Use this topic for posts that will collect community stars for the Sights of the Heights course. You can also ask questions or make comments about this course.
Here’s how it works.
Click the “Post Using This Template” button below to create a new post with a Story heading and boilerplate text.
Replace the boilerplate text with your report for one or both sections. The Story header is key for distinguishing between posts and replies—don’t change it.
Your post must be on the same calendar day as your run as entered in the leaderboard.
Story
To pick up a community star, replace this text with a write-up of what your run was like, a photo you took on the run, a link to your Strava track, or something similar. Don’t delete the Story heading above.
I felt honoured to be the first to complete the new course for 2026, which I felt obligated to do, as it passed within 100m of the front of my house!
With a track workout planned for the morning with the necessity to run for an hour after, I thought it would be good opportunity to get it done. I did my track workout without too much issue, apart from the horrendous headwind on the back straight which wasn’t entirely fun, then proceeded to leave the track and run across Cornell campus, attempting to dodge smartly dressed potential new Cornellians.
Little did I know that in the process of taking my headphones out of my pocket, I managed to drop my house key. So, I started my Sights of the Heights navigation, and set off, only noticing about 500m later that my pocket was still open. Amazingly, I managed to retrace my steps across campus and find my key on the ground!
So, I set off again. The course was lovely, and pretty traffic free for a Saturday. A lot more hills than I expected! However, after getting home and checking properly now, I’ve definitely got sunburnt for the first time this year, so that’s something else new to tick off for 2026!
I ran this one bright and early today and met a fellow runner named Carl, who told me this was his first ever Challenge run. He decided to sign up when he saw that Sights of the Heights goes right by his house. Hopefully we’ll get plenty of first timers this year with the new format and expanded set list.
RunGo worked flawlessly with all the turns and crossroads. I zoned out near the end and missed a turn but it was my fault this time.
@adamengst There’s a good deal of construction work on Midway Road right now. I was able to pass through and run on grass past the construction vehicles after they waved me through. I’m thinking the workers might not be too thrilled with people running through there and I wouldn’t do it again. Could we reroute this until the work is done? See the highlight below for the section in question.
I saw that construction when I biked through a week ago, but it wasn’t an issue for a bike or pedestrian, so I was hoping that would stay true. @IanWoods@MWoods@dianahackett do you know more about that construction and how long it will be going on? I don’t have a great reroute idea in mind that will maintain the distance properly.
My suspicion is that it will be fine other than business hours, so early mornings, evenings, and weekends should be OK.
I was told that they were replacing gas pipes - they’ve already done Northway, and have been on Midway the past couple of days. Based on the speed they’ve been doing, I’d imagine they’ll be finished soon? The dog and I often walk on those roads, and the workmen haven’t been fussed by us passing through. As you say Adam, the crews are indeed only active during business hours, so I think we should be fine to keep the course as it is.
Gas line construction is ongoing on Midway and Northway - probably for another few weeks. On Midway they are only working on the east shoulder of the road - the other side is clear. And on Northway, they are working on the sidewalk on the north side - the south side sidewalk is clear. It will be easier to run through these outside of working hours … it will be possible to run while folks are working, but you’ll need to keep your eyes open and run on the side of the roads opposite from the equipment.
This is probably my favorite Challenge course thus far! Nice mix of elevation, terrain, and beautiful architecture! This won’t be my last time running this course:)
had to squeeze a run in before the day started so picked this route through all the flowering trees and shrubs in Cayuga Heights. Experimented with using course feature in my Garmin watch and it almost worked. It had a strange sense of when to turn and I missed the turn on the parkway. so I got an extra little hill climb at the end
