2016 Cayuga Trails Pre-Race Info

Ah, late May in Ithaca. The grass has greened up, flowers are in full bloom, watermelon is at its juiciest, and of course Cayuga Trails is only a few days away.

The Cayuga Trails 50 is once again the USATF 50 Mile Trail Championship. This is the first year the race has sold out, and it seems the front end is the most competitive it's ever been for both the men and women. (Must Love Jogs previews the elite field here.) This is also the first year the event will host a marathon - one loop of the 50 mile course with a little extra thrown in to make it 26.2. It appears that race day temps will reach the mid-70s with no chance of rain - a bit warmer than ideal, but at least the course will be mud-free and not scorching hot like it was in 2014.

This year I feel much more confident about my chances of breaking 10:00 at the Cayuga Trails 50. My run at the Breakneck Point Trail Marathon in April has shown that I can continue to run strong and efficiently after several hours of gnarly terrain,
particularly on the uphills. The speedwork and strength training I've been doing since November seems to be paying off. Additionally, I've run a few tempo efforts on the Cayuga Trails course to get used to running faster over the terrain while getting a good cardio workout. 

My goal at the 2015 Cayuga Trails 50 was to also break 10:00 and nail a PR in doing so, but I came up painfully short in the end (10:12). I feel like I executed my race-day plan very well, and the bottom line was I just didn't run fast enough on the easier sections of the course. Update: You can follow the race and track runners here via the web or text updates. I'm bib number 3137, for anyone interested in following. 

Additional kudos to Ian and Red Newt Racing for eliminating paper cups this year, and instead providing each runner with a reusable, collapsible cup that is easily carried in one's pocket. This will hopefully cut down on the race's carbon footprint, especially if runners continue to use their cups at future events. I'm also pleased to learn the aid stations will be stocking Tailwind. 

With the course specific training, speedwork and strength training, plus having the 100 mile experience under my belt, I think I have a great shot at sub 10, with maybe even a sub 9:30 if all goes well. Needless to say, I'm excited for what is sure to be another stellar day in the gorges!

My 2015 Cayuga Trails recap
My 2014 Cayuga Trails recap
iRunFar's 2016 preview (scroll down a ways)
Additional preview info from Jason of Must Love Jogs: The Ladies and The Fellas
ATRA's write-up of the 2016 event
Trail Runner Magazine covers the 2015 CT50

Here's a few videos highlights from the 2015 running.

And here's a teaser video from Red Newt Racing