1,400 runners dash through streets of Milton

The Dogfish Dash 3.82-mile off-centered road race took to the streets of Milton Sept. 24 with 1,930 participants signed up and just under 1,500 finishers. Over $1 million has been raised for the Nature Conservancy and the current beneficiary, the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays. Defending champion Dylan Smiley of Rehoboth Beach wasted little time maintaining his title, as he cruised through the opening mile in 5:05 and never looked back. Smiley, 25, hit the finish to a cheering crowd in 19:07 to average 5:02 per mile. Smiley will taper now as he prepares to take a second stab at the upcoming Chicago Marathon.

Local favorite Joey Andrisani, 41, of Wilmington ran 20:59 to finish second overall and capture the male masters title. John Martino, 39, of Dallas, Pa., finished third in 22:06 and won the 35-39 age division, while Lance Jayme, 16, of Alexandria, Va., finished in 23:03 for fourth overall and first in the 14-19 age division. Sean Norris, 32, of Lewes wrapped up the top five in 23:08 to win the 30-34 age division.

On the female side of the action, Angelina Spadaccini of Bear finished 13th overall in 23:43, averaging a 6:15 mile pace to capture the female championship. Carly Johann of Culver City, Calif., finished 18th in 24:37 for second place, while local Trudy Dalton of Selbyville finished 24th in 24:56 for third among female racers. Katie Latimer of Barrington, N.J., finished 27th in 25:02 as the fourth female, while defending champion Michele Karsnitz, coming back from injury, finished 29th in 25:11.

Dogfish numbers – Five tables, 10 water jugs, 2,000 cups, two trash cans and 12 volunteers handled the Roger Signs water stop. Smiley was at the two-mile mark when the final participant crossed the starting line. Eighty-two awards were presented, and $70,000 in proceeds were presented to the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays. Lastly, and most impressive to me as race director, 22 states from as far as Hawaii were represented in the race. 

Middle school XC

Beacon Middle School topped Sussex Academy 15-46 Sept. 25 at Cape Henlopen High School. Nicholas Petito ran 11:18 for the win for Beacon on the 3,000-meter course, while his teammates grabbed the top five spots. Rounding out the top five were Ethan Thompson in 11:37, Jude Peacock in 12:05, Brandt Kuklish in 12:09 and Devin Silva in 12:09.  

On the girls’ side, it was Beacon over Sussex Academy 16-42, led by eighth-grader Shiloh O'Grady in 12:52. Beacon took the next three spots, with Erin Noonan in 12:55, Claudia Stazzone in 12:56 and Lindsay Hassell in 12:56. Sussex Academy eighth-grader Taegen Forester crossed the finish line in 13:22 to round out the top five.

At the Indian River carnival Sept. 27, it was Ben Moody running 14:07 for second on the 2.1-mile course to lead Sussex Academy, while Forester won the girls’ race in 15:22.

Cape tops Dover

Sophomore Jason Baker led Cape over Dover 19-40 with the individual win in 17:11 for the 5K course at Schutte Park in Dover. Joey DeGregory finished third in 18:06, while Braydon Redd was fourth in 18:43 and Riley Stazzone finished fifth in 18:45. First-year runner Allaire Burton led the Cape girls over Dover 20-43 with a second-place finish in 22:53. The pack of Ava Dolan (23:28), Maya Yngve (23:43) and Emma Thompson (24:00) claimed the next three spots. 

Most of the teams in the state will head to the Salesianum Invitational Saturday, Sept. 30, at Brandywine Creek.