The first week of the FLRC Challenge is coming to a close, and we’re off to a good start, with 69 people signed up so far and at least 43 having recorded at least one run already. We’ve logged about 500 miles for week and explored 22 of the 44 courses, including at least one run on each of the ten Classic Challenge courses. Pete Kresock has already run 10 courses, and a bunch of people have done 4.
For the most part, the new leaderboard has been working well, although Steve Desmond is still working out issues related to changes at Webscorer that have caused trouble for a few people. I’m also still updating old course pages to use the new format. If you have any trouble, leave us a note in the FLRC Challenge Tech Bugs, Blips, and Quirks topic.
There are also a few aspects of the leaderboard that aren’t live yet, notably Community Stars, Team Points, and Awards, as well as the ability to change your course selection. Keep posting your stories here, and you’ll get credit once we finish the Community Stars feature. Thanks for your patience!
I’m also fielding a variety of questions about how bringing back all the old courses will work, particularly regarding competitions. I addressed a bunch of those (and Steve added more) in the initial announcement, but feel free to keep asking if anything’s unclear. The main thing to remember is that you can run any course you want at any time; the only thing the choice between the Classic Challenge and your own Personal Challenge controls is what you have to do to earn your medal. And you’ll be able to make changes to those selections soon enough. Competitions take place primarily on the Classic Challenge courses, although every course counts for the Most Miles, Most Stars, and Most Courses competitions.
I’ve really enjoyed seeing your choices—quite a few people have set themselves the goal of completing all 44 courses. Others are focusing on just trail courses or just road courses, and Mik Kern is planning to sign up for what we’re informally calling the Stroller Challenge: ten pathway courses he can run with his son Miles in a stroller. I also know some people who are planning to focus on the courses that match up with FLRC races: Thom B (where you can get multiple completions for the longer distances), Tortoise & Hare (fixing that course due to the missing bridge), Forest Frolic (15K), and Danby Down & Dirty (10K).
I know it’s Challenge season again because Dennis Stadelman is back recording courses, taking fabulous photos, and supporting our local ice cream industry. “If you aren’t running for ice cream,” he says, “why are you running?” That’s why he makes the favorite photos of the week, along with Marie Fitzsimmons and Barbara Coon, and my own shot of Andrew Flyak, Steve Desmond, and Geoff Van Fleet crossing the Beebe Lake bridge.
Lots of people are off running Seneca 7 this weekend, but if you’re around on Saturday and want a group run, come to the Nevin Welcome Center in the Cornell Botanic Gardens at 10 AM for a run and post-run climate action discussion with professional ultra runner Dakota Jones. I hope to see a bunch of people there! (Personally, I’m planning a 2.4-mile Cornell Botanic Gardens course run, but others are going longer.)
