Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQs

What is the Erie Canal Trailway?

Part of the New York State Empire Trail, the Erie Canal Trailway spans from Buffalo, New York, over 360 miles to Albany, New York. This year, 2025, is actually also the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal itself.

How long will this take?

It’s a little hard to say, but hopefully about 8 days. My self imposed deadline is 10 days though- just to make sure there’s a little pressure on!

I plan to treat this as an ‘unbroken foot journey’ meaning from the time I start until the time I end, I will only travel by foot and thus will probably be directly on the route the entire time (unless there’s a VERY adjacent hotel at the right time).

What type of crew or support will you have?

I’ll utilize light crew support, mostly for nutrition and to facilitate camping at planned intervals.

Do you have any experience running this far?

A little! In 2017, I ran The Last Annual Vol State (LAVS) 500K, a 314 mile run across Tennessee. LAVS was created and is managed by Gary Cantrell, aka Lazarus Lake, the mastermind behind the Barkley Marathons– one of the most infamous events in ultrarunning.

My experience and love of LAVS was a direct inspiration for this adventure.

Why did you nickname this race “Canal Rat 360”?

Honestly, “Running the Erie Canalway section of the New York State Empire Trail” is a mouthful. I grew up in the Finger Lakes, near the canal, where folks who spend long hours on the canal fishing, call themselves ‘canal rats.’ Running this journey run will certainly entail a lot of hours on the canal, and the moniker reminds me of both where I grew up and the long hours spent fishing- whether on the canal, in Seneca Lake, or off the Long Island sound. I think it captures the spirit of the race with a bit of humor and levity. In ultra running, it’s common for races to have larger than life names and I wanted to nickname this adventure something that celebrates that tradition.