The FLRC board and race directors regret to announce the cancellation of Fillmore 5K, Forest Frolic, Forge the Gorgeous, the August track meet, and the club’s annual picnic.

As with previous race cancellations, we made this decision to comply with New York State regulations and recommendations from state and local public health officials. Although New York State is starting to reopen and we hate canceling races, we felt that it would currently be irresponsible to encourage large gatherings of runners, some of whom might travel here from areas with higher infection rates. We must all do what we can to continue to control infections in our community.

We have refunded those who had already registered for these races.

For more details or to ask questions, please see the announcement on the FLRC forum.

The board and race directors will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and evaluate other upcoming club races at our monthly board meetings.

Although all FLRC group runs and workouts have also been canceled, we strongly encourage everyone to exercise regularly to keep your immune system strong. 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!

The FLRC board and race directors regret to announce the cancellation of the Finger Lakes 50s ultramarathon and the Women’s Distance Festival 5K.

As you can guess, we made this decision to comply with New York State regulations 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 coronavirus. We hate canceling races, but we must all do what we can to reduce infections in our community.

If you are already registered for the Finger Lakes 50s, you can donate your registration fee to FLRC or request a full refund (minus the UltraSignup processing fee). Please email race director Alex Kleinerman at ak235@cornell.edu by June 1st with your choice.

For more details or to ask questions, please see the post on the FLRC forum.

The board and race directors will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and evaluate other upcoming club races at our monthly board meetings.

Although all FLRC group runs and workouts have also been canceled, we strongly encourage everyone to exercise regularly to keep your immune system strong. Whatever you decide, avoid large groups and crowded areas when running, and please follow our COVID-19 recommendations.

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

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

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!