Oh, for the day! We couldn’t have asked for better weather for Skunk Cabbage this year, and nearly 80 volunteers worked together to put on a highly successful race. Attendance continues to move toward pre-pandemic numbers, with 851 registrants and 725 finishers enjoying our new courses, an increase of 22% from last year. The 10K was again more popular, with 415 finishers versus 310 in the half marathon.
If you registered too late to get a Total Eclipse of the Skunk shirt or want another for a gift, I have good news. We have a few more shirts in limited sizes available now, and we opened pre-ordering for a second printing—place your order by April 16 to get in on it. The second order will arrive in late May.
10K Results
In the 10K, Paul Sulfita of Rochester came in hot for the win in 32:13—a 5:11 pace! Not far behind was Jared Burdick of Fayetteville, who crossed in 32:29. Local runner Tim Phelps put Ithaca on the podium with a 34:50 in third. The top masters (40-49) runner was another Ithacan, Aaron King, who ran 40:54, and our veteran (50+) winner was the 62-year-old Erik Maki of Blodget Mills, who came through in a stunning 40:28.
On the women’s side, even though she’s running Boston soon, 41-year-old Jennifer Boerner of Elmira ran 39:00 flat for the win, outpacing 22-year-old Emily Miller from Freeville, who came through the finish in 39:44. Third place was claimed by Sarah Woodyear of Ithaca in 41:32. Liz Hartman of Ithaca won the masters division with a 43:01, and Jody Musolino of North Tonawanda took home the veterans prize in 43:54.
Half Marathon Results
In the half marathon, Matthew Goyden of Endwell ran 1:14:20 for the win, with fellow Binghamton-area runner John Salva of Conklin second in 1:17:47. Cornell grad student and former FLRC cross-country runner Alex Drazic came across third in 1:18:39. The masters and vets prizes went to FLRC regulars, with Roger Moseley of Newfield taking the masters crown in 1:19:52 and Jean-Luc Jannink outrunning other vets in 1:33:42.
In her half-marathon debut, Cornell grad student Bella Burda notched a decisive win by over 11 minutes, breaking the tape in 1:21:46. Second place went to Nora McIver-Sheridan of Ithaca, herself no stranger to the podium in local races. Third place was claimed by Michaela Thomas of Chicopee, MA, in 1:35:21. Ithaca College cross-country coach Erin Dinan was our fastest masters half marathoner for the day, posting a 1:41:12, and FLRC stalwart Julie Barclay of Groton won the vets division with a 1:43:36.
Full results are available on the FLRC website, and don’t miss RunSignup’s 10K and half marathon awards pages to see who took home the custom Total Eclipse of the Skunk fridge magnets as their awards. (If you won but didn’t stay for the award ceremony, contact me to pick up your award.) Jamie Love’s race photos from the course are available now, and Steve Gallow’s photos from the start and finish will be up soon.
Thank You, Volunteers
While there’s no room to thank every one of the volunteers who made Skunk possible, I want to call out my super volunteers. Marte Reps was once again a lifesaver for estimating, ordering, and picking up the massive quantities of food necessary to feed hundreds of runners, and Lauren Milano provided key setup and food replenishment coordination. Tonya Engst left no detail to chance—so many signs and sets of instructions!—while managing a large crew of registration volunteers. FLRC equipment manager Gary McCheyne set up the course with help from Alan Lockett (who also arranged for the big road sign on Turkey Hill), and Gary did double-duty breaking it down and schlepping the significant amount of gear necessary to put on a race. Ian Golden again made the finish line special by announcing everyone as they crossed, and Joel Cisne painted all the mile markers and turnaround points before the race. Special thanks to Bruce Roebal and James Dean for their course marshal work in the hot seat of the busy Route 366/Pine Tree intersection!
In terms of organizations, we greatly appreciate the assistance we received from Cornell University Athletics, the Cornell University Police, Bangs Ambulance, Dryden Ambulance, the Ithaca Hash House Harriers, the Tompkins County Dairy Princess Program, the Varna Volunteer Fire Company, the Cornell Dairy, Ithaca Bakery, Ithaca Milk, Wegmans Food Markets, the Barton Hall facility staff, the Finger Lakes Running Company, Leone Timing, Rentals To Go, and USA Racing.
Let me know if you have comments about the race, volunteers to call out for going above and beyond, or suggestions for improving Skunk next year. (Taking a cue from Ghostbusters, we’ll definitely add intersection cones to keep out-and-back 10K runners from crossing the streams.)
The FLRC Challenge Is Back
That’s a wrap for Skunk, but if you’re looking for inspiration for your spring and summer running, sign up for the FLRC Challenge. That’s right, registration is now open, and we’ll have our kickoff group run on April 20. It’s time to cover the ground!
