Finger Lakes Runners Club

06/04/2026

We had another great group at this year’s Ithaca Festival Parade, and we had a fantastic time running, stretching, and lunging our way down Cayuga Street! A huge thank-you to everyone who joined us!

We also really appreciated the waves and encouragement from all our FLRC friends lining the route. We’re looking forward to next year and hope even more of you will come out to represent the club.

If you have any suggestions for things we could do better next year (as either a participant or a spectator), please let us know.

Want to relive the fun or see what you missed? Check out our Festival Parade photo album on Google Photos (https://photos.app.goo.gl/okHig8MWL8kaPeJ37), and please upload your own shots from the parade (https://photos.app.goo.gl/4uM2Z17uVqbPLB2KA).

See you next year!

Shared album · Tap to view!

06/03/2026

A bit tardy FLRC Challenge update from last week: A wet weekend kept our miles down, but late-submitted runs from previous weeks boosted the previous week to a record 821 miles. If you’ve been running the courses but putting off submitting them because it’s new and scary, rest assured that entering runs directly on the leaderboard on a phone or computer is much easier than before, plus you can adjust the date and time when submitting. If you make a mistake, it’s easy to edit or delete entries from your Athlete page’s Activity Log. See the Timing page for full instructions.

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=424732
Timing instructions: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/timing/

Other topics to check out on the Forum post:

*Shirt order placed
*First mud, last un-run course
*...And more!

https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/update-6-for-the-2026-flrc-challenge/10059

06/02/2026

The approach of the summer solstice brings us long evening light on the shores of Cayuga Lake, and this year’s Twilight 5K race takes you along plenty of shoreline at Cass Park and Treman Marina, where we’ll be racing on smooth trails. Whether you run or walk, you’ll enjoy a flat, fast course, chip timing, and lots of cheering—it’s a perfect 5K for new and experienced runners alike. Everyone is welcome! The race will include participants in the national Girls on the Run empowerment program and counts as a timed 5K for the ongoing FLRC Challenge.

Race start time is 7 PM, and we hope you’ll stick around after you finish for the pizza party.

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/race/twilight-5k-2026/
Register: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Ithaca/IthacaTwilight5K
Volunteer: https://app.helperhelper.com/inst/1131/opportunity/586723
FLRC Challenge: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/
Free to Run: https://freetorun.org/
Learn more about Danish Hussain Yar: https://runsignup.com/Race/Donate/NY/Ithaca/IthacaTwilight5K

The price rises on June 8, so register early to save! To save even more, join the club—FLRC members get discounts on all our races.

*Supporting Danish Hussain Yar and Free to Run*

This year, we’re excited to support Cornell sophomore Danish Hussain Yar’s fundraising efforts for Free to Run, which empowers girls and young women in conflict-affected regions through running. Growing up in Afghanistan, she saw firsthand how war, gender apartheid, and systemic barriers make it nearly impossible for women to run freely. If she reaches her goal, she’ll run the 2026 New York City Marathon as just the seventh Afghan woman ever.

If you’re not running, would you like to help out? We’ll be welcoming 400+ runners, and we need your help to make it a successful night for all! Volunteering is a great way to meet people, give back to the running community, and stay in touch with the club. To participate, click the Volunteer to Help button on the race page or check the opportunities in Helper Helper.

06/01/2026

Join FLRC for a scenic trail race taking you up, down, and around the beautiful Buttermilk Falls State Park! The Tortoise & Hare Trail Race - 10K and Fun Run starts with a flat loop around a meadow, exercises your uphill legs in the early miles, and then tests your mettle on a speedy downhill to the finish. Registration is now open for the June 28 race!

