Triennial Finger Lakes Trail Relay VIII
Saturday 04 May 2002
Instructions for Team Captains

General Information

Welcome to Triennial Finger Lakes Trail Relay VIII! This sheet contains all the information your runners need.

We will contact the support person for your team (if any) directly.

Assembly point: Parking lot of Ithaca High School, N. Cayuga St, Ithaca, by the tennis courts. You can leave your vehicle here without any problem on Saturday. Bus line #16 runs every hour from the Commons (see the TCAT web pages for schedule); it is about a mile walk from the Commons.

Please be at the assembly point well ahead of the assembly time which is given below. The support person will leave IHS exactly on time, if you are not there (or at the start) your team will be disqualified. IHS is just off NY 13 near the Stewart Park (NY34) exit, on the north side of Ithaca.

You will need to have two cars, to follow the E and W stages. Be at the start of E1 and W1 by 0745; the scratch start is 0830 and the handicap starts before. Other times are listed bellow. The Triennial support person will have the handicap times. If you don’t know the back roads, we highly recommend either the DeLorme’s New York State Atlas or the Visual Encyclopedia maps. Please bring your own goodies and some extras for other teams. You can select your support points.

Stage E1: Start at the beginning of Star Stanton Road, at the corner of NY38, about five miles S of Dryden.
Leave IHS 0715; Assembly time at start 0745; Scratch start: 0830
Main check point: NY79 just W of Tompkins/Tioga county line

Stage E2: Start at the FLT crossing of Old 76 Road (town of Caroline), about a mile SE of Yaple Rd. To reach Old 76, follow NY330 through Brooktondale to its end and then turn left (SE). Follow Old 76 past the Old 76 club at Caroline Center and then a few miles further.
Leave IHS 1000; Assembly time at start 1030; Scratch start: 1115
Main check point: Coddington and Ridgeway Rds.

Stage E3: Start at the FLT crossing of Travor Rd (town of Danby), near a sharp bend to the S. To reach Travor Rd, turn off S. Danby Road at the top of the hill from NY96B a few miles S of Danby.
Leave IHS 1300; Assembly time at start 1330; Scratch start: 1415
Main check point: Corner of Lieb and Comfort Rds.

Stage W1: Start across NY14 from the lower entrance to Watkins Glen State Park, on 10^th St. This a few blocks S on NY14 from the end of NY79 in Watkins Glen.
Leave IHS 0705; Assembly time at start 0745; Scratch start: 0830
Main check point: Top of Satterly Hill

Stage W2: Start at the entrance to the Texas Hollow Wildlife Sanctuary, where the FLT leaves Texas Hollow Rd. heading SE. Texas Hollow Rd. leaves NY79 less than a mile E of Bennettsburg.
Leave IHS 0950; Assembly time at start 1030; Scratch start: 1115
Main check point: CR10 and Van Lone Rd at Cayuta Lake outlet.

Stage W3: Start at the end of the Connecticut Hill radio tower clearing, where the FLT starts downhill along a power line. This is near the end of Black Oak Road.
Leave IHS 1315; Assembly time at start 1345; Scratch start: 1430
Main check point: Woodward Rd. at Treman Park, just uphill from the main park road.

Finish: End of park road in Upper Buttermilk State Park, off King Road W in Ithaca, just below the Lake Treman. King Road crosses NY96B about a half-mile above Ithaca College, at the Sam Peter appliance store. Turn right (W) if coming from Ithaca.

All runners should have the FLT maps from the Finger Lakes Trail conference; this is really vital for those who have not pre-run their section.

Following the course: The trail is described on maps Finger Lakes Trails Conference maps M15 through M18, and in "Guide to Trails of the Finger Lakes Region", published by the Cayuga Trails Club and available at all Ithaca booksellers and outfitters (the FLTC maps are more current). Even these are somewhat outdated.

The trail may be rerouted on short notice due to land ownership changes etc., so the trail on the ground is what must be followed. The trail is marked with white blazes, double blazes indicating a turn ahead. Orange and blue blazes indicate spur or alternate trails and should not be followed. The quality of the marking is generally good, but as with all hiking trails there may be recent events such as treefall, logging, floods etc. that make the trail difficult to follow. The trail must be followed in its entirety, any deviation will result in disqualification!

Runners will be given last-minute instructions by the starter. This may include trail re-routings.

Checkpoints: About eight miles into each leg is the principal checkpoint, at a road crossing (see list above). We will supply water and record your times. Bring extra equipment or ‘magic potions’ along with you, and the support person will carry them along to the checkpoints. There may be other checkpoints where you least expect them! Make sure you follow the trail.

Medical alert: The weather even in early May may be quite hot, and you must avoid dehydration. Weather for 04-May: Average Maximum 16.7°C (62°F), Average Minimum 4.4°C (40°F), Record Maximum 31.7°C (89°F), Record Minimum -5.6°C (22°F). Probability of rain at some point during the day 42%. If you become lost, you won’t find the checkpoints, and you won’t get water. If you’re not absolutely sure you know your way, carry water with you. On the other hand, the weather can be cold and rainy, in which case make sure to wear insulating clothes that don’t lose their insulation when wet.

Hazards: The trail may be difficult to follow, and some of the area it goes through are fairly isolated, so you must be prepared to run ‘out of the woods’ without going around in circles if lost. The trail was designed for hiking, not running, so exercise due caution. You must be prepared to deal with rocks, cliffs, washouts, mud, quagmires, roots, brambles, downed logs, artifacts of civilization such as hidden barbed wire, electric cattle fences, wild dogs, bears, insects, poison ivy, etc. Running without sufficient caution can cause bad falls with broken bones. You are responsible for your own safety, and must proceed with due caution. The organizers can not sweep 75 miles of trail for disabled runners. Read the waiver on the entry form carefully, we mean it!.

Post race party: Festivities will begin about 1800 at the Chariot Restaurant in the basement at 420 Eddy Street at the west end of Dryden Rd. in Collegetown (Ithaca) and just N of the east end of Buffalo Street. Awards ceremony about 1900. Your pizza & salad (and tips) are included in your team’s registration fee; bring $6 for any guests. Drinks are extra, payable in cash. Parking is limited on Eddy St.; you should park in the city garage on Dryden Road and walk down the hill one block. Directions to Eddy Street: Go uphill E on NY79, continue straight through the traffic light (Stewart Ave.), take the 2^nd left on Eddy St.; almost at the end turn right into Dryden Rd.; the parking garage entrance is on the left about halfway up.