compete in the Olympic Marathon Trials

Huge congratulations to the Ithaca-area women who competed on the national stage in the Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday, February 29th. Bailey Drewes led the trio with a strong 2:42:11 on a hilly, windy course, good for 66th place. Ellie Pell was next, finishing in 121st place in 2:44:59, and Chelsea Benson came through in 2:47:05 and 163rd place. See the writeup (and contribute your own thoughts or congratulations!) on the FLRC forum 1, and we’ll hear more about their experiences at FLRC’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 8th.

Local Runners Compete in Snowshoe National and World Championships

The increasing popularity of FLRC’s Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race is evidence of the strength of the sport locally. Two of Loomis’s race directors, Eric Sambolec and David Kania, competed in the US Snowshoe Nationals at over 10,000 feet in Leadville, Colorado. Racing junkie Jim Miner traveled all the way to Myoko, Japan, to compete in the Snowshoe World Championships and brought home a silver medal in the 70+ age group (62nd overall). Also in that race was ex-Ithacan Cole Crosby, who took 17th overall and 6th in the 30-39 age group. Congrats to all, and if you’re intrigued by snowshoe running or racing, ask in our General forum.

RACE RESULTS AND UPCOMING RACES

FLRC February Indoor Track Meet Recap

Although overall attendance at FLRC’s February indoor track meet was down a bit due to intersecting with both Cornell’s winter break and the public schools’ winter break, interest in the 5000m set a new record, with 71 finishers across three sections. James Felice (15:58) and Bella Burda (16:50) ended up taking the honors. The 800m crowns were claimed by Jason Matthewson (2:02) and Claire Mason of Corning-Painted Post West (2:24). In the 60m, Nicholas Abdo ran 6.84 seconds for first place, and then followed it up with a second win in the 400m in 51.44 seconds. Team SOAR’s Makenna Keough ran 8.41 to win the women’s 60m, and Charlotte Nevins of Corning-Painted Post West laid down a 58.91 to win the 400m. See the forum for full results 1 and a more detailed writeup.

FLRC March Indoor Track Meet on March 29th

Our final indoor track meet of the winter season is coming up at the end of the month. Events will include the 3000m, 60m, 400m, 1 mile, and 4-by-200m relay. 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.

Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon on April 5th

Don’t miss our marquee race of the spring—the Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon. This year marks the 39th consecutive running of one of Ithaca’s oldest and largest road races, with your choice between USATF-certified 10K and half-marathon distances. Join the throng of other runners along Ellis Hollow’s scenic countryside as the skunk cabbages start to emerge in early spring. Register today!

GROUP RUNS

Sunday Skunkday Group Runs Going Strong

Are you training for Skunk? Or would you just like some company on your Sunday long run? Whatever pace you run, come join FLRC’s 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. We generally meet at Barton Hall at 8:30 AM, but check the Group Runs & Workouts 3 forum for weekly details.

MITHACAL MILERS Tuesday Night Workouts Continue through March

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 (again, see the Group Runs & Workouts 3 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 Changing to 8:30 AM

We’re tweaking the timing on our 1st and 3rd Saturday group runs on the Black Diamond Trail. A Doodle poll (you can still vote!) revealed that a majority would prefer to meet at 8:30 AM with the run starting at 8:45 AM, so we’re going to try that for the March 7th run. However, for fans of earlier and later times, we’re contemplating encouraging groups to meet an hour earlier and an hour later as well, such that starting and finishing groups can socialize briefly—discuss in the forum. 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). We’ll run out on the wide, smooth Black Diamond Trail for roughly 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.

That’s a wrap for this month, and remember, it’s more fun to run together.

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

5000m proves insanely popular in FLRC’s February indoor track meet

Talk about unexpected! Normally, when we include a 5000m race in one of FLRC’s indoor track meets, it gets 15–20 brave souls who can count all 25 laps—we’ve never run more than one section. When I seeded the race on Saturday night, we had 86 entrants, forcing me to create three sections and figure out how we’d do a special box start to deal with the fact that one of the sections had 25 starters. Illness knocked the numbers down a bit, but we still ended up 71 finishers, well above all the other events. The numbers for the sprints were down a bit due to coinciding with the public school winter break, but still… Full results are now available.

So, about that 5000m. For the first two-thirds of the race, we had a tight four-man pack, with James Felice, Rich Heffron, Jack Gregorski, and Steve Esposito, trading the lead back and forth. Then Felice took control of the race and stretched out a several-second lead that he extended in the end for a masterful 15:58. Corning-Painted Post West’s Gregorski held off Esposito, 16:08 to 16:09, and Heffron wasn’t far behind in 16:11. The first woman was Cornell grad student Bella Burda, who tucked herself into the middle of the fastest section and laid down an impressive 16:50 for 11th overall. Second woman was another Cornell grad student, Jenny Berkowitz, who ran a smooth 18:40 in the second section. Also of note were the 29:29 and 29:57 racewalking times posted by Abby Perry and Angelea Collins, respectively, of Corning-Painted Post West.