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/race/tortoise-hare-trail-run-2026/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=420027
Volunteer: https://app.helperhelper.com/inst/1131/opportunity/583766
Carpool: https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/9yu5zg
FLRC Trail Circuit: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/flrc-trail-circuit/
FLRC Challenge: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/courses/

Our closest trail race to Ithaca, Tortoise & Hare is a great introduction to both trail running and local trails, while Buttermilk Falls provides a spectacular backdrop. Enjoy finish-line refreshments while mingling with friends and cheering on the finishers! We encourage you to carpool to make the race more inclusive for those without cars, help fight climate change, and save on parking fees—sign up to drive or ride. And if you can’t run or are watching friends or family, we need more volunteers—sign up in Helper Helper.

The race is part of the FLRC Trail Circuit. See how many points you can score on the Trail Circuit leaderboard in the Pebblehead, Stonehead, and Boulderhead competitions.

Bonus! If you’re participating in the FLRC Challenge and selected Tortoise & Hare as a Personal Challenge course, you can check it off your list! The Challenge course is a bit shorter than the race, so you will need to note your own time for the Challenge segment, which starts and finishes at the far end of the parking lot.

If you anticipate taking longer than 2 hours to complete this race (for instance, if you plan to mostly hike it), there will be an early start time available at 8:30 AM. Please notify the race director at tortoise at fingerlakesrunners dot org if you plan to take longer than 2 hours and will utilize the Early Turtle start time.

Whether you’re a tortoise, a hare, or somewhere in between, we hope to see you at Buttermilk Falls on June 28! Questions? Email race director Laurel Gilmer at tortoise at fingerlakesrunners dot org.

05/27/2026

Change of plans for tonight's (Wednesday) practice for FLRC Marching in Ithaca Parade! New meeting spot 6:30 PM: Cornell Vet School B Lot. Stewart Park is reportedly going to be overflowing with 30 volleyball games and the IYB track program, so we’re moving to the canonical XC carpool spot at the back of Cornell’s B Lot off Rt 366/Dryden Road (https://maps.app.goo.gl/asiucBiXa3KypExJ7), where it says Park Here in the image in the comments. We’ll decide on a post-practice drinks location once we’re there (Brewer's, Hopshire, Personal Best, Liquid State?).

Hey FLRCers—get ready to show your club colors! We had big fun marching in the Ithaca Festival Parade last year, and FLRC will be doing it again this year on Thursday, May 28 from 5-7 PM. FLRC Marching in Ithaca Parade

We want YOU to join us! We’re celebrating the full spectrum of Ithaca’s running community, from speedy tracksters and rugged trail runners to gritty road racers and stroller-pushing parents. Everyone in FLRC is welcome, whether you’re working your way through Couch to 5K, cheering from the sidelines while nursing an injury, or making it all happen as a volunteer. The more, the merrier!

We’ll have a low-key practice session the night before at Stewart Park for those who can make it, with drinks on the club afterward for anyone who wants to stick around.

Let’s show Ithaca what FLRC is all about—fun, fitness, and community. Bring your club pride and plenty of pizzazz!

If you’re in, fill out the poll questions on the forum below so we can get a sense of the numbers, and be sure to let us know which FLRC-focused shirt you’ll be wearing.

https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/march-with-flrc-in-the-2026-ithaca-festival-parade/9967

05/24/2026

Hey FLRCers—get ready to show your club colors! We had big fun marching in the Ithaca Festival Parade last year, and FLRC will be doing it again this year on Thursday, May 28 from 5-7 PM. FLRC Marching in Ithaca Parade

We want YOU to join us! We’re celebrating the full spectrum of Ithaca’s running community, from speedy tracksters and rugged trail runners to gritty road racers and stroller-pushing parents. Everyone in FLRC is welcome, whether you’re working your way through Couch to 5K, cheering from the sidelines while nursing an injury, or making it all happen as a volunteer. The more, the merrier!

We’ll have a low-key practice session the night before at Stewart Park for those who can make it, with drinks on the club afterward for anyone who wants to stick around.

Let’s show Ithaca what FLRC is all about—fun, fitness, and community. Bring your club pride and plenty of pizzazz!

