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

Posted April 14, 2020 by Adam Engst

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

Posted March 16, 2020 by Adam Engst

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

Posted March 12, 2020 by Adam Engst

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 medal Regardless 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

Posted March 9, 2020 by Adam Engst

Skunk Cabbage and Indoor Track Meet Scheduling Issues

Posted March 7, 2020 by Adam Engst

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

Posted March 4, 2020 by Adam Engst

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 Benson, Bailey 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

Posted February 24, 2020 by Adam Engst

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

Posted February 5, 2020 by Adam Engst

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 Bland, Sean Nicholson, Aaron Proujansky, Rick 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 1: Steve 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 Center, Bangs Ambulance, Joe Daley, the Hartshorne Family, Sean Nicholson, Ken Zeserson, Bill 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!

FLRC Footnotes for February 2020

Posted February 1, 2020 by Adam Engst

Greetings, runners! I’m Adam Engst, and I have the honor of serving as the president of FLRC this year. Many of you probably know me from my work directing track meets, timing races, captaining the High Noon cross country team, and organizing MITHACAL MILERS workouts and pancake breakfast runs.

In these hopefully regular Footnotes, I’m hoping to provide a look at some of the things that FLRC does behind the scenes, shine a spotlight on the work that your fellow club members do in putting on FLRC’s many races, call out the top performers in those races, and share details of FLRC group runs and other events. Thanks to Pete Kresock and others on FLRC’s Communication Team for development and editing help on this month’s Footnotes.

We have big plans for 2020, and we’d love to have your help in making them a reality—see our Volunteer Opportunities page. You can always reach me at ace@tidbits.com.

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

Club News

FLRC Elects New Board and Officers for 2020

Many people may not realize how much work goes into FLRC behind the scenes. Sure, you probably know that race directors and volunteers make our races possible, but even further in the background is FLRC’s Board of Directors. This year, FLRC members elected a new slate of officers and members-at-large, and you can now learn more about who these shadowy figures are on our Board of Directors page. Our board meetings on the second Wednesday of the month are open to the public; contact me or any board member for time and location details.

FLRC Testing New Discussion Forum—Check It Out!

You may have noticed that we’re testing a new Web- and email-based discussion system, with a General forum and a Group Runs & Workouts forum to start (along with a bunch of private forums for board business and committees). Take a look and join the discussions! As traffic increases, we’re considering additional forums for topics like training questions and injury advice. You can browse and read online at any time, but to get or post messages via email, or to respond to a poll, you’ll need an account. The system is easy to use and will even walk you through an online tutorial, but I’ve also written some instructions that explain more and offer additional configuration advice. If you have questions about how to use the site, there’s a Site Feedback forum.

Local Runners to Compete in the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta

Three Ithaca-area women have qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials by running a sub-2:45 marathon on a certified course within the past three years. On Saturday, February 29th, Chelsea Benson, Bailey Drewes, and Ellie Pell will line up to compete against America’s top marathoners. In addition, keep an eye out for Julianne Quinn, who was a fixture on the Ithaca running scene for a number of years until recently moving to Virginia. In the Trials race, the top three men and women will make the US national team to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. You can catch the race on live TV on NBC, from 12–3 PM or rewatch the race online after its conclusion. While you’re watching the finish line, look for FLRC friend Pat Leone because his Leone Timing company will be there to ensure accurate times and quick results.

FLRC Annual Meeting Scheduled for March 8th from 3–5 PM at Agava

Save the date for FLRC’s Annual Meeting, where Chelsea, Bailey, and Ellie will be sharing stories from the Olympic Marathon Trials, showing pictures, and answering questions. At this free event, we’ll also be revealing our Volunteer of the Year, announcing new Lifetime Members, presenting the 2019 Trail Circuit Stonehead, Pebblehead, and Boulderhead awards, and enjoying the entries in our traditional dessert competition (nom nom!). And, of course, if you’d like to get more involved with FLRC, perhaps through races, other events, communications, or more, this is a great opportunity to learn more and talk to board members.

RACES

The start of the year is FLRC’s busiest time, with seven events in five weeks: four Winter Chill 5Ks, an indoor track meet, the venerable Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile, and the scrappy Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race. Phew!

