Follow Rick Cronise and Tom Perry on their six-day run from the shore of Lake Erie to the banks of the Hudson River.  We will average 50 miles per day running as a two-person team.  You are welcome to join us on part or all of any of the days. 

Run Diary | Run Info |

Sunday May 16th:  Day 1 Tonawanda to Albion + 5 more miles (49.8 miles in 7:54)
Rick and Tom met Carl Pegels (originator of the idea of this run) at Tonawanda on the banks of the Niagara River about 8:30am.  After a brief chat and some obligatory photos, Rick started us by taking the first leg.  It was wonderfully cool and overcast at the start.  Running legs of 2 to 2.5 miles each, we made Lockport before noon.  The locks and canal museum there are worth a return visit.  Things went smoothly for another ten miles as the sun came out.  Out in the country past Middleport, Rick had to pull a double-length leg as some bridges and roads shown on our Microsoft-generated maps weren't there.  The walkie-talkies we had proved quite valuable in that I was able to alert Rick to the situation and the new exchange point.  Once past that, Rick and I made it to Albion about at 4PM and decided to do one more leg each, taking us about 5 miles past Albion and to about 50 miles for the day.  
Bottom Line:  Day 1 went well.  We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of scenery along the canal trail and the charm of the numerous canal villages through which we passed.  We saw at least 10 lift bridges the equal of the one in Fairport.  And we saw the only road tunnel under the canal at Culvert Road just past Medina.  We have about 40 photos from the day which I will post at Ofoto (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.9jq4t6s9&x=0&y=nqsvtf).  With the time between our individual legs, it was easy to stay hydrated and fueled.  We finished without difficulty, no more than pleasantly tired.  Tomorrow will be a more difficult test as we will be less rested and the forecast is for temperatures climbing into the 80's.

Monday May 17th:  Day 2 Albion + 5 to Farmington (48.3 miles in 7:44)
We got lucky today.  The day started cool and the early miles to Brockport went well.  Some sections of the canal path were in shade and there was a pretty steady wind out of the South East.  We weren't exactly rested; the first miles felt pretty much like we already had ten miles in our legs.  Then, as we got closer to Greece and Gates, it turned hot (80 degrees most of the afternoon).  Still the headwind saved us.  It also helped to get on familiar sections of the canal path.  Eventually, we got to Bushnell's Basin and we glad to exit the canal trail.  Fishers Road and Benson Road provided a pleasant bypass around East View Mall.  Then we followed 96 through Victor and up to Farmington (actually the Routes 96 and 332 intersection), finishing at 3:35 pm.  Here's the day 2 photos at Ofoto (http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.1x8rabtl&x=0&y=uxlhi1).
Bottom Line:  An OK day.  While it was a harder day, it was not a death march either.  So far no injuries and nothing has happened to threaten our ability to complete the adventure.  Tomorrow we have a full 50 miles to Skaneateles with a forecast high in the 70's and a threat of thundershowers.

Tuesday May 18th:  Day 3 Farmington to Skaneateles (50.0 miles in 8:09)
Today dawned warm and humid.  We had a crossing tailwind so we got hot early.  Rick suggested a major improvement to the published route:  we used CR41 and CR13 which parallel SR 96 until the routes intersect just outside of Phelps.  Rick's variant had much less traffic and took us through scenic Clifton Springs.  All the main roads (SR96, SR318 and US20) seemed to have a lot more traffic than Rick and I remembered from our April practice run from Canandaigua to Skaneateles.  As that run was on a Saturday, it may be the case that weekday traffic is significantly heavier.  We took photos at almost all of the exchange points today.  Some of them weren't very scenic but there are a few nice shots representative of the beauty of the Finger Lakes Region.  Here's the link:  http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.a6g4si49&x=0&y=-9ms2zg
Bottom Line:  A good day's work.  We both ran a bit more slowly today.  Besides the humidity, we encountered the first real hills of the run today and we have settled in to a comfortable and sustainable level of effort (at least we hope that's the case).  As Scarlet said, "Tomorrow's another day."

Wednesday May 19th:  Day 4 Skaneateles to Morrisville (43.7 miles in 7:34)
It was as if the first three days were just practice for the run that started today.  The pictures at Ofoto don't do the hills justice.  Our run along historic US 20 took us across the grain of all the glacial geography created in the last ice age.  The big climbs were 3/4 to a mile in length and so steep that running any part of them was out of the question.  And, as any experienced distance runner knows, it's the drops down the other side that really beat you up.  On the plus side, the traffic was light and the scenery was gorgeous.  Today's photos are at:  http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.98y8ma6x&x=0&y=ooe1ux
Bottom Line:  It was a good thing this was a short day.  The hills beat us up.  Various pains came and went throughout the day.  Tomorrow, we start with yet another huge climb out of Morrisville.  If the rest of the Day 5 route is as hilly as today's, we will have a great deal of trouble finishing.

