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Running

First Responders Triathlon attracts 600-plus to Bethany Beach in first year

September 28, 2012

The inaugural First Responders Triathlon-Duathlon took over the town of Bethany Beach from 4 p.m., Sept. 22,  when the Sports Expo, Health Fair and Pasta Dinner kicked off the weekend, to noon, Sept. 23 with 700 triathletes, hundreds of spectators, more than 100 volunteers and several race teams setting up for the event. Although it's a "first,"  the event is a continuation of the Sea Colony Triathlon that was held at the resort for many years.

"I couldn't be happier with the entire day. All our hard work and planning clearly paid off on race day. It was amazing to watch the Town of Bethany Beach be transformed into a premier triathlon venue in a matter of hours. It was great to see local business owners, residents and visitors all come out to cheer on athletes from all over the country. I'd like to give a big thank you to all involved in making the first ever Bethany Beach First Responders Triathlon & Duathlon a huge success and an epic event," said Rick Hundley, who served as one of the three race directors.

By 1 a.m. Sunday morning, Piranha Sports had turned this Seashore Striders event of Garfield Avenue into transition headquarters, with bike racks for 700, 20-foot inflatables welcoming athletes from swim to bike to run, electronic chip timing, race clocks, medical tents, Sussex County Mobile Command Center, an RV for Race Headquarters and barricades ready for the 6 a.m. arrival of athletes.

By race morning, things were in place and ready to roll with chip pickup, body marking, gear to transition and before we knew it, the pre-race athlete meeting took place, "The Star Spangled Banner" was performed and athletes were walking north on the beach for the wave one duathlon start.

The race featured a 1K swim, a 30K bike, and a 7K run for the triathlon, while the duathlon substituted the 1K swim with a 1K beach run.

One hundred sixty-five duathlon participants and nine teams took part, while 390 triathlon participants and 19 teams made up the total in the 650-participant range.

An interesting race emerged in the triathlon event as Josh Hayman of Bear turned in the fastest swim of 14:32, opening up nearly a four-minute lead on local CW Moran of Millsboro, who was timed in 18:00 to rank 24th. A solid bike of 50:04 by Hayman and the top bike split of 47:01 by Moran put Hayman about a minute ahead entering the 4.4-mile run. Hayman turned in a 24:11, while Moran closed every step to also rank No. 1 in the run at 23:14. Hayman was timed in 1:30:30, while Moran just missed catching him at 1:30:33.

On the female side it was 49-year-old Lange Carter of Washington, D.C., with a 32nd win in 1:49:01 over Rebecca Smith, 50, of West Chester, Pa., who was timed in 1:49:39.

The event benefited the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company & First Responders and was presented by Meris Properties. Special thanks to the hundreds of personnel who were able to work with us to make this race a reality.

Corn to Run 5K

The Corn to Run 5K, in its opening year, will be held Saturday, Sept. 29, from East Coast Garden Center in Millsboro, just outside Oak Orchard off Route 24. East Coast Garden Center invites the public to come for a day of fall activities at the Sixth Annual Harvest Festival.

Early birds can jump-start the day at 9 a.m. by participating in the first 5K Run/Walk. This 5K winds 3.1 miles through a 200-acre cornfield across from East Coast Garden Center. The first 100 participants who preregister will receive a tech T-shirt, and the top three finishers in eight age groups from 13 & under to 70 & over will receive awards.

Preregister online for $20 at seashorestriders.com or register on the day of the event for $25. All proceeds from the race will benefit Cordrey Charities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the joys and benefits of gardening to everyone in the community.

Immediately after the race, the Harvest Festival will occur at East Coast Garden Center, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Enjoy brats and beer from 16 Mile Brewery, country line dancing, hayrides, puppet shows, Cape Artists' display, games and more. Visitors can learn about autumn decorating with the center's container expert, Karen Fox, at 11 a.m. and enjoy fall shopping in the garden center amongst the pansies, pumpkins, scarecrows, witches and goblins. See you there!

MacElrevey leads Vikings; Tech wins team title

Cape junior Austin MacElrevey finished second in a good time of 17:30 to celebrate his birthday at the Middletown Invite Sept. 21 at Lums Pond. A pack of Tech runners led by junior Victor Rueda grabbed the next several positions as Tech won the team title with 36 points. Results may or may not soon appear at N5CTA.com.

Upcoming races

9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, 1st Corn to Run 5K; East Coast Garden Center, Millsboro.

5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5, 5th Dolphin Dash for Betty 5K Run & Walk, Shields Elementary School, Lewes.

8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 6, 3rd Hurlock Day 5K, Hurlock Elementary School, Hurlock, Md.

Noon, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2nd Dewey Goes Pink at the Starboard 5K, Dewey Beach.

9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, 1st Run for the House at Irish Eyes 5K, Lewes.

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