Greetings, runners! The FLRC Challenge is underway, and you can meet up with fellow runners at the Women’s Distance Festival 5K on May 8th, the Thom B. Trail Runs on May 22nd, and at a variety of group runs.
UPCOMING RACES
FLRC Challenge underway, but it’s never too late to sign up
Over 100 local runners have already signed up for the 2022 FLRC Challenge, which encourages you to run or hike ten scenic courses around the area as many times as you like, competing for time, age grade, distance, and number of efforts, plus our new-in-2022 community stars. Complete all ten courses for a coveted FLRC Challenge medal, like our first finisher, Rebecca Lambert ! For the ultimate test of your running prowess, do it all in 24 hours for the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge. You can sign up anytime before the FLRC Challenge ends on August 14th, but register before May 1st if you want a unique “Cover the Ground” T-shirt with a fully sublimated design. Our award ceremony will take place at FLRC’s annual picnic on August 25th.
Women’s Distance Festival 5K goes off on May 8th at Dryden Lake Park
Held in honor of race founder and FLRC legend Diane Sherrer, the Women’s Distance Festival 5K will once again take place on Mother’s Day—that’s Sunday, May 8th—at 10 AM at Dryden Lake Park. Race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving always put on a good race, and the course is a flat out-and-back on the Jim Schug Trail. As always, the race is open to women of all ages—men are welcome to volunteer or cheer. Register soon!
Thom B. Trail Runs return to Hammond Hill on May 22nd
The second race in the FLRC Trail Circuit is coming up later in the month, with the Thom B. Trail Runs scheduled for Sunday, May 22nd, at Hammond Hill State Forest. Race directors Joel Cisne and Gary McCheyne will once again host the race by the “Hammond Hill-ton” warming hut, courtesy of Ann and Charlie Leonard . You can choose from one, two, or three loops: 8.5 miles, 17 miles, or a full 26.2-mile trail marathon. Sign up soon, and after the race, check your standings on our new Trail Circuit leaderboard. Also, the FLRC-supported Friends of Hammond Hill are raising funds for trail repair—if you like running, snowshoeing, and skiing on those trails, we encourage you to donate.
Pencil other FLRC races onto your summer running calendar
While you’re planning your summer vacation and other activities, remember that FLRC has a full slate of trail, road, and track races coming up. In June, we have the Twilight 5K on June 8th, the Tortoise & Hare trail race on June 18th, and our all-comers track meet on June 28th. July brings the Finger Lakes 50s (sold out, but we need volunteers for this nationally recognized race) on July 2nd, the Fillmore 5K on July 16th, another all-comers track meet on July 19th, and the Forest Frolic trail race on July 30th. In August, enjoy the Forge the Gorgeous trail race on August 11th, our final all-comers track meet of the summer on August 16th, and the Monster Marathon and Half Marathon—on trails at Treman State Park—on August 27th.
RACE RESULTS
Skunk Cabbage Classic 10K and Half Marathon sees fast times in cool weather
Thanks to race directors Vinny and Nichole Cappadora for bringing the Skunk Cabbage Classic back after a two-year pandemic hiatus! Nearly 500 runners enjoyed a break in the weather on an otherwise cold and rainy day to post some excellent results. In the 10K, Jared Burick of Fayetteville won handily in 33:35, outpacing Christopher Halsey (36:13) and Patrick Milano (36:17) of Ithaca. On the women’s side, 43-year-old Erika Zazzara of Manlius took the win in 42:23, followed closely by Hayley Martin of Aurora in 42:33 and Liz Bordoni of Ithaca in 43:16. In the half marathon, Henry Williams of Ithaca broke the tape in 1:10:49, ahead of John Salva of Conklin (1:14:27) and Adam Berkowitz of Ithaca (1:16:05). Former Cornell runner Isabella Dobson of Ithaca dominated the women’s race in 1:29:44, with Helen Wang of Ithaca in second (1:33:31) and 51-year-old Heather May of Geneva in third (1:35:56). Congratulations to all our finishers, and full results are available for the 10K and the half marathon.
