On Saturday, September 27, Finger Lakes Runners Club’s Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Endurance Race and Relay took place for the second time at Dryden Lake Park. Solo and relay 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 high humidity with low-70s temperatures. We traded in the rain from last year for full sun in the middle of the day.
With 8 hours to complete as many miles as they wanted, 53 solo registrants and 2 relay teams toed the line at 8 AM. Final distances ranged from 2.8 to 56.8 miles in the solo division, and 27.6 to 44.85 in the relay, making all participants official finishers as soon as they completed their first parallel of latitude. Once participants were done for the day, they chose their unique hand-painted stone (or matching set of stones for the relay) and had their mileage added on the spot to show off the day’s accomplishment. In addition to the aid station offering salt potatoes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, pickles, 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. Jessie George of Fairport, NY, set a new female course record with a massive 56.8 miles! She beat out last year’s first place winner Kelly Gillen of New York, NY who came second this year with 46.05 miles. In the male category, Matthew Krohn of Fishers, IN, finished with 48.05 miles, barely besting second place local Kevin Dames of Cortland, NY (46.45 miles).
Overall winners Jessie George and Matthew Krohn.
New for 2025 was the relay division, bringing in teams Wild Things and Rabid Unicorns. A team of five, Wild Things finished 44.85 miles, while team-of-three Rabid Unicorns finished with 27.6. Both teams had members set personal records for themselves, and Wild Things finished their final parallel of latitude with less than three minutes to spare.
Relay teams Wild Things and Rabid Unicorns.
Also new for 2025 was the mini parallel of latitudes: for the last hour of the race, participants could complete an optional 0.4 mile loop in the park. Of the 53 solo participants, 24 of them completed at least one mini loop, with two completing 11. It was exciting to see folks who had been resting for several hours emerge from their tents or cars to add more mileage to their final overall. Watching participants finish out the last hour together, some walking, some running, some shambling, made it even more clear why bringing this format to FLRC is so important and fun!
Other notable mentions include:
- Mike Braddon of Canandaigua, NY, who sprinted the final bit of his last parallel of latitude with barely two minutes to go, finishing with 27.6 miles.
- Laura Morse of Lansing, NY (26.55 miles) found the hidden treasure from clues posted every 20 minutes at the timing table. She was able to keep the prize and received a sextant pin as a secondary trophy.
- The youngest solo participant, 13-year-old Ananda Schaff of Trumansburg, NY, with a well-earned ultramarathon of 31.05 miles.
- Our most experienced solo participants, 85-year-old Tom Rishel of Ithaca, NY (2.8 miles and celebrating his 50th year with FLRC!) and 71-year-old Carol Nephew of Gowanda, NY (13.8 miles).
Laura Morse with the hidden treasure. Tom Rishel (center) with his support team.
Full results can be found on UltraSignup and FLRC’s website. Check out the lifetime mileage tracker to see how close you are to the next award tier and help motivate you to come back in 2026. 11 people so far have earned their first lifetime mileage award at 50 miles–will you add yourself to that list next year?!
Stephanie Mulinos shows off her 50 lifetime mileage award. Running buddies Suzanne Beltz and Sarah Drumheller.
This event would not have been successful without the many volunteers to help prepare and execute this race. My parents, Sandy and George Cobb, helped me in more ways than I can count or express. From 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. Sandy and George Cobb, along with Diana Hackett and canine glove-carrier extraordinaire Parkin, helped me mark the course Friday night. Parking was much more manageable for participants this year with help from Adam Engst and Dave Kania. Pete Kresock took a ton of stress off me by doing all the pre-race food shopping, and Chris Mellor and Sarah Woodyear were a pair of smiling faces 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, helped throughout the day by Steve Krenn and Adam Pesta. Diana Hackett provided shirt sales so race participants can rep FLRC outside of the event. The FLRC timing team of Diana Hackett and Jon Lewis spent their entire day tracking miles (and, in my opinion, having far too much fun). Mini parallel of latitude hype man and announcer Adam Moody. Cleanup was completed by George Cobb, Jesse Canfield, and Jim Miner. In her third (or maybe fourth?? I’ve lost count!) volunteer slot, Diana Hackett swept the course and picked up surveyor flags. FLRC equipment manager Gary McCheyne packed the U-Haul with everything I needed.
The timing team, bib pickup, and aid station volunteers.
Many thanks to June’s Cafe and Pizzeria 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 can be viewed and downloaded free of charge. If you have pictures you’d like to share, please upload them here–you might see them used as future race PR!
With the success of the relay and mini parallel of latitudes, we’ll be bringing them back next year, along with the OG solo division. Invite your friends, start making your relay teams, and mark your calendars for September 26, 2026!
Heather Cobb, Race Director and FLRC Executive VP
