Cape, Tech off to indoor state championships
This Saturday, Feb. 9, at the University of Delaware Field House, the Cape Henlopen Vikings and the Sussex Tech Ravens will travel north to compete against teams from up and down the state in the annual Delaware State Indoor Championships. The best local bet for a state title is Cape's Jeremiah Cohen in the high jump, where he is seeded first with a 6-feet-6-inch mark. Cohen is four inches ahead of the nearest competitor in the field. Cohen also has a 21-1 in the long jump and 44-3 in the triple jump to his credit, which will likely place him in the top five overall. Pole vaulter Sam Young has a best of 12-0; a 12-6 could get him the bronze medal in the event. Mike Miller has thrown 43-9 in the shot put and needs two extra feet to have a shot at the bronze medal in that event, while the 3,200-meter relay team is ranked eighth at 8:58 in the honor roll. The Sussex Tech boys' 3,200m relay team is ranked sixth in the state at 8:46.
On the girls' side, several local athletes have a shot at state titles as Briana Hall of Sussex Tech leads the state with a 17-8 in the long jump and a 34-9 in the triple jump while also having the fastest time in the hurdles at 8.92 seconds. Amanda Hurst of Cape is ranked third in the state and will be in the mix come finals. Kadijah Doughty of Cape tossed the shot 39-2 at the Henlopen Conference Meet last week to lead the state in that event and has been over the 40-foot mark several times in her career. Doughty won the title last year with a toss of 36-7-3/4. The meet will once again be dominated by the upstate teams, but having a nice fast facility should make the downstate athletes shoot for personal best performances.
Valentine's Chase 5K
The 8th annual Valentine's Chase 5K will be held at the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier in Lewes beginning at 10 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 10, with a goal of 100 runners dusting off their winter training flats. Race-day registration begins at 9 a.m., with awards going to the top three in nine age groups. Participants can also choose to team up with a partner and compete in the couples' division as awards will be presented to the top three in the male, female and mixed categories. One hundred red tech T-shirts are being printed for the race, and if you miss a shirt - you guessed it - you're getting a Sea Witch tech T, and they are very nice, I might add! You may download an application at www.seashorestriders.com or show up ready to race.
Guest speaker Sonja
The International Society of Sports Nutrition is the only nonprofit academic society dedicated to promoting the science and application of evidence-based sports nutrition and supplementation. The ISSN was founded in 2003 at a sushi restaurant in San Francisco. While eating copious quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, Jose Antonio, PhD; Doug Kalman, PhD, RD; Richard Kreider, PhD; Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD; and Anthony Almada, MSc, gave birth to the concept of the ISSN. Cape graduate and world-class master runner Sonja Friend-Uhl will be an ISSN guest speaker on "Nutrition Strategies for Optimal Running Performance" at the 2013 conference in Colorado Springs June 14 and 15. The 2013 IHRSA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas March 19 to 22 also features Sonja. She is the lead master trainer for Star Trac Fitness. Find out more at www.startrac.com and www.IHRSA.com. Sonja is a Cape Henlopen graduate, state high school champion at 800 meters and now a world-class master runner who recently ran 4:22 for 1,500 meters in 2012. She also owns fitwithsonja.com.
Where’s the pavement?
Last weekend I teamed with wife Monique to take part in the Super Bowl Off-Road Duathlon & 5K Trail Run event in Ocean View with the runner completing a 5K on each side of a 9.3-mile trail ride. I had to borrow a decent bike from friend Danny MacElrevey so I could get through the course, and Striders parent Chris Rambo had to show me how to get into the pedal clips. Race Director Rick Hundley welcomed the field of just over 50 athletes and off we went. Twenty-five minutes later I was off on the bike with not a clue what gear I was in, and after a lap and a half I was looking very hard for some pavement which had been promised by the race director. I did not find the pavement and struggled my way through the third lap to reach my in-shape 100-pound wife who was bundled up drinking hot chocolate and said, “I’m not running again - I’m cold - but you can do it.” I racked the bike, and team Seashore Striders was done for the day as I headed for the Hundley chili pot for my first of three bowls. A fun race with a posted DNF on the website. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been a win by my 49ers.
Upcoming races
10 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 10 - 8th Valentine's Chase 5K Couples Run, Lewes.
Sunday, March 10 - 3rd Get Pumped for Pets 5K/10K, Kent Island, Md.
Sunday, March 10 - Inaugural The Lucky Leprechaun 5K, Milton.
Saturday, March 16 - 6th St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run, Denton, Md.
Saturday, March 23 - 7th St. Paddy’s Day Shamrock Shuffle 15K/5K, Rehoboth Beach.
Saturday, March 30 - 2nd Bunny Palooza 5K/10K, Bethany.