Thursday May 20th:  Day 5 Morrisville to Fort Plain (58.9 miles in 9:28)
My initial leg today was a steep 1-mile climb and a similar descent.  Then Rick took over for about a mile of flat valley road before starting a step climb that curved up and out of sight.  He rounded the curve to find a gloriously long, wide valley stretching as far as he could see.  The change from the road into and out of Morrisville could not have been more striking.  Our hearts lifted and our minds calmed.  We could do 60 miles of this.  There were some medium hills and descents but most of the day was flat or gently rolling.  We made good time and eventually reached the turn-off on SR 80 which would take us down to Fort Plain (the "el" is silent) and the Mohawk River.  The remaining 16 miles had some surprises.  We each had major mile-long down hills to negotiate and the additional miles and hours of running left us more tired than after any of the four previous days.  Photos are here:  http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.7ufxlxnd&x=0&y=xkh1ii
Bottom Line:  The day was too long for our level of fitness.  On the other hand, our confidence at being able to finish is much higher with today's run behind us.

Friday May 21st:  Day 6 Fort Plain to Cohoes (59.4 miles in 9:53)
We picked up the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway just outside of Fort Plain.  It's a very nice rail-to-trail that parallel's the Mohawk River all the way to Albany.  Daniele Cherniak (winner of the 2003 Canandaigua Lake 50 Mile Ultra) came out from Cohoes and found us just past Canajoharie.  She joined us for a 55 mile training run.  She was handled by her parents who were invaluable to us in finding access points to the bikeway for our exchanges.  Things went pretty smoothly and it was a great pleasure to have Daniele's company on the run.  In common with Day 5, today's run was just a bit too long... even with a couple of short-cuts recommended by our local guide, the distance was still almost 60 miles.  Patience was a necessity and eventually it was rewarded by finishing at a little riverside park with a spectacular view of Cohoes Falls.  Photos are at:  http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=9fv2r3x.8x0b9s7t&x=0&y=-lluq5k
Bottom Line:  Another day that would have been too long if we had more days to run.  A detailed map and a local guide was a big help in picking a route across gaps in the bikeway (there are several large gaps) and in finding access points.

Conclusions
The run was a wonderful experience and a great shared adventure.  Rick and I genuinely enjoyed each day.  The self-supported two-person relay is a very nice way to cover ultra distances while experiencing the scenic byways of our state.  Our route had lots of variety... Erie Canal Trail, big hills, Finger Lakes, historic US 20, scenic byways like SR 80, river valley, historic towns and villages and even a couple of large cities (mostly seen from bikeways).  The run was easier than it probably sounds in the daily descriptions.  While we averaged more than 25 miles per day, we rarely ran more than 3 miles at a time.  It was probably the ultimate in aerobic intervals... think 12 x 2 miles easy with 20 minutes rest.   The rest breaks gave us plenty of opportunity to drink and eat so dehydration and bonking was not an issue.  We both managed to run about 3 times our weekly training average in 6 days.  The open question now is whether having done this run will end up helping us prepare for the July 3rd Finger Lakes Trail 50 or set us back by requiring many weeks of recovery.  If anyone wants to repeat what we did (next year?), we recommend making it a 7 day event with no days longer than 50 miles.

Run Info | Run Diary |

Informal Run:  This is an informal run, not an organized race.  No registration, no fees, no aid stations.  Do all six days or just join us for a day or even part of a day.

Route:  Follows the Erie Canal Trail from Tonawanda through Rochester, cuts across the top of the Finger Lakes, takes historic US 20 across the hills of Central New York and finishes following the Mohawk River to its confluence with the Hudson at Cohoes.  The route avoids major cities while traversing beautiful rolling countryside with numerous substantial hills.    

Daily Mileages:  The distances below are approximate.  Click on each day's itinerary for a strip map with details for the route.

Overnight Stays:  Each daily stop is not far from hotel accommodations.  In some cases we may be able to stop right at a hotel site.

Handling:  If you join us as a solo runner, it is absolutely necessary that you have a handler with a vehicle.  You cannot carry enough liquids and food with you to keep you going.  Although you will pass numerous commercial places along the way, there will be areas were you won't see one for miles.  It is, however, possible to share a handler with someone going your speed.  If you run as a 2-person team you can, of course, handle for each other.

For More Information:  Send an e-mail to tperry01@rochester.rr.com or call Tom Perry at (585)388-5270 evenings.

Last updated:  May 23, 2004.  Web services provided by The Genesee Gateway.