Runners remember Betty Gooch at Dolphin Dash 5K

Betty Gooch was a longtime teacher in the Cape district and a member of the staff at Shields Elementary when she died of cancer last spring. She is missed by many every day. Betty was known to live life with excitement,  taking one day at a time, putting the bad in the past and looking for the good in all.

More than 75 students came out on a day off from school Oct. 5 at Shields to participate in one-lap dolphin dashes separated by grade level - and got excited doing it. From kindergarten to fifth grade, students showed their speed on the historic dirt oval and received Seashore Striders medals at the finish line.

Almost 100 participants turned out to complete the 5K course that took in Shields, Highland Acres and Blockhouse Pond on the out-and-back, fast and flat route.

Speaking of excitement, how about the "Star Spangled Banner" performed by close friend Kim Hall, who nailed the notes with no music or PA system to assist?

Kids of all ages participated in the event, which was won by Desie Shorten of Ireland in 17:49, while 13-year-old Ben Bamforth of Lewes was second in 18:10. Twelve-year-old Logan Shuttleworth won her fifth straight female overall title in the Dolphin Dash with a 10th-place finish in 21:33. Bethany’s Rick Hundley won the male masters in 19:54, while Colleen Byam won the female masters in 24:11.  Results and photos can be found at seashorestriders.com.

Vikings and Ravens race tough Brandywine Creek

The Cape Vikings and the Sussex Tech Ravens both traveled north for the all-day Salesianum Invitational where divisional races go off every 30 minutes from freshman boys to junior varsity to large school varsity to the championship elite. More than 1,500 athletes from the East Coast converged on Brandywine Creek State Park, known by all as one of the most difficult high school 5K courses.

Both the Vikings and the Ravens had some bright spots individually, but most of the runners from the two local teams struggled, finishing anywhere from a minute to two minutes slower than their normal times.

“It’s a tough place to race for our kids when we do not have the same kind of hill training as the upstate kids do,” said coach Dave Ritter of Tech. “Some teams are there three times a week, while we may see a course like that a few times a season.”

The Delaware State Championships are also scheduled for Brandywine on the second Saturday in November, which some coaches feel is a bad shake for the downstate runners.

Individually, Sam Hete was the top finisher for the Ravens in 13th place with a time of 18:02, while Cape’s Austin MacElrevey finished in 18th place in a time of 18:15. Victor Rueda of Sussex Tech ran 18:49 for 38th place. Sussex Tech was ninth in the team standings, while Cape was 11th overall.

For the girls, Bethany Killmon of Sussex Tech was seventh overall in 22:00, while Madison MacElrevey led the Vikings in 26th place with a time of 23:06.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

A group of locals took part in the Chicago Marathon Oct. 7, mixing in with more than 20,000 runners over 26.2 miles of fun. Leading the way was Jamaican-born Enos Benbow of Georgetown racing to a 2:39:19 after coming through the halfway mark in 1:20:19 for an impressive negative second half of the race.

Brandt Chi of Rehoboth Beach ran 2:59:37, cracking the three-hour barrier, while Mary Beth Evans of Rehoboth Beach ran a 3:47:08.

Linda Schwartz-Chi of Rehoboth Beach ran 3:50:57, while Linda Reck of Rehoboth Beach ran 3:56:12. Amy Linzey of Ocean View ran 4:42:21, while Rosanna Castillo of Rehoboth Beach/NYC ran 5:14:23. Joey Kwit of Rehoboth Beach/NYC also ran 5:14:24, while Karen Hill of Rehoboth Beach ran 5:23:36. Roger Reed of Lewes ran 5:48:01. Qualifying for the historic Boston Marathon were Enos Benbow, Brandt Chi, Linda Schwartz-Chi, Mary Beth Evans and Linda Reck.

Upcoming races

6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, 3rd Raven Classic 5K, Sussex Tech High School, Georgetown.

Noon, Sunday, Oct. 14, 3rd Officer Chad Spicer Memorial 5K, Georgetown

9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 28, 23rd Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic, Grove Park, Rehoboth Beach.