June Track Meet Results

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Results are up for FLRC’s first outdoor track meet of the summer, held Tuesday night at Lansing High School.

After a brief threat of rain during registration, the weather turned gorgeous for a relaxed meet with tons of kids from the Ithaca Youth Bureau, Team PREFO, and Southern Tier SOAR. In the lead-off 2-mile, Andrew Davis ran a 10:08 for the win, with Team PREFO’s Victoria Collins taking the women’s title in 13:02.

The eight heats of the 100m started off with children who weren’t entirely clear on the concept of staying in their lanes or stopping after crossing the finish line, and ended with Thomas White running a powerful 10.48 for the win. Charlie Slusser of Southern Tier SOAR was the first woman in 13.58.

The 800m was fairly close, with Andrew David doubling his victory count with a 2:06 over Stephen Thompson’s 2:07. Team PREFO’s Faithe Ketchum won for the women in 2:35.

In the mile, which is the fourth (or fifth, for masters) running in the MITHACAL MILE SERIES, Ethan Seltzer (4:51.76) outkicked Joseph Thompson (4:52.37) by half a second. The women’s race was almost as exciting, with Cassandra Collins of Team PREFO outkicking her teammate Lydia Keys, 6:33 to 6:35. I’ll get the updated MITHACAL MILE standings done soon.

The 4x400m relay pitted an ad hoc team composed of Samuel Voak, Joseph Thompson, Michael Dee, and Stephen Thompson against Team PREFO’s Ben Fenton, Thomas Bovairo, Nate Wilsoncroft, and Jim Derick. The ad hoc team pulled it out in the end, running 3:54.5 to Team PREFO’s 4:00.1.

Special thanks to the strong volunteer team that made it all happen. Scott Wehrwein took the lead as head timer, Ved Gund entered day-of-race registrants and results, with help from Aaron Proujansky. Julie Quinn did backup timing and Keith Eggleston recorded finishers. Bruce Roebal returned to his starter duties after the winter off, Kevin Nelson helped with timing the 100m, and Tom Rishel and David Keifer helped with setup, lap counting, and runner wrangling. Tonya Engst and Carl Franck served as clerks of course to arrange all the heats, and Lansing track coach Becca Lovenheim provided on-site assistance with the facility and sound system. And when it was all done and the runners had left, the volunteers all shared sub sandwiches on a glorious summer evening before packing up all the gear.

Announcing the 2017 FLRC Scholarship Award Winners

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The FLRC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Scholarship Awards. After reviewing application essays from about 30 strongly qualified candidates, the volunteer Scholarship Committee chose three deserving student athletes to receive scholarships. Each received $1,000 to use toward expenses for higher education.

The FLRC Scholarship Committee is comprised of Chris Irving, Karen Ingall, and chairperson Lorrie Tily. Lorrie, along with Joe Reynolds, presented awards to Carmen Bezner Kerr and Jake Avery on June 8 at Ithaca High School’s awards ceremony. On June 15, Lorrie and Chris presented the third scholarship to Tatianna Trojnor-Hill at Moravia Central School District’s ceremony.

Carmen Bezner Kerr

Carmen is an Ithaca High School senior who, in her essay, wrote of the benefits she has received from running. She described the local community and the support received from her team, how running helps her manage stress, and how her longer runs provide a quiet time for self-reflection. Her coach, Rich Bernstein, provided a testament for Carmen’s enthusiasm and love for the sport.

IHS track athlete Jake Avery. Photo provided.

Jake Avery 

Jake began running in FLRC events at early age, winning age group awards at the Ithaca 5 & 10. He took his experience to Ithaca High School to run for Coach Bernstein and the Little Red, becoming only the second two-year captain in Bernstein’s 30+ years of coaching. In his essay, Jake articulated his role as team captain and how he took responsibility for helping the team grow as a whole. Jake is a highly motivated young man who will be attending Cornell University’s Dyson School of Business and will run cross-country and track for the Big Red.

Tatianna Trojnor-Hill

Tatianna is a Moravia Central School District senior and a member of the school’s track and field team. She began running track as a sophomore in an effort to stay in shape for soccer, and has since broken six MCSD school records. In applying for the award, Tatianna wrote of overcoming some difficult times with the help of her team, which she regarded as family, and of learning how and when to hold herself accountable. She plans to major in Biomedical Sciences at Nazareth College.