Our next race was the 800m, and although James Felice tried to repeat, he wasn’t able to compete with Jason Matthewson, who won with a commanding 2:02, beating Steven Segal (2:03) and Ashton Bange (2:06) of Corning-Painted Post West, with Felice fourth in 2:09. Claire Mason of Corning-Painted Post West took the honors for the women with a 2:24, followed closely by Elizabeth Ostrander in 2:26.

The sprints were dominated by Nicholas Abdo, who bested Roosevelt Lee in the 60m, 6.84 seconds to Lee’s 6.96, with Silas Wagaman third in 7.02. For the women, Team SOAR’s Makenna Keough ran 8.41 seconds to beat the 8.85 posted by Lauren White of Chenango Forks.

Abdo had to work harder in the 400m, winning a judge’s decision over Kyle Zaidel of Corning-Painted Post West in 51.44 seconds to Zaidel’s 51.45. Zaidel’s teammate Otto Sutton finished third in 53.06. Equally impressive was the 58.91 run by Charlotte Nevins of Corning-Painted Post West, passing her teammate Jayla Skeete in the second lap—Skeete came through in 1:00.18.

Thanks to all the teams who came: the Auburn Pulsars, Chenango Forks, Corning Painted-Post West, Elmira, the Ithaca College crew team, the Ithaca College Running Club, SUNY Broome, the Syracuse University Running Club, Team SOAR, and Watkins Glen.

As always, the meet couldn’t have happened without FLRC’s highly capable and amiable volunteer team. Past FLRC president Lorrie Tily served as head timer, with and even further-back-in-history past president Tom Rishel swapping between a whistle (for little kids) and starting pistol to get each race off the line. Jullien Flynn worked her usual magic with the seeding and results with help from Bob Talda. Tonya Engst and Jesse Koennecke handled registration and bib pickup with aplomb. Bill Watson juggled over 150 runners while organizing and lining up each race. Adam Pacheck recorded finisher bibs and managed the finish line with help from Henry Deitcher, who also served as lap counter. Aaron Proujansky did backup timing and made sure everyone broke in after staggered starts. Mickie Sanders-Jauquet (another past president—these track meets are catnip!) managed clothing sales. Ved Gund joined Bob, Adam, Aaron, Jesse, Lorrie, and Tonya in timing the races run in lanes. And thanks to everyone for the help setting up and breaking down!

We have one more track meet coming up on March 29th, and if you want to run some workouts to tune up for it, join our MITHACAL MILERS workouts.

Exciting Races and Solid Performances at the Hartshorne Masters Mile

After last year’s snowpocalypse, we were worried that the weather might once again hurt attendance at the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile, and indeed, a few runners reported slow driving conditions through snow and slush on their way in. But despite it Ithacating outside all day, forcing everyone to warm up indoors, Barton Hall was warm and dry and light, and the race went off without a hitch.

That’s due in large part to the machine that Charlie Fay and Tom Hartshorne have built, and that I’ve maintained and enhanced as race director. Jim Miner and Bill Watson showed up early to help Charlie and me set up, and Jim and John Whitman continued on to manage the registration table, at least until Jim needed to run his race (with spikes, not barefoot!). After being snowbound last year, Joe Simpson returned as clerk of course, and Dan Hurley once again started all the races flawlessly. Megan Powers put in time ahead of the race—coupled with fancy Excel work during—to produce a saddle-stitched results booklet that proved wildly popular with the runners and for which I’m still getting requests. Joel Cisne helped runners take photos in front of our snazzy new photo backdrop, Bruce Roebal ran the lap counter, Truck Rossiter called splits, and Mickie Sanders-Jauquet and Kathleen Gibson held the finish tape for the elite sections. Bert BlandSean NicholsonAaron ProujanskyRick Cleary, and Bill Watson helped Tom keep the track clear of wayward collegiate runners. And of course, Steve Gallow took great pictures and Jorge Cuevas produced fabulous videos of each race.

The races themselves were once again huge fun to watch, and I tremendously enjoyed being able to cheer for the runners—at least when I wasn’t off being interviewed for the Spectrum TV News. The FLRC site now has sortable results, and Leone Timing (who do an amazing job) has full results with lap splits.

Combined Women & Men: Our leadoff race showcased our oldest runners, 95-year-old Dixon Hemphill and 85-year-old Edna Hyer (running her 23rd Hartshorne!), along with 75-year-old Joe Reynolds, 73-year-old Harland Bigelow, and 73-year-old Sandy Balling. But it also served as a local return to racing for 52-year-old Oliver Habicht, who has spent the last 18 months fighting pancreatic cancer through chemotherapy, radiation, and major surgery. In the end, Habicht trailed Reynolds for seven laps before opening up a 22-second lead for the win. With luck, next year he’ll be closer to his 6:09 from 2017.