Winter Chill Series Sets Record Attendance, Boosts Club Membership

Thanks to race director Sarah Drumheller for putting on a successful Winter Chill series at Cass Park in January! The four Winter Chill races are free to FLRC members as a way of encouraging local runners to join the club, and thanks to her work with Winter Chill, we’re now at 651 members, up from 610 last year. We posted a record 388 entries across all four races, and a record 29 runners completed all four races, with Brennan Brockway and Caitlin Loehr setting the fastest average times among that dedicated group. You can see results for WC#1, WC#2, WC#3, and WC#4, plus the series standings and a collection of photos.

FLRC January Indoor Track Meet

Despite unseasonably warm weather in the 60s, FLRC opened the 2020 indoor track season with a fun, relaxing meet in Cornell’s Barton Hall. Along with some fast times and exciting races, we had numerous heats of kids, with 23-month-old Jude Heffron taking the prize for youngest runner after he completed the 60m dash. His father, Rich Heffron (who won both the mile and the 3000), says Jude is now training hard with a goal of breaking 30 seconds at the February 23rd meet. Full results are available, and we’ve also published an album of photos.

Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile Makes the TV News

Now in its 53rd year, the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile once again attracted some of the top masters runners in the country, thanks to the efforts of Adam Engst (your humble president), Charlie Fay, and Tom Hartshorne. Special thanks to Megan Powers for creating a professional results booklet that garnered numerous compliments from runners.

The winning times were a 4:36.65 from 48-year-old Peter Brady of Scarsdale, NY and a 5:30.08 from 49-year-old Dianne DeOliveira of Brick, NJ. In terms of age-grading (a technique that levels the field among athletes of different ages—anything above 90% is world-class), 61-year-old Susan Lynn Cooke of Odessa, FL, took the overall honors and was top woman, with a stunning 97.15%. For the men, 55-year-old Kenneth Barbee of Philadelphia netted the top prize with a 91.06%. Our oldest competitors were the 95-year-old Dixon Hemphill of Fairfax Station, VA (25:02) and the 85-year-old Edna Hyer of Fairport, NY (13:43). Check out the complete results, Steve Gallow’s fabulous photos, race reports from runners, and the TV news coverage of the event.

Super Frosty Loomis Enjoys Perfect Weather and Posts Record Numbers

Now in its sixth year, the Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race has become a fixture among Northeast snowshoe races, thanks to the hard work of race directors Boris Dzikovski, Dave Kania, and Eric Sambolec. This year’s race went off earlier today without a hitch, with race director Eric Sambolec winning the 10K but recusing himself from the eclectic awards because he was pretty sure he’d failed the drug test (kidding!). Amelia Kaufman was the top woman in the 10K. In the 5K, Colin Ridgley won the race, but finished just a half-second ahead of top woman Avery Voehl. Results are now available, and photos from the race will be coming soon.

Sign Up for FLRC’s February 23rd Indoor Track Meet

Whether you want to go long (5000m) or short (60m), there’s an event for you at FLRC’s indoor track meet on February 23 in Barton Hall. Runners of all ages are welcome, and we particularly encourage families to bring kids—it’s a great environment for kids to get started with running, especially during the cold, wet, winter months. Learn more and (please!) pre-register.

Group Runs and Workouts

Sunday Skunkday Group Runs Start in February

Are you training for the Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K or half marathon? Or would you just like some company on your Sunday long run? FLRC is organizing a simple Sunday group run each week through Skunk, which takes place on Sunday, April 5th. All we ask is that you sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver if you haven’t already done so in 2020. For the first Sunday Skunkday run, we’re meeting at Barton Hall at 8:30 AM on February 2nd. Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for subsequent run details; things may change.

MITHACAL MILERS Tuesday Night Workouts Continue in Barton

Want to train indoors? FLRC’s MITHACAL MILERS group meets every Tuesday night at 7 PM in Barton Hall. Workouts focus on the 1-mile race with the goal of helping runners improve their mile time throughout FLRC’s winter track season. Each week, your humble president will set a pace-based track workout (see the Group Runs & Workouts forum), lead the group in dynamic warmups, and close with strength and mobility exercises. All ages and abilities are welcome, although adults should be running at least 15–20 miles per week to ensure that the workouts are appropriate. These workouts are part of the FLRC Family Running Program, so children 7–13 are welcome and will run custom workouts based around running games. FLRC membership is required. Learn more and be sure to sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver once for 2020.