Lorrie and Joe presenting scholarship awards at Ithaca High School.

 

The Finger Lakes Runners Club Scholarship Program is open to high school seniors who reside in Tompkins County or the surrounding area and who run track or cross country for their schools. Each applicants is required to submit a letter describing his or her academic, extracurricular, and running achievements, as well as two letters of recommendation—one from a coach and one from a teacher. More information can be found here.

Tortoise & Hare Results

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We’re batting 1.000 for the season with wet and muddy race day trail conditions! We had participants ranging in age from seven to seventy-two. Kudos to all the tortoises and hares that weren’t put off by a little rain and mud this morning, and congrats to all you first time off-roaders who weren’t afraid to dirty your shoes. (We know you’ll be back for more!) Several Tortoise & Hare veterans commented afterward that the rain didn’t negatively affect the course at all.

Results have been posted to our website, with more detailed results available on Webscorer.

Ved Gund took the men’s win in a blazing fast 45:36. He claims it was his first ever trail race, but we’re more than a bit skeptical given the stellar performance :). Melissa Hubisz hustled to break the one hour mark and take the women’s win in 59:47. It was a solid outing for Team Hubisz, as Jay took second overall in 47:51. (People were asking if Ved broke the course record, but the record still stands with Nate Lockett’s 40:58 from 2008.)

Joel Cisne almost looked like a hare even after racing the Ithaca Festival Mile on Friday night, followed by the Cayuga Trails Marathon on Saturday. After declaring the marathon  “just a fun run,” Joel still had the energy to MC the Tortoise & Hare awards presentation.

A big pat on the back to all who voluntarily soaked themselves to help make the race possible, and a shout out to our community sponsor GreenStar Natural Foods Market for providing some finish line grub.

On deck we have the Tanglefoot Trail Runs on June 18, followed closely by the sold out Finger Lakes 50s on July 1. The 50s waitlist is pretty deep, but if you’d like to lend a hand we could certainly use a few more volunteers. Let us know!

Thom B Results

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Happy runners — what a way to bring in the spring! Seasoned veterans, new trail runners, longtime locals, and fresh visitors gathered to celebrate the dawn of trail season and honor the memory of Thom Bugliosi.

Mr. Hector and Miss Management have exercised their privilege to postpone the formal race report, though results have been posted to our webpage.

Extra thanks to our committed volunteers–Amelia for appearing at stupid o’clock to set up aid stations, Harris for parking and finish line detail, Adam and Bob for finish and results tallies, the Hammond Hill Social Club for course markings, Scotie for taking the ultra win and sticking around to help break things down, Gary for equipment support, and Miss Management for keeping Mr. Hector honest and above-board. Cheers go to “Dump Truck” Rossiter, who celebrated his official final trail race with us today–though Team Atrocious may see him out again ere long for the Finger Lakes Triennial Relay this coming September…

With gratitude for each and every runner who joined today — may peace and flow follow us all on the solitude of happy trails ’til next year

~~ Joel & Shelly

So What is the Trail Circuit?

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Next weekend, the FLRC Trail Circuit kicks off with the Thom B Trail runs on May 13. For those of you new to the club, new to the trails, or both, our annual Trail Circuit is a series of FLRC and non-FLRC organized off-road races spanning from May through October. Each race is pretty low-key, with a home-grown feel, low entry fees, and little-to-no swag or fancy awards. These races are a great way to meet some new people, get more in touch with Mother Nature, and come up with some wacky trail tales to impress your buddies over a post-race beer.

How about running through the beautiful gorges at Robert Treman State Park at the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon, then sticking around for our volunteer picnic that same afternoon? Some of you might even decide to double up and run the gorge again the next day at Lucifer’s Crossing. What about conquering your fear of hills while surrounded by bright green flora at the Forest Frolic? Or escaping the confines of your cubicle on a Thursday evening in August to get down and dirty at Forge the Gorgeous? Not running? It’s just as fun to pitch in and volunteer at an aid station or road crossing, and then join the post-race gathering afterwards at the finish line. There’s something here for everyone!

Our Trail Circuit ranking system helps keep things fun and a little more competitive. Anyone who completes at least one series race is automatically added to the rankings. At the end of the season, awards are given in three categories, to the top male and top female in each. (Thank you to Karen Ingall for compiling the statistics year after year!)

