FLRC FOOTNOTES FOR JULY 2021
Greetings, runners! Racing almost feels like it’s back to normal, and we have results to share from the Finger Lakes 50s, the Fillmore 5K, and our July track meet. Upcoming races include Forest Frolic, Forge the Gorgeous, the August track meet, and the Ithaca 5&10—and don’t miss the FLRC Annual Picnic! But first, here’s what’s happening with the club.
CLUB NEWS
FLRC launches community-driven photo library for club events
As the saying goes, “pics or it didn’t happen.” Whether it’s documenting the amount of mud or blood you accumulated during a race, getting shots of your kid’s first track meet, or just participating in a club group run with friends, photos bring all the memories back. (And believe us, the nostalgia only increases with time.) To aid in that effort, FLRC has created a centralized library for photos of our events. The twist is that since we’re all taking pictures with our phones now, we can all upload our photos to the appropriate album to share with everyone else. No account is necessary, and you can upload directly from your phone. Check it out!
Join us at FLRC’s Annual Picnic on August 26th
No running is involved with this event—just food, friends, and fun at Upper Buttermilk State Park on Thursday, August 26th starting at 5 PM. That’s right, FLRC’s Annual Picnic is back, with food from Fitnell Farms Catering, the same people who provision Finger Lake 50s and the Monster Marathon, and beer from Liquid State Brewing, along with non-alcoholic beverages for those who prefer them. We’ll have thank-you gifts for our volunteers and awards to present to FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge finishers Jesse Canfield and Pete Kresock, and it’s always a good time. The event is entirely free, but please RSVP on Webscorer so we know how many people to order food for. As with our races, everyone is welcome, but we ask that those who aren’t fully vaccinated wear masks to protect our community.
High school runners Elinor Kops and Nickolas Talijan win FLRC scholarships
Congratulations to Elinor Kops of Ithaca High School and Nickolas Talijan of South Seneca High School, who received $1000 FLRC scholarships based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated passion for running. Elinor Kops plans to continue her education and running career at Vassar College, where she hopes to run on their track and field team as a multi-event athlete, while Nickolas Talijan will be attending Paul Smith College for psychology. See FLRC scholarship coordinator Lorrie Tily’s full write-up on the forum.
FLRC board member and local standout Jullien Flynn departing for MIT
We bid a fond farewell to Jullien Flynn, who has been a valuable member of the FLRC Board of Directors for several years now, most recently heading up the club’s Diversity Committee. She has been a key volunteer at all of FLRC’s track meets and also served as president of the Ithaca Triathlon Club for the past few years. Having completed her PhD at Cornell, Jullien is moving on to a postdoc at MIT. She leaves Ithaca firmly in the lead for Most Points in the FLRC Challenge, and she has also notched first-place finishes in this year’s Fillmore 5K and Tortoise & Hare races, along with a second at Thom B.
Group runs continue to explore FLRC Challenge courses
FLRC group runs are going strong! Heather Cobb has been leading FLRC group runs, with as many as 18 runners gathering for companionable morning runs. The group runs help introduce runners to the FLRC Challenge courses and some of the area’s most gorgeous trails. Heather’s next group run is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th, and will feature post-run bagels and cream cheese! Check the Group Runs & Workouts forum for details!
We need your help—can you volunteer at an FLRC race?
After a year away from racing due to the pandemic, we need to rebuild our volunteer database to help race directors find the volunteers who make it possible to put on races. FLRC is an all-volunteer club, and volunteering is a great way to give back, have fun with friends, and meet other runners. (Seriously, we wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t a good time.) Can you volunteer at a race this year? To indicate that you can help, please fill out the FLRC Volunteer Signup form. To learn about what’s involved with race volunteer tasks and how other skills would be useful, check out the FLRC Volunteer Tasks and Attributes working document.
RACE RESULTS
Finger Lakes 50s sees 195 finishers despite deep mud
Kudos to race directors Pete Dady and Mike Stone, who stepped up late in the game to direct FLRC’s national-class ultramarathon, the Finger Lakes 50s. It’s a colossal coordination job, and they pulled it off with aplomb. In the 25K (long!), Trumansburg’s Dan Timmerman won the race in 1:54:39, with Donna Langerfeld from Port Byron, NY, finishing second overall and first for women in 2:20:19. In the 50K (longer!), Sarah Briggs came up from Montrose, PA, to post an overall win in 4:34:59, with Tim Phelps third overall and first for the men in 4:51:46. (That’s right, the first two finishers were women!) In the 50-mile race (longest!), Etan Levavi from Cold Spring, NY, won in 7:40:20, followed by Riley Brady of New Hope, PA in 7:40:59. Full results here, and don’t miss the mudfest videos!