Black Diamond 1st and 3rd Saturday Group Runs Continue Apace

Thanks to Heather Cobb taking over as group run coordinator from Shelly Marino, our 1st and 3rd Saturday morning group runs continue on the Black Diamond trail. These free runs start and finish at the base of the Black Diamond Trail behind the Ithaca Children’s Garden at Cass Park (121 Turtle Lane, Ithaca, NY 14850). Registration, warmup, and mingling start at 7:30 AM, and the run begins at 7:45 AM. We’ll run out on the wide, smooth Black Diamond Trail for 30 minutes, and then turn around and run back. You’ll likely find someone at your pace, and everyone should finish at about the same time. Feel free to add in some walking, or to turn around before 30 minutes. Learn more and be sure to sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver once for 2020.

Until next month, happy running!

—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track

FLRC Kicks Off the 2020 Indoor Track Season

Posted January 12, 2020 by Adam Engst

Despite unseasonably warm weather in the 60s, FLRC opened the 2020 track season with a fun, relaxing meet in Cornell’s Barton Hall. Along with some fast times and exciting races, we had numerous heats of kids, with Jude Heffron taking the prize for youngest runner at 23 months old. Full results are now available, and we’ve also published an album of photos.

Jude’s father Rich Heffron showed off for his son by outrunning James Felice in the 3000m to win in 9:17 over Felice’s 9:20. On the women’s side, Jenny Berkowitz ran a controlled race to win in 10:47, with Liz Hartman in second in 12:11.

Moving on to the 60m, we had 10 heats, culminating with 17-year-old Silas Wagaman’s 7.14 that just edged out 18-year-old Lance Jensen from the Candor CSD Club Runners by 0.02 seconds. Two other Candor high school runners were fourth and fifth, but third place was claimed by 38-year-old David Birk.

In our marquee event of the mile, 76 runners toed the line across six heats, but in the end, it was a repeat of the 3000m, with Rich Heffron running a 4:39 to outpace James Felice’s 4:42. The women’s race was won by 54-year-old former Olympian Michelle Rohl in 5:38 — look for her to place well at the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile in a few weeks. Despite her win, Rohl wasn’t far ahead of 14-year-old Alia Spaker, whose 5:43 placed her second.

Candor’s Lance Jensen turned the tables on Silas Wagaman in the 200m, clocking at 23.59 to Wagaman’s 24.71. David Birk might have been more than twice their age, but he still turned in an impressive 25.97 to take third. And in the High Noon grudge match, Brian Lazzaro outleaned Josh Brockner by 0.02 seconds, 28.00 to 28.02. The top woman was 13-year-old Makenna Keough of the SOAR Running Club, who ran a 31.66 to beat the 33.32 laid down by Olivia Herrick of the Elmira Express.

The 4x200m relay provided lots of excitement and when the dust settled, Lance Jensen had anchored the Candor team to the win in 1:51, but barely edging out a hard-charging Auburn Pulsars team that finished in 1:53 and the University of Buffalo XC and Track Club in 1:54.

As always, the meet couldn’t have happened without FLRC’s highly capable and amiable volunteer team. Ved Gund returned to Ithaca from a several-year stint in Oregon to serve as head timer, with Tom Rishel swapping between a whistle (for little kids) and starting pistol to get each race off the line. Jullien Flynn hobbled in from foot surgery three days ago to manage the seeding and results. Tonya Engst and Jesse Koennecke handled registration and bib pickup with aplomb, after which Jesse assisted Bill Watson in calling and lining up heats. Adam Pacheck drove in from Philadelphia from an abortive flight to record finisher bibs and manage the finish line. Aaron Proujansky did backup timing and lap counting. Dave Kania filled in for Jullien at times on the computer, helped with setup, timed sprints, and assisted wherever he could be helpful. Carl Franck also provided essential setup and timing help, and lots of people helped break down the meet.