  • Stonehead – Top points earner across all series races that a runner has completed. A runner’s “score” for a race is determined by dividing the winning time by his/her time, then multiplying by 100.
  • Pebblehead – Same as above, except only the runner’s top three scoring races are counted.
  • Boulderhead – Points are based on the total number of Trail Circuit miles a runner completes, regardless of finishing position. A DNF (did not finish) is scored as a 0.

After the aforementioned Thom B, the next series race is the Tortoise & Hare at Buttermilk Falls on June 4. Click here for a full list of races that are part of the series. (Note: We’ve confirmed that the Highland Forest 1-2-3 will not take place this year, but will likely return in 2018. Also note that the Finger Lakes 50s is already sold out.) Registration is open for many of the trail races, and will be open soon for the others.

So whadd’ya say? It’s time to bust out the gaiters and trucker hats and get a little mud on your new shoes!

The FLRC Book Lending Library

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You probably didn’t even know that FLRC has a lending library, did you?
It’s located at Gerrit Van Loon’s office on Snyder Hill, and it’s populated
largely with books from the collection of Diane Scherrer and Jim
Hartshorne, although there have been more recent additions too.

Many of the books are pretty old—there’s even a yearbook-style volume
with results from the 1960 Olympics that shows that Jack Daniels did indeed
win a medal in the modern pentathlon. But while that’s amusing for the
haircuts alone, there’s one that Adam Engst recommends highly, particularly to
those who remember runners like Frank Shorter, Jim Ryun, Bill Rodgers,
Marty Liquori, Benji Durden, Rod Dixon, Pat Porter, Jeff Galloway, and Jack
Bacheler.

Written by John L. Parker, Jr. of “Once a Runner” fame, “Runners & Other
Dreamers” is a collection of articles originally published in magazines in
the 1980s, often with a postscript that brings the story up to date as of
1988. Of the 24 articles, there are a handful that aren’t about running at
all, and a couple that just feel odd. But overall they’re great. Parker was
a national class miler in his own right, with a 4:06 mile in college, and
he ran with the Florida Track Club in Gainesville when it had some of the
best distance runners in the world. If he’s to be believed, he introduced
Frank Shorter to Jack Bacheler there.

As anyone who has read Parker’s writing knows, he understands at a deep
level what it’s like to run and race at the highest levels. For him, a
bunch of old washed-up ex-professional runners getting together for a
charity race means that they all run under 34:30 for 10k, with most of them
in the 30:00 to 32:00 range. But since he knows all these people
personally, reading the articles feels like getting the stories on a
cooldown run after a hard workout. He may not be Rick Cleary, but no one’s
succeeded in goading Rick into writing a book yet. :-)

Anyway, next time you’re at Gerrit’s, look for “Runners & Other Dreamers”. To check any of the available books out, just give the receptionist the card inside the back cover like you’re in an old-fashioned library before the days of computer catalogs. You can keep the books for 3-4 weeks and there are no overdue fines if you miss by a day or two. You may also donate books to the collection if you wish.

Skunk Cabbage Results

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On April 9, the local running community came together for the 36th consecutive running of the Skunk Cabbage Classic. All told, 366 runners completed the 10k while 535 completed the half marathon, for a total of 901 finishers between the two distances. Many runners were out to run their first 10k or half marathon, while others were seasoned veterans chasing a personal best. Some were competing for age group or overall awards, and most were out to enjoy a beautiful morning on the outskirts of Ithaca.

Despite Mother Nature’s full cooperation this year, there were no new records set. The race wasn’t without excitement, though. In his half marathon debut, Adam Pacheck took home the men’s win in 1:11:13, outlasting defending champion Richard Powell. Powell took the runner-up spot in 1:14:03. For the women, Ithaca’s Jennifer Boerner was victorious in 1:22:33, placing ninth overall. The 10k was won by William Hoyne and Jullien Flynn in 33:28 and 37:02, respectively.

Half Marathon Results With Awards

10k Results With Awards

As always, we wouldn’t be able to put on an event of this magnitude without such a large crew of amazing volunteers and sponsors. Much gratitude to everyone who helped with the race in some capacity. Between course marshals, water stops, equipment management, finish line help, and many other areas, we had our hands full making sure that every runner had a safe and enjoyable race day experience.

