Striders close the summer with Last Blast 5K Aug. 31
The Fifth Ed Dean 4 Miler was held Aug. 24 from Magnolia’s Seafood Bar & Grill Restaurant with 125 runners taking part. The Ed Dean Memorial Scholarship is in honor and memory of Dean and benefits a Bethany Beach Patrol lifeguard. Dean was captain of the Bethany Beach Patrol, a teacher and coach at Sussex Central High School, and an administrator in Lake Forest School District and Somerset County Public Schools. The scholarship was founded after his untimely passing in June 2006.
The event looped Fresh Pond State Park, loaded with beautiful trails through the woods that not many people know about. Enos Benbow of Georgetown arrived early as he always does to volunteer, warmed up five minutes and then averaged a 5:52 pace per mile to win the race in 23:28. Mike Sewell of Camden was nearly two minutes back at 25:13 to win the masters, while young Blake Hundley, 11, ran 25:16 to take third overall. Masters runner Kimberly Geyer of Millersville ran 31:39 to win the overall title on the female side, while Colleen Calhoun of Frankford was second in 33:38. Lorraine McDermott won the masters in a time of 33:44.
4th Sundance Land & Sea
Four different events and many different costumes, colors, shapes and sizes turned out for the 4th Sundance Land & Sea 5K, biathlon, half-mile swim and 1-mile walk. The water table even consisted of a rainbow of colors for athletes to choose to hydrate from after their 5Ks in the Nation's Summer Capital.
The 5K raced down the Boardwalk and the swim charged the Atlantic, where the morning water was rougher than the norm. “These swimmers should be proud of themselves,” commented Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buckson, who managed the swim. “This was a tough swim today.”
Mike Sewell captured the 5K in 17:39, while Brandt Chi was runner-up and masters champ in 18:05. Joey Andrisani of Wilmington ran 18:34 to wrap up the top three finishers. Always tough Meryl Ludwig, 47, won the female title in 20:14 while no stranger to the running scene Marybeth Evans won the masters in 21:41. Always one of the favorite celebrations of the summer, the post-race party took place at CAMP Rehoboth.
Lake Invite
The Lake Forest Invitational will kick off the high school cross country season next Saturday, Sept. 7, at Killens Pond State Park in Felton. The meet was started long ago by the late Jim Blades and will again be hosted by Lake Forest High School, led by new head coach Chris Kenton, longtime assistant to the legendary Blades. The meet this year will be managed by Ray Parker of Tri-Sports Events, the veteran meet director and former coach of the Lake Forest program. We won’t try to sort all those titles, how it happened, and who is doing what or who even cares - everyone in the state just hopes the meet goes off like clockwork as it has in the past. The volunteers and paid staff have done a quality job year in and year out at the meet.
There will be varsity, JV and third team races all over the place in addition to a middle school open event in the middle of the day attracting the youth of the future. The meet will be the opener for the Seashore Striders Cross Country Program beginning its 23rd year in Lewes. Good luck to all runners and meet personnel.
Upcoming Races
7:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, 23rd Last Blast Prediction 5K, Grove Park, Rehoboth Beach, www.seashorestriders.com.
7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, Shadow Series Labor Day 5K & 10K, Biden Center, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com.
8 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 1, Summer’s End Run 5K, Dewey Beach, www.races2run.com.
8 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 7, 37th Bottle & Cork 10 Miler & 5K, Dewey Beach, www.races2run.com.
9 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 8, 4th Treat the Beat 5K Walk, Blockhouse Pond, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com.
8:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 15, 10th Cannonball 5K Run, Lewes Historical Society Complex, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com.
