Blue moon brings out 265 night racers in state park
The third event of the new Shadow Series, the Blue Moon 5K/10K, kicked off under the watchful eye of the old man in the moon with a Shadow record of 265 runners turning out for the Seashore Striders event at Cape Henlopen State Park. Organizer Dan MacElrevey knew that the August event would be the largest, but the nearly 300 participants exceeded his first-year expectations. “We had 167 in March and 112 in May, but we knew August would be the largest,” said MacElrevey, who also coaches many of the young area runners in youth cross country. “The combination of a nice tech T-shirt, beautiful trails in the park, racing under the moon and great refreshments got everyone excited. I want to thank everyone who participated for their support, as well as all our sponsors.”
Thirty-year-old Brian Dreibelbis of Downingtown, Pa., put together a tough time of 34:17 to win the 10K male overall title, while 36-year-old Tatiana Sheptock of South Riding, Va., won the female overall title in another excellent trail time of 40:09. Forty-three-year-old Christopher Stanley of Fruitland, Md., won the male masters in 40:20, while 45-year-old Mardiny Ung of Elizabethtown, Pa., won the female masters in 48:46.
In the popular 5K, 43-year-old Chris Rambo, coming off an Ironman Triathlon, used the race as a speed workout by capturing the male overall title in 20:30, while 52-year-old top masters runner Wendy Rogers of Annapolis, Md., won the overall female in 21:24. Fifty-year-old Gerry Smith won the male masters in 22:51, while 44-year-old Pam Nolte of Townsend won the female masters in 25:10. The final Shadow Series event will be in December.
Race highlights - Fifteen-year-old Maddy MacElrevey, daughter of organizer Dan MacElrevey, getting ready for Cape cross country, was fourth in 22:24, while brother Austin was the lead 10K biker and mom Dana was the 10K water stop coordinator, making it a family affair. Six-year-old Lainey Shockro averaged 10-minute miles and turned in a 1:03:24 to become the youngest female 10K finisher in 22 years with the Seashore Striders. Nine-year-old LB Harrington, son of former Cape tennis great Wendy Harrington of Milton, ran 26:20 to average an 8:30 pace in the 5K. Five-year-old Keelie Grez of Millsboro ran 38:26 in the 5K, one of the youngest ever to finish. Training partners Luann Goldfarb of Rehoboth and Monique Bamforth of Lewes both won their age group with Goldfarb taking the 50-54 in 53:55 and Bamforth taking the 40-44 in 52:58. Eighty-year-old Alberto Castillo of Rehoboth ran 43:25 and took every winner’s photo to enter on the Striders’ website. Finally, Striders volunteers Joey Kwit and Roxy Castillo drove down from New York City through the night and spent Friday making 20 pounds of pasta for the runners to enjoy at the post-race party - that’s Striders dedication!
Last Blast Prediction 5K
On Aug. 1, the 22nd Last Blast Prediction 5K closed up a successful Championship Series in which eight of the 13 races held set participation records since the year 2000. The Last Blast was no exception as 182 turned out, along with a record 130 series qualifiers. Runners were not allowed watches, GPS units or pacers. All mile markers were wrong, all clocks were wrong; runners simply had to rely on their sense of pace. The top 20 predictors were within 9 seconds of their actual finish time, and the top three predictors within one second. How about champion Mark Rosasco, within .1 seconds and running 20:20? Second place went to regular Marge Warshaurer in 43:16, only .5 off her prediction. That is simply the greatest thing about this event - anyone can win, and many runners who can’t crack into the top three in their age group can make a close prediction and take home a trophy.
Virginia racer Brian Burke, 33, ran 17:18 to pull away from 19-year-old Steven Eshelman of Lincoln, who was second in 17:29. Cape runner Ryan Thornburg, 15, was third in 18:33. Twenty-nine-year old Olivia Malloy of New York, N.Y., was the overall female in 20:59. Top 20 results are as follows: 1. Mark Rosasco - 20:20.1 (0:00.1); 2. Marge Warshaurer - 43:16.5 (0:00.5); 3. George Sampas - 21:44.0 (0:00.9); 4. Teri Overington - 35:28.3 (0:01.6); 5. Carl McWilliams - 25:28.3 (0:01.7) 6. Dave Farren - 21:27.9 (0:02.0); 7. Kirk Anderdice - 26:55.5 (0:02.5); 8. Jack Noel - 28:54.3 (0:02.6); 9. Addie Lessard - 31:02.7 (0:02.7); 10. Jim Hartle - 24:19.9 (0:02.9); 11. Nicholas O'Cone - 24:26.4 (0:03.4); 12. Ryan Thornburg - 18:33.9 (0:03.9); 13. Dr. Lee Masser - 34:44.9 (0:06.0); 14. Sharon Wright - 30:18.3 (0:06.6); 15. Janet Rosenbaum - 34:07.3 (0:07.3); 16. Melissa Mulligan - 27:17.9 (0:07.9); 17. Paul Parsons - 22:08.4 (0:08.4); 18. Katie Brooks - 34:09.2 (0:09.2); 19. DJ Farren - 21:49.3 (0:09.3); 20. Lauren Brayer - 26:09.5 (0:09.5).
Upcoming Races
8 a.m., Saturday Sept. 8, 36th Gary P. Lister Bottle & Cork 10-Miler/5K, Dewey Beach.
9 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 9, 3rd Beebe Treat the Beat 5K Walk, Lewes.
8:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 16, 9th Cannonball 5K Run & Trenny Elliott Memorial Walk, Lewes Historical Society, Lewes.
