Some predict the world will end Friday, Dec. 21.  Runners are optimists, so we've scheduled a 5K for the day after as a final event of the Shadow Run Series at Cape Henlopen State Park. (If the world does end, your entry fee will be refunded.)  The Day After 5K will begin at 5 p.m. with preregistration slated to begin at 4 p.m. at the Biden Center heading to Herring Point. The course will take runners through some neat parts of the park, as they will race on what has become known as  Marathon Road,  a clamshell trail and the new single-track Herring Point trail, with a finish at the primitive camp. Come out and celebrate the Shadow Run Series with the Seashore Striders and don’t forget your headlamp!

Race into the New Year 5K

Runners and walkers looking to end their racing year on the final day of the year can race right into 2013 Monday, Dec. 31, in Rehoboth Beach as Catchers Restaurant and the Rehoboth Beach Running Company will host the 10th annual New Year 5K Run/Walk and 1/4-Mile Youth Mini-run. The running company is at 251 Rehoboth Ave., and registration will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. The youth race for kids under 12 years old will begin at 11:55 a.m. followed by the 5K at noon. Parking will be on Rehoboth Avenue. Catchers will again prepare pancakes for the runners at the post-race celebration. For more information, visit www.seashorestriders.com.

Hair of the Dog 5K & 10K

Kick off your New Year's Day in Bethany Beach with the running of the second annual Hair of the Dog 5K & 10K & Eskimo Plunge, beginning at 9:30 a.m. from the bandstand with the post-race party at Mango’s Restaurant overlooking the ocean. Strider dad Rick Hundley and his team have done a great job promoting and getting the word out about the event, and the runners have responded with registrations arriving daily. A field of 700 to 800 is expected to take part in the event. Piranha Sports will be chip timing the 5K and 10K; the event is a fundraiser for the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation. Check-in will be at the bandstand in Bethany Beach. Visit www.hairofthedogrun.com for more information.