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34 runners complete three races in three days

June 23, 2017

The Seashore Striders hosted the fourth annual Triple Crown Race Series last weekend consisting of three races over three days in three towns. A record total of 34 runners lived up to the challenge of completing three 5K races totaling 9.3 miles in a 36-hour period!

Runners of all ages, shapes and sizes completed the series, including 9-year-old Bennett Brumbley of Laurel and 81-year-old Dr. Lee Masser of Crofton, Md., a 72-year age span!

When I think of challenges like this past weekend, I think of a quote I used for my Beacon track and field team this past spring: “Your body achieves what your mind believes.” By Sunday morning at the Father’s Day 5K, it was evident the pace of several triple crowners had slowed; their bodies were tired and they were just trying to get to the finish line. Congratulations to all who completed the series: Bennett Brumbley, John Dowling, Jimmy Harden, James Harden, Eugenija King, Matthew Klapak, Brett Kuhlman, Oscar Lavista, Pepperr Liner, Doug Ludwig, Meryl Ludwig, Jim Marvin, Dr. Lee Masser, William McArthur, Laurie Milnes, Melody Moore, Jennifer Murray, Terry Nechay, Georgette O’Cone, Kelly Pettyjohn, Brian Pettyjohn, Jackie Quigley, Deborah Rementer, Molly Sewell, Joel Simon, Alyssa Simon, Nina Smeltzer, Richard Tikiob, Brent Van Scyoc, Breck Vanderwende, Jack Vassalotti, Leeann Waltz, John Yanacek and Carla Yngve.

Athletes Serving Athletes

Athletes Serving Athletes began with a group of motivated, volunteer athletes who wanted to use their abilities to support individuals living with disabilities in Baltimore City. In 2007, they partnered with the William S. Baer School to share the thrill of athletic competition with Baer student athletes living with disabilities.

ASA's success can be defined by how many people have been encouraged to cross the finish line since 2007. With strong leadership and dedicated wingmen, donors, volunteers, sponsors and partners, ASA continues to empower athletes living with disabilities to train and compete in more than 60 running and triathlon events per year.

ASA's reach has extended from Baltimore City to the Mid-Atlantic region, offering mentoring, training and competitive opportunities. All programs are offered at no cost to the athletes, families or organizations that support them.

This weekend, the ASA Salisbury Chapter will return to the popular Jungle Jim’s 5K in Rehoboth Beach with seven athletes and 14 wingmen to put a tear in everyone’s eye to start the weekend. Good luck and welcome to the beach!

M & M runners

Mike and Molly Sewell travel south from Camden-Wyoming to nearly every Seashore Striders race, showing their dedication week in and week out. Mike, one of the longest career runners in the state of Delaware, has been in the running for overall titles in more than 90 percent of his career races, and once he became a masters runner, the percentage got even higher. Molly, his sweet and smiling wife, got tired of waiting for him to get home from a weekend morning race, so a few years back she decided to join him. Molly, now a regular with the Seashore Striders, has raced herself into a consistent 28-minute 5K runner and grabbed an age-group third place at Sunday’s Father’s Day 5K. Mike turned in an 18:46 time to win the male masters title, while son Max turned in a 22:30 in the 14-19 group before heading off to his rookie lifeguard stand. I joked with Mike about preregistering for the race and having time to warm up instead of his normal ETA of 7:28 a.m. The Seashore Striders are lucky to have longtime runners with last names of Sewell, Tracey, Landis, Warshauer, Neal, Colvin, Tikiob and Masser, to name a few, and they are sure lucky to have the Seashore Striders every weekend morning.

Bill Degnan 5K

The Bill Degnan 5K will take off in between lacrosse balls from the front of Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes at 7:30 a.m., Sunday, June 25, with runners making their way to Savannah Road on the outbound and Kings Highway on the return for the 27th straight 5K event. Bill was a teacher, a coach and a friend in the Sesame Street community we call Cape, and we lost him in 1995.  The community was torn and hurt that such a great man was gone, but Bill lives on in coaches and athletes all over the state of Delaware. Bill won the first Division I State Track Championship for Cape Henlopen in 1986 at Dover High with talented and tough athletes like Ricky Pitts (three state titles), Otis White (800-meter championship from the slow heat), John Gaines (300-meter hurdle championship) and Bodie Brittingham (relay man), to name a few. Bill was more than a coach to these young guys; he was a father to them. Bill and I were coaching indoor track together in ‘94-’95 when he passed away, and he and I spoke for an hour on the phone on a Sunday night and had a great talk. On Wednesday morning, I went to the mailbox and read an inspiring letter from Bill about coaching kids, and by 10:30 a.m., I received the call that he was gone. It was a roller-coaster emotional day that I will never forget.

You are a better person if you were lucky enough to know Bill Degnan. Come out and support the 22nd event this Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Walk or jog through a 5K and congratulate Cape thrower Angel Cox for being this year’s scholarship winner. In all, 52 athletes have been honored and a total of $11,000 has been presented since the first race in 1995.   

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