Additional thank you to the following sponsors for their support of Skunk Cabbage Classic:

  • Buffalo Wild Wings, Cornell Dairy, Ithaca Bakery, Ithaca Milk, Gimme! Coffee, and Wegmans for providing post-race refreshments.
  • Finger Lakes Running & Triathlon Co. for hosting Saturday packet pickup and providing awards in the form of gift cards. 
  • Top Stitch for the really cool finishers’ medals.
  • Tompkins County Amateur Radio Association, Cornell University, and the Cornell Running Club for their continued support of the race.

Race photos from Steve Gallow, our official event photographer, will be available shortly. In the meantime, check out our Facebook page to view and post your race day photos. We also welcome you to share with us on Twitter and Instagram, tagging @FLRCithaca and using #SkunkCabbageClassic.

We hope to see you all next April for Skunk Cabbage 2018!

FLRC Scholarship Program Deadline is Approaching

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The deadline is fast approaching so get those applications in! We are proud to announce the following scholarship program:

Program/Eligibility:

  • A minimum of two unrestricted $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to two deserving high school seniors who participated on their school’s cross county and/or track & field teams.
  • Eligible students must reside in Tompkins or a surrounding county.
  • FLRC membership is not required.

Process:

  • To apply, applicants must submit a letter describing their academic, extracurricular, and running achievements. Include any plans you may have for a running career beyond high school and the personal benefits you have gained by participating in the sport.
  • Applicants should include two letters of recommendation, one from a teacher and one from a coach. Please do not send complete transcripts or additional material for consideration as these will not be reviewed.
  • Mail application materials to:

    FLRC Scholarship Committee
    Attn: Lorrie Tily
    P.O. Box 185
    Locke, NY 13092

Identification of Recipient:

  • Scholarship applications must be received by the Scholarship Committee by Friday, April 7, 2017.
  • Committee members will review submissions and identify recipients by May 12, 2017.
  • Recipients may be asked to present their scholarship application materials to the FLRC Board.

Leon Atkins and Allison Koch Dominate FLRC March Track Meet

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Our final indoor meet of 2017 wasn’t quite as large as the previous two meets, due to the high school indoor track season being over, but it was still a hopping good time for a lot of people. 184 runners competed in 45 heats across 4 individual events and 1 relay for 404 total entries! Results are now up!

If we had meet MVPs, those awards would certainly have gone to Leon Atkins of the Auburn Pulsars and Allison Koch of Camden. Although his specialty is the 400m, since we didn’t have that event at this meet, Atkins ran almost everything else, taking first in the 200m and the 1 mile, second in the 60m, and anchoring the winning 4x400m relay team. Koch won the 60m and the 200m, and also anchored a women-only relay team.

But we wouldn’t realize how dominant they were going to be since the first race was the 3000m, which Evan Magnussen took out hard from the gun and held the lead all the way to the tape in 8:58. Patrick Queiroz of the University of Buffalo XC and Track Club took second in 9:05. For the women, Jordyn Naylon’s 10:40 outpaced the 11:04 by Karen Simmonds-Brady of the Auburn Pulsars.

In the 60m, Thomas White ran a commanding 6.69 to beat Leon Atkins, who crossed in 7.02. On the women’s side, Allison Koch of Camden took the win in 8.50 over Charlie Slusser of Southern Tier SOAR, who ran 8.70.

But after a false start that marred the final heat of the 200m, Leon Atkins showed what he could do, running a 23:59 to beat the 24.05 run by Justin Starks of the Cornell Track & Field Club by almost half a second. Similarly, Allison Koch of Camden doubled her victory count with a 28.03 that beat Annie Geiger of the Cornell Running Club’s 29.63.

Coming back in the 1 mile race, which he had never run before, Leon Atkins went out way too fast, like most novice milers, but then settled down and led the rest of the race and outkicking Clayton Wolfe of Owego Free Academy in the final lap to win in 4:37 over Wolfe’s 4:38. Elizabeth Lucason of Camden won the women’s race commandingly, with a 5:14, a full 10 seconds faster than her win in the January meet’s mile. Faithe Ketchum of Team PREFO was second in 5:36.

In the final event of the day, the 4x400m relay, Leon Atkins teamed with Clayton Wolfe and Vince Duvall of Owego Free Academy, and sprinter Alex Tompkins to win the relay in 3:48.5. Although impressive, that time remains only the second-fastest 4x400m of the year, behind Corning-Painted Post’s astonishing 3:39.6 in the February meet.

