Run for Paws attracts best friends hybrids and pure breeds

Taking your dog for a walk is preferable to letting the dog take you for a run. Dogs can hang with either arrangement, but humans cannot keep pace with an unleashed, all the time four-wheel drive, exuberant canine who can smell the ocean a block away.

Dewey Beach is the dog friendliest town along the Delaware coast and Aug. 6, the eighth annual Run for Paws 5K attracted 295 5K runners along with 45 one-mile walkers.

There were scores of pooches, hybrid and pure breeded, and not much yapping and posturing, and the dogs were pretty well behaved as well.

Actually some runners signed up for the walk and elected to run and vice versa, the best barometer was the haggard look of the dog.

Brian Harvey, 29, from Boston, was the overall winner in fast time of 15:49, which is a 5:05 mile pace.

The top 18 finishers were males until Jenn Hochrein, 46, from Charlottesville, Va., broke the gender gap with a 20:51.

A colorful competition went down in the 80 and over male category, where Jimbo Lyons, 82, led Edward Green, 84, the entire distance until the final 50 meters. “He snookered me,” Lyons said. “He was walking and all of a sudden he sprinted past me, but by the time I figured out what was going on it was too late.”

The fast five following Brian Harvey were Randy Doak in 17:10, Pavol Chomanic in 17:42, Johnny Rodgers in 17:47, Dylan Varrato in 18:00 and Martin Rodriguez in 18:20.

Susan Dunn, 39, a Delmar Wildcat, was the second woman in 20:57 followed by Kamila Chomanicova in 21:23, Meryl Ludwig in 21:57, Karyn Pedersen in 22:35 and Cat Volmer in 22:42.

Masters winners were John Costello, 55, in 19:10 and Meryl Ludwig, 50, in 21:57.

Sneeker Snippets - Micah Sklut, 37, former Cape soccer player ran the course with his bulldog-beagle mix in 43:24. Several small dogs went the distance, but had to be carried for part of the race. Several local girls were in the 14 to 19 age group, including winner Jackie Cannon in 24.00,  Keren Rams in 25:48, Chloe Schaeffer in 26:10 and Rose Minni in 30:13.

Paul Montini, 48, 19:36, edged Chris Stanley, 47, 19:37, as their friendly rivalry goes back and forth.

Another close battle occurred in the 50 to 54 women’s age group, which was won by Karen Johnston in 25:02. She was closely followed by Ava Cannon in 25:21, Mary Beth Evans in 25:38 and Robbin Dunn in 26:58.

The next Seashore Striders event is the second annual Rehoboth Beach Fire Company 5K Sunday, Aug. 21.