We’re getting closer, @Challengers! With help from the 50+ people who voted in the course poll, I have now assembled what I think is a good mix of 9 old courses and 1 new one (Sights of the Heights, which is still being tweaked by playtesters) for the canonical 10 Challenge courses for 2026.
Must have a smooth-ish progression between 1.0 and 13.1 miles. This set falls down a bit around 9 miles, but is better at the low end.
Must end up somewhere around 60-62 miles (for the 100K Ultra Challenge).
Must split somewhat evenly between “trail” and “paved” for the half-challenges, though the Mixed surface makes that a bit interpretive.
Should include popular routes like Black Diamond and a Cornell course.
Should prefer courses that ranked highly in the poll over those that didn’t.
Should prefer courses we haven’t run recently.
Should not have courses that overlap in significant ways.
Should be distributed around the geographic area (this set includes Dryden, Trumansburg, and Lansing, as well as close-to-Ithaca courses).
Should not be likely to be closed during the year (this knocked FH Fox out of the running because the bridge might be replaced this year).
Less vertical climb than last year, you whiners.
So! Thoughts? Any direct knowledge of a problem with one of these courses, like major construction planned at Taughannock or around Beebe Lake? Any impassioned pitches for a replacement for one of these? (I can explain more about each choice if necessary.)
But don’t stress too much because you’ll also be able to define your own Personal Challenge from all 43 of the past courses, whether that means running fewer courses (for kids), more courses (for Pete), only road courses (for those who dislike roots and rocks), or only trail courses (for those who hate pavement). More on that once we get the leaderboard in testing!
PS: My plan for the shirt this year is to have it use blue text on yellow to hark back to our original colors. And yes, we’ll definitely have the racerbacks and tanks again.
That first year we were a little confused about the best way to do it and hadn’t really settled on the “cover the ground” ethos. It’s obviously faster going downhill, but it’s annoying if you can’t get credit for going back up, particularly if you parked there.
Hi Adam,
You might have already thought of this but I like the ability to run a 1600 meter track while traveling (great pictures from around the world) and the ability to run a measured 5K run or race when traveling. I recognize that 1600 meters is not the same as 1 mile (1609 meters) but it is close enough.
Just a thought.
Jamie
I believe that “Beebe Lake” will come within a stone’s throw of “Sights of Heights,” making a nice 9±mile two-fer and helping to create more Challenge running on the longer end of the distances.
Because all the old courses will be available, you can always log a Sweet 1600 on whatever track you can find. The same will be true with replacing Lakefront Loops 5K, which is our placeholder 5K, with any 5K race. So nothing should change for being able to log efforts while traveling.
What’s different is that those two won’t be part of the canonical 10 courses. In practice, that means people doing one-and-done strategies with the canonical 10 will have to run East Hill Rec Way and Waterfront Trail, rather than being able to replace them with a single track 1600 or 5K race.
The other alternative for anyone who really doesn’t want to run those two would be to replace East Hill Rec Way and Waterfront Trail with Sweet 1600 and Lakefront Loops in a Personal Challenge.
Thanks for the clarification. I don’t enjoy track running a whole lot but I’ve had fun running miles on various tracks for Sweet 1600 credit while traveling, and hope to continue doing it.
I would like to chime in and advocate for the Sweet 1600 to be part of this year’s canonical 10 courses. In addition to Pete’s and Jamie’s good arguments, I would add that having a track option allows us to include the 3 main surfaces that runners compete on - trail, road, and track, thereby being more inclusive for everyone’s preferences. In addition, for our participants who don’t live locally, I am sure it would be nice to be able to complete at least one challenge course on a nearby track as opposed to driving a long distance for a 1 mile course. Finally, for those individuals who do the ultra challenge, I would think having the flexibility to use a track that best fits their logistical plans would be appreciated. The Sweet 1600 has a been consistent part of multiple challenges for several years now and for good reasons! I say let’s give the 'ole gal another run!
Again, no one is prevented from running and logging the Sweet 1600, or swapping it in place of East Hill Rec Way for their Personal Challenge. It just wouldn’t be one of the 10 by default.
Yep, just like previous years, you’ll be able to do any course in any direction, or even start and finish in other spots on the course. Cover the ground!