As always, dedicated work by a team of volunteers was essential in helping this meet run smoothly. Tonya Engst and David Keifer handled registration, with Mickie Jauquet and Bob Talda entering day-of-meet registrants and then wrangling all the heats as clerks of course. Alex Colvin reprised his role from January as head timer, Tom Rishel used our new electronic starting pistol as the starter, and David Rossiter counted laps and did backup timing along with Nancy Kleinrock. Steve Shaum managed the finish line with aplomb, Scott Wehrwein did a fantastic job of entering results with help from David Keifer and Jesse Koennecke. Special thanks to Mike Stewart for help setting up, Bryce Derick and Gavin Derick for helping out with timing and keeping finishers in order, and Don Tompkins for timing the 60m.

Thanks for a great indoor season, and we’ll see you outdoors on June 20th!

Annual Meeting Highlights

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On March 5, the Finger Lakes Runners Club hosted its Annual Member Meeting at Joe’s Restaurant. The meeting is a gathering of FLRC members and their families, where the officers and board members openly discuss the club’s finances, past and upcoming events, and other club business. It is a time for members of the local running community to meet new, liked-minded people, and for the club to recognize members for their outstanding volunteer work.

This year’s special guest speaker was Amelia Habicht. A well known member of the Ithaca community, Amelia gave a presentation titled “Running 2020: Looking Back, Looking Forward.” She described her life as an endurance athlete prior to suffering a serious stroke at a young age. Amelia underscored the power of determination in helping her get back into endurance sports after her stroke, and highlighted how her condition has empowered her to achieve new goals and inspire others. The presentation was an abbreviated version of a TEDx talk Amelia gave at Ithaca College.

Following the guest presentation, several club officers discussed recent and upcoming FLRC events. Highlights include the successful Track Friday—a fundraiser for the Finger Lakes Trail Conference that we are making into an annual FLRC event,—the Mithical Miler race series and weekly training groups, the FLRC and High Noon cross country teams, and the 2017 Trail Circuit. Treasurer Mike Allinger then gave a brief report on the club’s financial state.

Next it was on to the awards. Gary McCheyne announced the Trail Series winners for the 2016 season. The Stonehead awards for the highest score across all ten races in the series went to Bill King and Audrey Balander. The Pebblehead title—for highest score compiled from a runner’s top three series races—was awarded to Fred Harle and Nora McIver-Sheridan. Nora had a perfect score of 300, meaning she won at least three series races. The Boulderhead crown is for the runner who completed the most miles in the series races, regardless of his/her finishing time or place. The 2016 Boulderheads were Ron Cunningham and Nancy Kleinrock. Special thanks to Karen Ingall for compiling the statistics and organizing these rankings year after year.

FLRC president Micki Sanders-Jauquet recognized the five new FLRC Life Members, as voted on by the Board of Directors earlier this year. Lifetime membership status is a way for the FLRC to acknowledge individuals who have volunteered their time, energy, and resources toward the club’s activities—and the local running community as a whole—over many years. The Lifetime Member Class of 2017 is comprised of Bruce Robel, Steve Shaum, Nancy Kleinrock, Sue Aigen, and Tom Hartshorne. Thank you all for your years of dedicated volunteer service! (Here is a brief bio of each new Lifetime Member.)

Every year, all club members are invited to vote on the FLRC Volunteer of the Year. The award recognizes an individual for going above and beyond the call of duty in a volunteer capacity at club events during a single calendar year. The 2016 award went to Katie Stettler—the former club treasurer who meticulously kept records of all of the club’s financial transactions and yearly budgets through a series of spreadsheets. Katie served as the club’s treasurer for several years before handing the reigns to Mike Allinger in January 2017. She also lent a hand at many of our races throughout 2016.

In the Desert Contest, Bruce Robel eked out a win with his brownie recipe. The brownies included real whipped cream, which likely put him over the edge as the top vote-getter.

We’d like to thank everyone who attended the meeting, as well as all who contributed to the delectable dessert table. As a reminder, all FLRC club members—not just board members—are welcome to attend our monthly board meetings, usually held on the second Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in voicing your opinions on club activities, or looking to serve as an officer, board member-at-large, or a race director, the meetings are the best way to learn how the club functions behind the scenes and see what opportunities are available.