Come on, admit it. You find the notion of ultra running almost too tempting to resist.

Those 5Ks and 10Ks are becoming a little ho-hum, and those marathons are just one heartbreaking soap opera after another.

Slow down, speed up or step up to a 50K, 50-miler, 100K or 100-miler.

You’re like that little kid crawling around on the living room floor, eyeing the light socket. Should I do what I’m thinking or not? Yes, go ahead and stick your finger in there and get the jolt of your life.

“Ultras are a different animal,” said Christine Reynolds, race director of the 19th annual Finger Lakes Fifties. “People hear about running 50-milers, but they have no concept on how to do it. But people are definitely intrigued.”

So intrigued that the training mystique is a frequent topic of debate on running message boards. Just the other day, someone offered this sage advice on the Fleet Feet Syracuse message board when asked how to train for a 50K: “One endurance runner I know replied, when asked, ‘I run one hard thing in January, two hard things in February, three hard things in March and four hard things in April. Then I’m ready, but I am still slow.’”

“The ultra distance sounds intimidating,” Reynolds said. “But you don’t have to be super fast, you just have to keep going. You need no special talent. It’s all about seeing how far you can push yourself, a huge mental game.”

There you have it. Step-by-step instructions on how to run the 19th annual Finger Lakes Trail Fifties: a 25K (15.5 miles), 50K (31 miles) and 50-mile trail run. It takes place Saturday at the Potomac Campsite in the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector.

Presented by the Finger Lakes Runners Club and sponsored by Hammer Nutrition, the 50K and 50-miler will start at 6:30 a.m., with the 25K following at 8 a.m.

“We have great trail conditions this year, and we’ve cleared them to a new standard of excellence,” said Reynolds, who has been preparing the trails with husband Joe Reynolds and volunteer Jim McKee. “We have a record number of 50-mile entrants pre-registered so far, and many of them probable first-timers. We’re definitely a diverse group.”

All three ultra races use the same multi-loop course within the Finger Lakes National Forest. The 25K runners (or hikers) complete one 15.69-mile loop, the 50K runners complete two loops, and the 50-milers do three loops along with one final 3.48-mile “baby” loop.

You’re not afraid of cows, are you? We hope not, because you’ll find yourself running through pastures with cows as pacing partners. Remember the race’s slogan: “Don’t let the cows out!”

You’ll also travel through fields, pastures and ravines. At times, you’ll circle wildlife ponds, cross wooden footbridges and climb over the Hector Backbone for a supersonic view of the region. There’s no knee-high grass to wrestle, downed trees have been trimmed, and the wooden box runners use to climb over a barbed wire fence has been repaired.

“The forest is just beautiful this year,” Reynolds said. “It’s so dense, it’s like being in another world.”

Ironically, the Fifties also is one of the most elite trail races in our upstate community. Last year, U.S. mountain runners Dave Dunham and Dan Verrington drove in from New England to steal everyone’s thunder in the 25K.

Through the years, the Fifties has hosted Nikki Kimball, Sean Andrish, Courtney Campbell and Leigh Schmitt, all well known on the national ultra running circuit.

“You just never know who is going to show up,” said Reynolds, who won the Tussey Mountainback 50-Miler women’s title last fall in Boalsburg, Pa. “We also host a lot of people who have done most of the Fifties since it’s been held at the forest, many out-of-staters, and many who return later to visit the region’s wineries and tourist sights.”

The Fifties is the oldest trail ultra in Central New York and is a scoring event on the Finger Lakes Trail Runners Circuit and the very popular Western New York Ultra Series. Last year, the Fifties 50K had the largest attendance of any race on the very popular WNY Ultra Series, which is made up of the BPAC 6-Hour Distance Classic in Buffalo, the Highland Forest 1-2-3 (30K) in Fabius, the Green Lakes Ultras (100K and 50K) in Fayetteville, the Around Canandaigua Lake 50-Miler, and the Mendon Ponds 50K in Rochester.

“Ultras are few and far between, especially in our area in upstate New York,” Reynolds said. “Most tend to be in the fall, and many tend to be out west. But the Western New York Ultra Series as piqued interest.”

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