Women Section 1: In this tight race, Kim Jackson led for the first few laps, Colleen Magnussen took over briefly in the middle of the race, and then Jackson retook the lead and kicked it in for the win in 6:52 to Magnussen’s 6:56. Tonya Engst held on for a solid third in 7:01.

Men Section 3: After Jack Salisbury led for the first three laps, 63-year-old Gary Radford ran away from the field to win in 5:57, beating Don Hughes in 6:11 and Salisbury in 6:21. Radford’s performance may have been impressive, but nothing in comparison to his 6000-mile solo bike ride from Key West to Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle between June 1st and August 5th, 2019.

Men Section 2: This race saw the most impressive kick of the day, with Tristan Lambert sitting in third as Peter Frazier led for seven laps. Then Lambert went from 42- and 43-second laps to a final 31.94, the fastest lap of the day for any runner, and won the race in 5:29, 7 seconds ahead of Frazier, who just managed to hold off Robert Mozo at the tape.

Men Section 1Steve Folsom led a tight pack through 5 laps before Mike Bronson took over for a commanding victory in 5:12, with Brian Lee throwing down a 35-second final lap to nip Folsom at the tape by a second, 5:15 to 5:16. Close behind in fourth was Ryan Niclasen in 5:21, and Walter Silbert outleaned Scott Armstrong by .06 seconds for fifth in 5:23.

Women Elite 2: In this race, early favorite Kristin White hung on rabbit Jenny Berkowitz through 800m before surrendering the lead to Lynn Gottfried. Gottfried cruised in comfortably for the win in 5:59, followed by Julie Barclay in 6:12. Mary Swan kicked hard in the last straightaway to outpace Brenda Osovski by a quarter of a second in 6:13. White finished fifth in 6:27, followed by Betsy Stewart in 6:31, Sandy Gregorich in 6:31, and 68-year-old Coreen Steinbach in 6:53.

Men Elite 2: 62-year-old David Westenberg tucked in behind rabbit Mik Kern to lead this race through seven laps but couldn’t hold off 54-year-old Dale Flanders and 53-year-old John McMahon in the end, finishing third in 5:15 to Flanders’s well-kicked 5:13 and McMahon’s 5:14. Just barely back in fourth was 60-year-old Casey Carlstrom in 5:16. Francis Burdett completed the field in 5:30.

Women Elite 1: After rabbit Bella Burda led a tight four-woman pack through 800m with former All-American Alisa Harvey in the lead, Dianne DeOliviera took over, followed by former Olympian Michelle Rohl. DeOliviera extended her lead through the rest of the race, winning in 5:30, ahead of Rohl’s 5:34 and Harvey’s 5:38, with Amy Fakterowitz in fourth in 5:44, Lorraine Jasper fifth in 5:46, and Joan Totaro sixth in 5:56. 61-year-old Lynn Cooke took seventh in 5:57, but that was good for an astonishing 97.15% age-grading, the best by far for the day from any runner. Filling out the field were Wakenda Tyler in eighth in 6:07 and 60-year-old-Julie Hayden in ninth in 6:16.

Men Elite 1: In our final race of the day, the win was never in question, with 2017 winner Peter Brady shadowing rabbit Adam Pacheck through 1200m before running it in for a commanding victory in 4:36. 2018’s second-place finisher, Dave Welsh, was recovering from the flu but still managed a 4:45 for second place, followed by 55-year-old Kenneth Barbee in 4:51 (his 91.06% age-grading was tops for the men). Then it got tight, with Jordan Varano pulling out an impressive kick and a lean at the line to nip Ryan Mitchell by .04 seconds in 4:52. Next in was Jay Hubisz in 4:54, followed by fellow High Nooner Brian Lazzaro in 4:55, and GVH’s Mike Nier in 4:56. Rounding out the field, Tim Van Orden came through in 5:01, Scott Grandfield in 5:05, and Joe Mora in 5:11.

Finally, I’d like to thank the sponsors who make Hartshorne possible. It takes a lot of money to put on a national-level meet like this, with rabbits, a professional announcer, video of all the races, a post-race banquet, and cash prizes to attract some of the top talent in the US and Canada. The race’s 2020 sponsors include Cayuga Medical CenterBangs AmbulanceJoe Daleythe Hartshorne FamilySean NicholsonKen ZesersonBill Quinlisk, and Felder Track & Field. The masters running community is tremendously appreciative of their support. Just because we’re not so young anymore doesn’t mean we don’t take our racing seriously!

See you next year!