On Saturday, September 28, Finger Lakes Runners Club’s Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Endurance Race took place for the very first time at Dryden Lake Park. Participants made their way from the park pavilion to the end of the Jim Schug Trail and back, over and over and over and over and… for 8 hours, enjoying the fall foliage and cloudy skies with high-60s temperatures. Light rain fell for the last 30 minutes of the race, but that didn’t stop more than 10 participants from being out on the course until the very end, finishing their last parallel of latitude with mere minutes to spare. The aid station pumped jams from the 90s, punctuated by the artificial duck quacks from hunters on Dryden Lake and cheers from the spectators and volunteers each time a participant returned to the timing table. The day was filled with dancing, laughter, tears of accomplishment, and an overwhelmingly joyful atmosphere.
Out of 58 registrants, 48 humans and 1 dog toed the line at 8 AM. With 8 hours to complete as many miles as they wanted, final distances ranged from 10.35 to 51.75 miles, making all participants official finishers as soon as they completed their first 3.45-mile parallel of latitude. Once participants were done for the day, they chose their unique hand-painted stone and had their mileage added on the spot to show off the day’s accomplishment. In addition to the aid station offering pickle juice-flavored shaved ice, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, Dum Dums, Oreos, and more, pizza was brought in for lunch to fuel everyone through the second half of the event.
As I looked over the results while preparing this recap, I couldn’t help but be impressed by every single participant. Everyone should have the label of “outstanding performance,” regardless of how many miles completed or how long it took to complete them. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t give special accolades to the overall winners in the male and female categories. William Thierfelder of Port Crane, NY, set the male course record with a blazing 51.75 miles–I wasn’t sure this first-year race would attract someone so fast!–followed by Kelly Gillen setting the female course record of 41.4 miles. Coming from New York City, Kelly seeks out flat events such as Parallel of Latitude, and I’m honored she traveled several hours to participate with FLRC. In the unofficial four-legged division, Ithacan Matt Clark’s (27.6 miles) canine companion Maggie PR’d her longest distance by covering more than 20 miles over the duration of the day–great job, Maggie! Other notable mentions include:
- Jess Gibson (31.05 miles) joining us all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (653 miles–or in units she can understand 1,051 kilometers–away as the crow flies).
- Mike and Michael Gallagher from King of Prussia, PA (27.6 and 37.95 miles respectively) are a father-son duo who not only look like each other but also dressed identically on race day, keeping the timing team on their toes.
- In addition to Michael Gallagher, the other two youngest participants, 18-year-olds Ben Wasser of Closter, NJ (31.05 miles) and Hannah Fuchsberg of Fayetteville, NY (27.6 miles).
- Our most experienced participants, 65-year-old Michelle Dardia of Freeville, NY, and 63-year-old John De Sousa of Springfield, MA, both completing 34.5 miles.
Full results can be found on UltraSignup and FLRC’s website.
This event would not have been successful without the many volunteers to help prepare and execute this inaugural race. My parents, Sandy and George Cobb, helped me in more ways than I can count or express. From marking the course, applying the mileage to the finisher stones, making the turnaround sign and direction arrows, bringing their own supplies for volunteers to use, fetching food during the race, and having great attitudes all day long, the time they spent before, during, and after the race is immeasurable. Sandy also handcrafted the finisher stones months in advance, and both she and Diana Hackett gave me their time and creative talents painting each one so they were unique. Pete Kresock took a ton of stress off me by doing all the pre-race food shopping and Paula Klaben was a smiling face greeting participants when they picked up their bibs. Early setup and event-long aid station management looked like a breeze with Jesse Canfield at the helm. He was helped throughout the day by Jen Crisman, Jason Jenks, and Amy and Scott Dawson. The FLRC timing team was a rotating crew of Adam Engst and Diana Hackett as head timers, assisted by Jon Lewis and Adam Pesta. Cleanup was done quickly in the rain by Dave Kania (who also gave the timing team moral support in the afternoon), Diana Hackett, Adam Engst, George Cobb, Jesse Canfield, Jon Lewis, and many other on-the-spot helpers. The soon-to-be professional course-sweeping team of Tonya Engst, Rebecca Lambert, and Sarah Ridenour braved the wet conditions and had way too much fun picking up the surveyor flags. FLRC equipment manager Gary McCheyne packed the U-Haul with everything I needed, and Jess Gibson provided companionship for equipment pick-up and course marking.
Many thanks to Bigsby Market for pre-race volunteer food, Pizza and Bones for mid-day lunch, and the Town of Dryden and landowner Dave Church for the use of the beautiful Jim Schug Trail and Dryden Lake Park.
Photos of the race were captured by photographer Jamie Love. You can view and download them free of charge. If you have pictures you’d like to share, please upload them here.
Additions in upcoming years may include: relay teams of 2–6 participants, mini parallels of latitude in the park during the last hour of the race to get even more mileage, a 12-hour option, and lifetime mileage awards (your miles over the years of the event stack up, and as you reach certain milestones you’ll receive special swag–more incentive to keep coming back!). Invite your friends, start making your relay teams, and mark your calendars for late September 2025!
Heather Cobb, Race Director and FLRC Executive VP
PS - If you have any suggestions for improvement or stories you’d like to share from the day, please email me! I’d love to share your experience on the website.