FLRC RUNNER NEWS
Chelsea Benson and former Ithacans place high at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Several familiar names competed in the prestigious Cherry Blossom 10 Miler race in Washington, D.C. on April 3rd, with local standout and 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Chelsea Benson running 58:10 (that’s 5:49 pace!) to place third in her 35–39 age group. Former Ithacan and fellow Trials qualifier Julianne Quinn was just a few steps behind in 58:20, good for 14th in the 30–34 age group. Together, Chelsea and Julie finished 29th and 30th overall for women. Also, Xavier Salvador , a former Cornell undergrad and 2019 winner of the 50K at the Finger Lakes 50s, ran 53:34 for 75th place overall.
Kudos to local runners finishing the Boston Marathon
Congrats to everyone from the area who completed the Boston Marathon, including Carson Albanese (2:46:02), Yamasaki Tetsuya (3:03:45), Sarah Dellett (3:11:55), Joey Randall (3:13:48), Amelia Kaufman (3:14:49), Kelly Brozowski (3:26:49), Marilyn Vaccaro (3:40:27), Jon Hart (4:13:30), Yrjo Grohn (4:20:26), Kate Rosa (4:24:58), along with former FLRC and High Noon runners Roger Sayre (3:00:18) and Jeff Dubois (3:24:35). Extra kudos to Kayla Slater , who ran as a support runner in the Para Athletics Division for Susan Craig of Alaska. Susan, a runner with Parkinson’s and Neurofibromatosis Type 1, wanted to beat her PR, and with Kayla’s support, she took over a minute off her time to finish in 4:13:13. Apologies if you slipped through our searches for local town and city names.
CLUB NEWS
Import or print your FLRC calendars today
When are your favorite FLRC races and other events taking place this year? Don’t guess—our dates do move around sometimes (we just moved Monster up by a week to get a permit). You can view the FLRC race calendar in three ways, so pick whichever works best for you.
- Subscribe to our Google Calendar so race dates, group runs, and other FLRC events (like the Annual Picnic) flow into your computer and phone calendar. Download and import this ICS file for most calendar apps; subscribe to fingerlakesrunners@gmail.com if you use Google Calendar.
- Check the home page calendar on the FLRC website, which lists all FLRC events alongside other races in the area. Anyone can submit a local race to our home page calendar.
- Download a PDF of our attractive print calendar, suitable for posting on a refrigerator or bulletin board near you! Speaking of which, could you do us a favor? If you know of any bulletin boards in the buildings or businesses you frequent, could you print a copy out and post it?
Group runs on 1st & 3rd Saturdays, some Sundays, and some Thursdays
Whether you’re training for Thom B, looking for FLRC Challenge company, or entirely new to running, FLRC group runs offer low-key companionship. We have several options in the coming months:
- Saturday mornings: Heather Cobb manages our first- and third-Saturday morning group runs, with various courses around the area.
- Sunday mornings: FLRC Challenge director Adam Engst is coordinating occasional Sunday group runs on FLRC Challenge courses; check the forum for details.
- Thursday evenings: Mickie Sanders-Jauquet coordinates all-comers group runs on one Thursday night each month, followed by drinks and dinner afterward. Others have picked up the baton to fill in other Thursday nights throughout the month.
Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details on these and other group runs, and remember to sign the 2022 waiver the first time you attend an FLRC group run.
FLRC Forum FAQ #7: How do I search for an old post?
To search on the forum, click the magnifying glass icon in the upper right of the page, and then enter your search terms in the box that appears. The Discourse system primarily looks for your search terms in topics and their posts, but it can also find users and categories. If you have trouble finding the post you want, use the Advanced Search page. There you can limit your search by user, category, tag, date, and other criteria.
That’s it for now, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at group runs in May, along with our WDF and Thom B. races!
—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track