Hot times in the old town, @Challengers, with temperatures up in the 90s encouraging a bunch of morning runs. Temperature played a role in Damian Clemons’s abortive attempt at the FLRC 100K Ultra Challenge last Saturday, too—after completing eight courses, he listened to his body and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Good lessons to be learned for any ultra runner.
Nevertheless, Damian did run enough of the course to claim his FLRC Challenge medal, and I have a hunch he’ll be after his third Ultra Challenge sign before too much longer. Also completing the FLRC Challenge this week was Tristan Lambert, and with those efforts under their belts, Tristan and Damian move into second and third in Most Points for men.
Two quick administrative notes. First, I’m pleased to announce that the second FLRC-sponsored porta-potty has been installed at the DPW building just around the corner from the start of the Dryden Lake Lollipop course at the Freeville Town Hall. We hope you appreciate it, and big thanks to Bob Beck of the Dryden Rail Trail and Miles McCarty, mayor of Freeville, for making this happen.
Second, if you’re running the Blueberry Patch course or elsewhere in the Finger Lakes National Forest and come to a gated pasture, please be sure to close the gate after you. As the Finger Lakes 50s motto says, Don’t let the cows out! (Really, there are cows.)
Jean-Luc Jannink has continued his tour of European tracks, and although he didn’t get to run on the Olympic Stadium track in Amsterdam, he did check out what looks like a warmup track next door. So far, Jean-Luc has the title for the farthest tracks from Ithaca—we’ll have to see if anyone can post from even further afield this summer.
This week’s photos focus on some of our younger participants, with 7-year-old Simon Woods posing with his mother Michelle Woods at a Pennsylvania track and 11-year-old Erin Pietras with her mother Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras in front of the lovely bog at Lime Hollow. Simon has completed three courses so far, and Erihas n four.
Finally, don’t miss tomorrow’s group run on the Six Mile Creek course, starting at 8:30. If you’re already booked for something else tomorrow, another group is heading out on that course early Sunday morning.
Stay hydrated out there!