Fun fact: The Fingerlakes Trail is one segment of the North Country Trail which runs from North Dakota to Vermont
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Oof. Congrats on getting through it!
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Finished the challenge with this course this morning, with @Iris and her amazing dog Charlie. Navigation wasn’t too bad, with just a short bit of wandering through the high weeds on the way up, and one wrong turn on the way down, but things were mowed and pretty clear. With 2 miles to go I fell over a root and split my lip on the edge of a log. So I’m not looking too good, but happy to be all done!
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Charlie the dog looks concerned!
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Tackled this longest course today with @MWoods who reached out because we both had it outstanding. Michelle’s positive attitude put me at ease (I haven’t run this far in over a year), and we set out before 8:00 am to try and finish before 11:30.
Charlie seemed unfazed by her longest run yet (by 50%). She was grateful for a few opportunities to dunk in the stream to cool off.
This uprooted tree looked like a lacework sculpture. Truly stunning.
We discovered some very large feathers (wild turkeys?) that Charlie thought smelled very interesting.
Thanks to Michelle for this pic (repeated from her post). We made it!
All the high weeds across the road by the stone wall really scratched up my legs, but poor Michelle had a worse run-in with a large log.
On the way back, Michelle and I fantasized about the perfect post-run breakfast, and landed on an egg & cheese bagel with iced coffee.
I stopped by Eddydale Produce stand to get an heirloom tomato and make my dreams come true.
10/10 would recommend!
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I love that so many people have turned these runs into opportunities to run with friends. Given that the Challenge started as a pandemic way of letting us do parallel play on the same courses at different times, it’s great to see it increasing our in-person time now.
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She’s trying to lick off the blood - she wants to care for everyone’s cuts! (She does it to my kids, too)
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Agreed! I was so happy to have a new friend to run this one with, and it was a bonus to have Charlie the dog leading the way-- if there were a FLRC Challenge for Dogs, I’m pretty sure she’d win.
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I don’t know, @mclark Maggie has completed the Challenge multiple times so far, and @gillian-haines-sharp has run most, if not all the courses with Dior too. 
So lots of endurance dog companions!
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@adamengst Dior and Charlie are awesome (as is Maggie!). I still chuckle when my spouse brought Maggie home 3+ years ago and I was upset since I wasn’t a dog person. My goodness have I changed once I learned that Maggie was a runner and a lot more fit than I am. This was Maggie’s third challenge year doing every course. Thanks to Sweetgum 1600 we did that together (although I did a separate track one later while she barked from the sideline when I ran by since no dogs were allowed on the track).
Congrats to Dior and Charlie (and Maggie!).
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I think we need FLRC Challenge bandanas for the pups! And a group photo at the picnic
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I was able to run my final challenge course this afternoon, saving the longest for last:) Really, the first 6 miles were uneventful, as I started off pretty fast, and I was able to make it the turnaround in a time of 56 minutes and 50 seconds. When I slapped the sign, and turned around, the gps unfortunately didn’t register that I made that point yet, so after 30 seconds of running, I had to go back to the sign, and make sure the directions updated:/ After I was back on track, unfortunately I had a little bit of a issue managing some of the turns right out of the turnaround, the gps was a little wacky. To add to the frustration, I twisted my leg pretty badly around the same time, putting a damper on the mood. However, once back onto the North trail it was smooth sailing from there. My goal for this run was to beat Chris’s time, but with my throbbing ankle I decided to run the last few miles in a nice, relaxing pace. I’ll let Chris stay on top;) I finished in 1:53:10 completing the final course! I ended up running 13.42 miles, after having to go back to the turnaround sign, then making some minor wrong turns right after. A little bit more of a bang for my buck! I’ll definitely do the trail courses earlier next year, as my legs are torn up from all the overgrown brush. 
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Wonderful World of Wildlife
Had a slow but great afternoon run on this trail. Hardly noticed the big climb about a mile into it. Saw several monarch butterflies feeding on this plant in the field alongside the newly re-routed section
Then I got into a staring contest with this deer
I blinked first and moved on up the trail. Enjoyed a satisfying Snickers at the turnaround, then on the return, again in the newly re-routed section, I came upon a large mother turkey and several juveniles (it’s hard to count turkeys when they are moving around so chaotically).