Husband and wife Mohamad Alsabbagh and Jullien Flynn win Fillmore 5K
Thanks to race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving, the Fillmore 5K went swimmingly this year, aided by torrential rain that blew through shortly after the start. Triathlete Mohamad Alsabbagh, who was the alternate for Syria in the Tokyo Olympics, took the overall win in 16:46 for the men, while his wife, Jullien Flynn, was fourth overall and first for the women in 19:20. Columbia Warren (19:28) and Katie Durrant (22:14) topped the masters category. Full results here.
Local runners return to the track in FLRC’s July track meet
With meet director Adam Engst coordinating FLRC’s experienced and capable track volunteers in the club’s first meet since February 2020, runners returned to Lansing High School’s track to compete in four events. In the 100m, which also featured a three-generation heat that included a 1-year-old, her mother, and her 73-year-old grandfather, 14-year-old James Saunders (12.35) and 56-year-old Stephanie Mulinos (19.00) recorded the top times. Mulinos doubled in the 400m, winning in 1:31, and Colin Johnston ran 51-second time to place first for the men. In the 800m, Alexander Simpson (2:00) and Liz Hartman (2:48) took the wins. Finally, in a large heat of the mile that we combined to finish the meet before the rain hit, Adam Pacheck (4:35) and Michelle Woods (7:04) broke the tapes for the wins. Full results and photos here.
Twenty-five runners have completed the FLRC Challenge!
The FLRC Challenge now has 178 participants, with 25 people having run all ten courses at least once and more lining up to reserve their medals every week. After 23 weeks, we’ve run over 10,600 miles total! Check out the improved FLRC Challenge leaderboard to see how each day’s results change the standings for individuals and the 10-year age-group teams. Note that the leaderboard now offers group pages and helps participants find compatible running partners.
In Most Points, Adam Pacheck has 969 points out of 1000 currently to lead the men by a long shot, whereas Jullien Flynn’s 973 points put her 28 points ahead of Gabrielle Woo in the women’s standings. Most Miles keeps seeing lead changes, with Bob Walters (482.4 miles) sneaking past Mickie Sanders-Jauquet (482.3 miles), who had held the top spot for the past few weeks. In the Age Grade competition, 55-year-old Caitlin Loehr continues to hold on to first, with 54-year-old Jean-Luc Jannink moving into second ahead of 29-year-old Adam Pacheck in third.
UPCOMING RACES
Download FLRC’s race schedule, and please post a copy on bulletin boards you see regularly!
Forest Frolic fast approaching on July 31st
The word from our group run on July 24th was that the Forest Frolic course out in Virgil’s Kennedy State Forest is surprisingly dry and in good shape despite the storms that dropped a few dozen now-cleared trees on it earlier this summer. Register by 6 PM on July 30th (there is no day-of-race registration) for either the 7K or the 15K, put on by the race director team of Pete Dady and Mike Stone. Note that the 15K follows the same route as the FLRC Challenge Forest Frolic course, so you’ll be able to submit your race time in the Challenge as well.
Forge the Gorgeous returns to Thursday evening slot on August 12th
After a 2019 experiment with a morning start, race directors Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving have returned Forge the Gorgeous to its traditional Thursday evening time at Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia, where it will kick off the Fillmore Days Festival. You can choose from two partially overlapping loops for a 7-mile race or cut it short after one for a 3.5-mile distance. Be sure to register by 6 PM on August 11th—there is no day-of-race registration.
One more chance to test your speed on the track on August 17th
Couldn’t make the July track meet? You have another chance to see what you can do on the track on August 17th, when meet director Adam Engst’s second meet of the summer will feature four events: the 100m, 400m, 800m, and 1 mile. Online registration via DirectAthletics is required, but to thank the community for its patience with our canceled meets in 2020 and 2021, FLRC is waiving all fees. Join us on the track for low-key, kid-friendly meets!
Save the date—August 22nd—for the Ithaca 5&10
The venerable Ithaca 5&10 race, headed up by Gary McCheyne, is moving earlier in the calendar this year and will take place on August 22nd. The distances will once again be 5K and 10K, and we’ll be opening registration once we get a few more details sorted.
Until next time, see you on the roads, trails, and tracks of the Finger Lakes!
—Adam Engst, FLRC President and VP of Track