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Running

Valentine's couples to run Feb. 12 at Cape Henlopen State Park

February 10, 2012

Cape Henlopen State Park will be the site of the Seventh Annual Valentine's 5K Run/ 1M walk this Sunday, Feb. 12, at the fishing pier of Cape Henlopen State Park. The event will also have a couples' division awarding prizes to male, female and coed couples who finish with the top three combined performances. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the race kicking off at 10 a.m. The first 100 registrations will be guaranteed a performance tech T-shirt. Follow signs once inside the park and celebrate Valentine's Day with a run in the park. See you on the starting line!


Plunge sets event records

I worked with Delaware Special Olympics Feb. 4 to conduct the Run to the Plunge 5K held in Rehoboth Beach as 774 participants signed up and took to the streets, setting an event record as well as a Seashore Striders third-year 5K record. The Seashore Striders all-time 5K record was set last September at the Dogfish Dash with 838 finishers.  More than 200 runners and walkers in the Run to the Plunge registered on race day, which also is an event record and Seashore Striders record.

According to Lisa Smith, director of special events for Special Olympics Delaware, the event raised more than $22,000 for the athletes.

Young Milford High runner Steven Eshelman, 18, of Lincoln captured the overall male title in 17:16, while a superb young runner out of Centerville, Kieran Hanrahan, 15, ran 18:36 to win the female title.

The masters male title went to Lance Fargo of Ocean View in 20:33, while Mardiny Ung of Elizabethtown, Pa., won the masters female title in 22:23.

John Martino of Dallas, Pa., was second overall in 17:29, while Caesar Rodney High runner Bryce Stevenosky, 15, grabbed third in 17:53 on the male side.  Liz Butterly of Milford ran 20:41 for second, while Marybeth Evans of Rehoboth was third in 21:38 on the female side.

The whole Special Olympics weekend is such a great cause for which people just open their arms and offer support. More than 3,500 participants went into the ocean on Sunday and over $650,000 was raised, which has to be the quickest fundraiser in the state of Delaware. Thank you, runners, for all your support, and thank you, Special Olympics, for a job well done.

Goldfarb shooting for the gold

Luann Goldfarb of Rehoboth and her family were neighbors of ours long ago in a development called Lochwood and some of the nicest people one could meet. Way back when when our dogs were the best of friends, Luann used to listen to my post-race stories of the dedicated and sometimes addicted runners who ran my events from week to week and of how the races were like one big weekend family. She would shake her head and say, "not me." Last year Luann decided to celebrate moving into the land of 50 by following my couch-to-a-5K-in-10-weeks program and moved from walking to a shuffle to a jog, and now she is nearing the eight-minute-per-mile pace. When you start running three miles straight at a sub-eight-minute pace, it means you're no longer eating subs and you're no longer a jogger. Here is a recent Facebook posting Luann sent to me following her third-place finish among 52 females 50-54, the largest age group of the Run to the Plunge 5K, turning in a personal best of 27:47 to average 8:56 per clip.

"Thanks for the newspaper article you wrote a few years ago. So glad I kept it and that I tried it out. This running stuff just might be addictive, though! Had a great time at the race. So thankful for you and Monique."

My words of wisdom for hubby Brian - “Watch out, dude - she’s hooked!"

Shadow Series kicks off March 10

The inaugural Shadow Series, a group of four events that will be held from sunset into dusk at Cape Henlopen State Park, will be the first of its kind on the East Coast. The series events will be held under a full moon and will offer runners in the area a chance to see Cape Henlopen State Park in a different light - or shadow.  Here is a preview of the series:

The Shadow 5K - 6 p.m., Saturday, March 10, the kickoff event to the series. A 10K jaunt that will take you along paved paths, down open trails and beside the quiet seashore.

El Cinco 5M - 6 p.m., Saturday, May 5.  A 5-mile fiesta, an endorphin-fueled frolic under the night sky. Come celebrate!

Blue Moon 10K - 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31.  A 6.2-mile romp guided by the year's only blue moon (the second full moon in a month). Relish the cooler temps of a summer night and even cooler companions - runners!

The Day After 5K - 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 22. Some predict the world will end on Dec 21, 2012. Runners are optimists, so we've scheduled this 5K for the day after. (If the world does end, your entry fee will be refunded.)

 

 

 

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