If you’re in, fill out the poll questions on the forum below so we can get a sense of the numbers, and be sure to let us know which FLRC-focused shirt you’ll be wearing.

https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/march-with-flrc-in-the-2026-ithaca-festival-parade/9967

05/24/2026

Now we’re really hitting our stride with the FLRC Challenge! We’re up to 128 of our friends and neighbors running, and we just set a weekly mileage record for the year, with over 750 miles this week. Lots of items to go over, and only so much space here, so check out all the details on the forum: https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/update-5-for-the-2026-flrc-challenge/10018

*Get a shirt (register this weekend!)
*Get a lawn sign
*Duck Trails reroute: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/duck-trails/
*Fall Creek Trails closed Thursday May 28: https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/fall-creek-trails-star-posts-2026/9859/2
*Tortoise & Hare shortened: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/tortoise-and-hare/
*Edit your Personal Challenge
*Waterfront Trail group run Sunday: https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/flrc-challenge-group-run-sunday-5-24-at-9-am-at-stewart-park-waterfront-trail/10019
*Record WDF and Thom B finishes
*Our first finisher!
*Overall leaders

To finish, here are some excellent photos of Challengers crossing off courses and a goose day care center on the move.

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=424732

05/15/2026

The FLRC Challenge community grows every week, and we’re now up to 115 participants, with 67 people having recorded at least one run so far, totaling almost 2,500 miles. That total miles number is extremely helpful when we talk about the Challenge—and FLRC in general—with other trail, club, and political leaders in our area, so please record all your Challenge-eligible runs even if they’re not part of your Personal Challenge. For instance, everyone running the Thom B Trail Runs - 8.5, 17, or 26.2 miles tomorrow can record one, two, or even three completions on the Thom B. course. (So, no group run this weekend—see you at Thom B!)

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=424732

Keep recruiting your friends! We're planning to place the shirt order on Monday, May 25, so anyone who wants to be sure of getting a shirt should register by then.

Lots more fun stats on the forum! https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/update-4-for-the-2026-flrc-challenge/10003

05/14/2026

The race directors, food crew, timing team, and others are finalizing preparations for the Thom B Trail Runs - 8.5, 17, or 26.2 miles on Hammond Hill this Saturday, May 16. The race will offer 8.5 miles of trail (run one loop), 17 miles (run the loop twice), or 26.2 miles (run a baby loop and then complete the loop three times). The 3-loop marathon starts at 7 AM, the 2-loop 17-mile race at 8 AM, and the 1-loop 8.5-mile race begins at 9 AM.

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/race/thom-b-trail-runs-2026/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=420039
Volunteer: https://app.helperhelper.com/inst/1131/opportunity/583773
FLRC Trail Circuit: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/flrc-trail-circuit/

Runners, please sign up today: Registration closes for good at 6 AM on Saturday morning. There is no in-person registration at the race.

Parking can be limited; please sign up to carpool if you can.

We especially need a few more volunteers to help make race day run smoothly: Please sign up on Helper Helper if you are able to help out on Saturday. We are currently looking for course support, cleanup crew, and check-in volunteers.

We’ll see you on the trails!

05/08/2026

Our third week of the FLRC Challenge is almost in the books! We’re up to 104 participants, and we set a new high-water mark for weekly mileage this year with 683 so far (the first two weeks were 565 and 532).

More info: https://fingerlakesrunners.org/challenge/
Register: https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=424732

Beebe Lake remains the most popular of the Classic Challenge courses, and of the Personal Challenge-only courses, Cornell Botanic Gardens is at the top—lots of interest in the relatively short Cornell-adjacent courses.

There’s no group run this weekend because we have the Women's Distance Festival 5K on Sunday morning. Those who aren’t women could instead run the Belle Sherman 5K on Saturday—a finish in either can be submitted to the Lakefront Loops course with a race report.

Find the rest of the stats, photos, and some important course updates on the Forum: https://forum.fingerlakesrunners.org/t/update-3-for-the-2026-flrc-challenge/9969