With very little rain during the weeks preceding the race and unusually (for mid-October) warm and dry weather on race day, the trails were in excellent condition for a bipedal endurance excursion, and runners didn’t need to power wash their calves at home. Despite the aridity, however, no course records were broken this year. Jamie Love was again onsite as our official photographer, and her photos are available for free to download and share. You can find the full race results on the FLRC site.
In the 10k, Norah McIver-Sheridan took 34 seconds off last year’s time to repeat as the women’s winner and third overall in 52:33. She now has seven lifetime Down & Dirty wins across both distances. In the men’s 10k, Glenn Seeholzer won in 46:56, tying him with Ryan Allen-Parrot for the Pebblehead title with 300 points. Mckenzie Leonard has run the Danby 10k every year since age 7, notching her fifth finish and fastest time this year at age 12. (The race was canceled in 2020.) Laura Vineyard gets the (unofficial) eco-friendly award for commuting to and from the race by electric scooter.
In the 23k, Elmira’s Jennifer Boerner was the women’s overall and masters winner in 2:17:20. For the men, Ryan Allen-Parrot eked out the win over Johnny Schellenger in 2:07:49. The win gave Allen-Parrot a perfect 300 score in the men’s Trail Circuit Pebblehead contest, tying him for most points in that category. Meanwhile, 66-year-old Dave Jones notched what we believe is his 22nd Down & Dirty finish, dating back to the race’s inception in the late 1990s.
The race went smoothly, thanks to all the volunteers that came out to help. Shane Eversfield and Karl Granroth both showed up early to help set up the course before running the 23k. Tricia Owlett and Laura Taylor handed out bibs before the race. Adam Engst led the timing team, with assistance from Ian Golden, Bob Talda, and Jesse Koennecke. Henry Kacyvenski, Steve Ryan, and Tom Teeter headed up the Bald Hill Road aid station, while Crosby Woods and Molly Doruska did the same at the Smiley Hill Road aid station. Gerrit Van Loon swept the course. The entire Golden family — Ian, Sherry, Maren, Norah, and Camryn — helped clean up and pack up after the last runner finished.
The Finger Lakes Runners Club has one more race in 2024 — the 51st annual Turkey Trot Prediction Run on Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, the Club is active with regular group runs and organized running workouts. Check the forum for details.
See you on the trails again soon!
Pete Kresock and Adam Moody, Race Directors
