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Portions of this article originally appeared in the Elmira Star Gazette.
The Andrish famly selected a strenuous way to spend quality time together during the 4th of July holiday weekend.
Sean, his mother Sue Ellen and dad Jack all competed Saturday, July 5, in the 15th annual Finger Lakes Trail Fifties at the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector, NY.
"It's great the whole family enjoys spending time outdoors," said Sean Andrish, 33, of Leesburg, Va. "We can go places around the country, and enjoy running trail runs together, whether we're running the same pace or different races. It was a great day for the Andrish family."
A great day indeed. Sean, a hydrologist for an environmental firm, won the 50-mile trail race overall in 7 hours, 9 minutes and 40 seconds. His parents, who traveled to Hector from Orange Village, Ohio (near Cleveland), also crossed the finish line with personal victories. Jack finished the 50-miler in 12:05:46, and Sue Ellen won the senior division of the 25K trail race in an age group record of 3:40:06.
The trail ultra began and ended at the Potomac Campsite. The 50-mile runners completed an initial 15.6-mile loop, two 15.5-mile loops and a final 3.4-mile "baby" loop. The 50K entrants twice circled the rugged course, which passed through pastures, around ponds, through pine forests, up and down dirt roads and along winding trails, twice. The 25K racers circled just one loop. Roughly 71 runners completed one of the three races.
Sean Andrish entered the Finger Lakes Trail 50-miler on the recommendation of friend and coaching partner Courtney Campbell, who won the the 50-miler last year in a record-breaking time of 7:03:38. The 38-year-old Campbell, of Berryville, Va., is a national-class ultra runner who has won numerous major trail rces on the east coast.
Campbell also returned to the Fifties on Saturday to defend his title, while Andrish was trying to steal Campbell's course record. The two men had agreed on a strategy.
"The plan was to run the 50 miles together, then everything fell apart," said Andrish, who has completed the Western States 100 twice, and this year won the Bull Run Run 50-Miler (Va.), and the Crown King Scramble 50K (Arizona). "When I'd feel stronger, I'd take the lead, then Courtney would move up front, and I'd drop back. Just having someone else to run with is a big boost, and makes the miles go faster."
With temperatures in the 80s and humidity rising, Andrish and Campbell passed through the first 25K loop in 1:57:57, just behind the men's 25K overall winner. On the second loop, the two men hit the 50K split in 4:13:21. Campbell then dropped out, automatically taking the men's 50K title in 4:13:29. Andrish forged on for another loop.
Boris Dzikovski, 38, of Ithaca placed second in the 50K in 4:43:45, and Connecticut's Chas Greystone, 48, won the men's masters division in 5:05:14.
"After the first loop, I was feeling dehydrated, so I thought (winning) the 50K sounded pretty good," said Campbell, a high school math teacher and track coach. "I wanted to run with Sean, but I was becoming a anchor to him, so I knew he could do the third loop faster without me."
Andrish did keep the pace up, but slipped to six minutes slower than the course record.
"The third loop got harder, and the heat started to get to me," said Andrish, who will run the Wasatch (Utah) Ultra with his father this fall. "I was fighting off cramps, but still trying to keep a good pace. It's not good enough for the record, but I'm happy with my time."
No women finished the 50-mile trail race this year.
But Rebecca Harman, 33, of Willseyville, NY finished third overall in the 50K, and won the women's title in a record-breaking 4:54:12.
"It was a beautiful trail run, and very well maintained," said Harman, who also won the Finger Lakes Snowshoe title at the same site in January. "Although it was warm and humid, I felt pretty good. It was a fabulous event, and I'd recommend it to anyone."
Lorrie Tily, 41, of Locke was second overall -- and first masters woman, in 5:41:37. Tily owned the open record of 5:20:19, which was shattered by Harman.
"The race was hard -- really hard," said Tily, who has won the 50K multiple times and still owns the masters record of 5:27:02. "I thought after going out on the second loop, and hitting the first aid station, it was a mistake I had continued on. But after 20 minutes, I started to feel good again, and I picked it up to make up lost time."
In the 25K race, Tim Ingall, 44, of Lansing, NY, won the overall title in 1:55:16 -- a new open and masters course record. Ingall had never raced beyond the 13.1-mile distance.
Franz Scholten, 42, of Port Jervis, NY, placed second -- and first masters, in 2:02:47. Ithaca's John Hylas, 45, claimed third in 2:04:27.
"The four of us -- John, Courtney, Sean and I were together for the first three miles or so. Then John dropped off, and Courtney and Sean said they were doing the 50 miles, which I thought absoulutely insane!" said Ingall, race director of the Forge the Gorgeous Trail Run in Moravia. "I wished then I someone running with me. It was really nice in the woods, but the meadows were tough, and so were the roads. I can't believe I finished!"
The open and masters course record holder, Audrey Balander, 46, of Virgil, NY, won the women's 25K race in 2:20:13.
Anne Gutmann, 24, of Ithaca, NY, was runner-up in 2:24:13, and Angela Buckley, 33, of West Point, NY, was third in 2:42:16.
Burdett's Phyllis Radke, 48, won the women's masters title in 3:11:46.
"It was unbelieveably fun, and very hard at some points," said Radke, who designed the Fifties T-shirts. "The course was drier than expected with lots of roots. The open pastures were very hot, and at times my legs were quaking. But I'm excited, and all my training on hills made it possible."
-- Diane Sherrer
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