In the last quarter mile, I startled a groundhog, who ran up the steep embankment to my right with impressive speed.
As far as speed, on my return as I was in the woods approaching one of the fields after exiting the Bock-Harvey Preserve, I was startled by a speedy young runner heading outbound. He passed me on his return well before I reached Woodard Road. Based on the activity log, it must have been Ryan Jacobsen @Ryan_Jacobsen. He knocked this off in 1:53, which I think completed his challenge when I looked him up. That time is quite impressive for this course! Congratulations, Ryan!
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Ran this longest course yesterday (oops, won’t get a Community Star!) in perfect conditions with temps in mid-60s, sunny and dry. I only passed three folks, including one speedy young runner flying down the trail past me eastward in the first mile. I wondered if he was a Challenger, but I haven’t seen his run in the activity log. I tried to channel that fleet-footed energy on my return! Anyway, what a beautiful course. I’ll need to return to the section west of Woodard Road, especially the trails through the Bock-Harvey Preserve. Now for that Sweet 1600–saving the longest and shortest for last, both grueling in their own ways!
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Whew!
That’s a long one at this point. At least it had an aid station
Had to stop outbound as I’d miss the cutoff for closing inbound
That’s mandarin chocolate on top of mango… working through the flavors alphabetically
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Man, this course is tough and breaks me every time! Even today when it was dryer than ever and only about 70°. I saw a bunch of runners coming in while I was headed out — only two Challengers that I recognized. One group warned me about a bear they saw now the turnaround at Porter Hill Road. I’ve lived in Ithaca for almost 12 years and been running local trails here even longe, but I’ve never seen a wild animal in Tompkins County that could kill me. I continued outbound, hoping it was like that scene in Little House on the Prairie where Pa mistakes a large tree stump for a bear in low light.
I reached the ursine-free turnaround sign and headed back, relieved. I then remembered I could’ve won that sign for second most NC Half runs, but now it was too late. Dennis has it wrapped up, with Gill way ahead for the most completions.
All the inbound downhill made for a nice gravity-friendly break but it still felt like forever back to the underpass. I finished the course with dry feet for once.
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Last run through of this course with Dior for the year. Just after we left the parking lot we met Nora flying down the trail. Wow! Impressive time she posted today.
I knew we weren’t setting any PRS today, my legs are tired! Glad to make it through without a fall. On to Cayuga cliffs and Black Diamond!
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I finished my 2025 Challenge with my third and final course of the day at North Country Half. I started this run knowing that @cpetroff had moved to the top of leaderboard. I would get only one more chance to respond so I had to choose my last course wisely. Abbot Ascent? No, the hills would eat me alive. Mulholland Waterfalls? No, Chris’s time there is too good and I wouldn’t be able to lower his score. A road course? No, I already laid down nearly optimal times on those already. It had to be North Country Half.
Chris’s leading time was 1:51:51. But beating his time wouldn’t be enough. I had to smash it.
I made decent time on the way out until I made a serious error just after 3 miles. I turned right on the CCC trail. RunGo was late with the directions again! I lost about 90 seconds but I had to press on. These were the final daylight hours of the Challenge so there would be no do-overs.
I made my way through the new section of trail which I was pleased to find was much easier to navigate. I was also happy that the sections that were sloppy messes back in April were now dry. That would definitely help my time.
I tapped the turnaround sign just after 58 minutes. Not as quick as I’d hoped but I knew I’d run a big negative split. I kept up a decent pace whenever I could, but after about 9 or 10 miles any moderate uphill sucked the energy out of my legs.
In the final mile I manage to twist both ankles. Thankfully I was able to shake it off and make a final hard press back to the sign. I finished in 1:51:24. A few seconds better than Chris, but I needed a 1:46 and I didn’t have it in me (even if I hadn’t made a wrong turn).
I did basically everything I could to win this year so I have no regrets. Chris just put together a truly absurd final week that I couldn’t compete with. Luckily for me we’re on the same cross country team so I don’t have to run against him again this fall.
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