Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon 2026
This was my A- goal race for this training cycle, and the Ithaca community's unofficial kickoff to Spring. How would it go today?
This was my 11th running of the Ithaca’s Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon. The temperature hovered just above freezing but there’d be no precipitation in the air.
I enjoyed catching up with running friends at the start line, having done my lunge matrix and leg swings in the warmth of Barton Hall. I did a few miles of a warmup on the Cornell Campus, too, so arrived at the start line stretched out and ready to go.
This was my A- race for the training cycle, with the A+ race being the Gorges Half Marathon. Just a week after the Syracuse Half Marathon, I was unsure what to expect, but the week had been recuperative and my legs were feeling good. My goal for the race was to run aggressively but smartly, and so I chose a fast pace right out of the gate, keeping it up most of the way down the East Hill Rec Way. Peter Frazier, who’s faster than me, kept pulling me along until about mile 4, where the race turned into a solo effort as I gave up some ground on the hills.
I started off wearing arm sleeves (swag from a prior year’s Seneca 7) and pulled them down around this time. I was warming up quickly!
The course is an out-and-back, and it’s quite wonderful to see all of the runners as you fold back on each other. I happily received plenty of encouragement, but offered little in return due to the effort. It was so hard to keep up with the work, and at times I felt a little dissociated from my body and mind. Still, through all of the ups and downs of the undulating course, I kept a rather consistent pace.
After the return on the Rec Way and a short uphill jaunt to get back onto Cornell’s campus, I was so grateful to make the turn onto Tower Road. It was a gradual downhill from here, and an opportunity to leave nothing on the table. As I made the final turn toward the finish line, the clock came into sight. I saw numbers I haven’t seen in quite some time, and said a little bit out loud, “Holy shit!”
This was my 3rd fastest half marathon ever. 1:23:17 is the high mark to beat from Gorges 2018, and my coach suggested we perhaps reevaluate my goal time for Gorges this year. Maybe? Maybe.
In Summary
My target pace was 6:43 per mile and I ended up at 6:38 per mile with relatively even splits. I’m very happy with this on-the-edge effort, as I wanted to stop so many times! Fueling strategy worked well with a Maurten gel at mile 5 and 3 chews for the remainder. I took water at every aid station. I won the Veteran’s category, good enough for a $50 check and a container of Trader Joe’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.
13.1 mi in 1:26:21 // 14 of 258 overall, 1 of 12 age group, 6:35 pace // strava
Wow! Congrats on the blazing fast time. I know you've run quite a few halfs (halves?) over the years, so that's a ton of finish times you bested at this year's Skunk. Reading this gives me hope for when I'm over 50.