Sea Witch 5K now scheduled for Nov. 18

After three conference calls, it was still a go for a record 500 runners expected Oct. 28 for the Sea Witch 5K.  Then Gov. Jack Markell announced a mandatory evacuation for coastal zones, and Rehoboth Beach residents had 24 hours to get out of town. At that point I was forced to call off the 23rd annual event and reschedule it for Sunday, Nov. 18, at the same location and time.

I thank the Sussex County emergency team and Rehoboth Beach for working with me, as well as regular runner Louise Holt from DelDOT, who kept me up to date with all the breaking news.

Jim Westhoff of DelDOT was able to post the rescheduled event for me, and I was able to announce it when I was interviewed by Fox News.

New York, New York

I have been actively checking on my Seashore Striders webmasters Rosanna Castillo and Joey Kwit , who live in New York City, and getting their firsthand accounts of the effects of Sandy in the Big Apple. Joey, who lives in lower Manhattan, and Roxy, who lives in midtown near Central Park, both said it is just crazy in the city, and the effects, damage and destruction the storm caused are major.

Joey told me he stood looking out the window from the 14th floor and listened to transformers explode as the saltwater came rushing into the streets. I was told that 47 miles of subway transportation had water damage and more than 80 percent of the travel in the city was halted. Joey headed north when he lost power and water and knew it would be days, maybe weeks, before things returned to normal. The final story Joey shared was his car, which is parked in Newark, N.J., during the week, now totaled because of water overtaking the car and filling it up to the steering wheel. Joey sent me a web link with some amazing pictures at newyorkunderwater.com.

New York note

According to Joey Kwit, the New York City Marathon scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 4,  is still on schedule as the city of New York cleans up after superstorm Sandy. The largest issue is that the subway transportation is still down, and the majority of the runners use the subway to get to the starting line. The international field is having a tough time getting flights to the city; in addition, residents who cannot go home yet are staying in hotels, which are now not available to the marathoners. Lastly, how do you get 47,000 runners to the starting line in a city that is trying to get back on its feet after a devastating superstorm named Sandy?  Regardless of what happens in the Big Apple this weekend, Striders Joey and Rox will be in the mix volunteering and entertaining.

Cross country crunch time

This weekend will see the finals of several conference championships, as the New Castle County race will take place in Wilmington and the Henlopen Conference event will take place Saturday, Nov. 3. The junior high state championships will also be held early Saturday afternoon.  Strider Ben Bamforth is a contender to be the only Seashore Strider to ever win a state title. It should be a great weekend of cross country racing at all levels of competition.

Upcoming races

9 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 3, Second Nevaeh Bishop Memorial 5K Run & Walk, Salisbury, Md.

1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 4, 10th Mariner’s Bethel 7 Mile & 5K, Bethany Beach.

9 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 18, 23rd Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic (rescheduled), Grove Park, Rehoboth Beach.