Dogfish Dash, Corn to Run among harvest of unique events
What do you get when you toss 1,800 runners and another 500 spectators into a little old Delaware town that has a population of 2,661 and is just one square mile in area? You guessed it - the fifth running of the Dogfish Dash. The 2013 dash, held Sept. 29, raised more than $50,000 for the local Nature Conservancy and briefly doubled the population of the small, tight-knit town. It took more than six minutes for the field of runners to cross the starting line, and at that moment the leaders were well past the mile and heading to the 5K halfway point. Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head founder and president, welcomed the crowd at the start, and Milton Mayor Marion Jones welcomed everyone to her town and gave the starting countdown.
The dash has grown from 247 runners in 2009 at the first race in Rehoboth Beach to nearly 2,000 this year. The dash sold out in 37 minutes back on April Fools Day, the traditional opening day for registration. That 37 minutes is one of the fastest sellout times of any event in the country.
Jeff Powers of Philadelphia, Pa., captured the 10K race in 32:13, averaging 5:12 a mile, while Mark Oles of Lancaster, Pa., finished second and won the 30-39 age group in 36:24. Tim Schuler of Chambersburg, Md., ran 36:29 to win the male masters and wrap up the top three male finishers. On the female side, it was Katlin Mock of Albany, N.Y., racing to a 41:55 for the win, followed by Kelsea Baker of Midlothian, Va., in second with a 43:13 and first in the 20-29 age group. Sarah Zephir-Thomason of Forest Hill, Md., rounded out the top three female runners and won the 30-39 age group, running 43:39. Local Helen Morrow of Millsboro ran 44:25 to win the masters.
Brian Petraco of York, Pa., cruised into the cheering crowd in 17:18 to win the 5K overall title, while Adam Moore of York won the 20-29 division, finishing second overall in 17:46. John Martino of Dallas, Pa., finished third in 17:48. Greg Cauller of York won the male masters in 18:30. On the female side, Lynn Knothe of Wilmington won the title in 19:37, while Liz Butterly of Milford won the 20-29 division and took second overall in 21:02. Cherylyn Minto of Dover won the 30-39 division and placed third overall in 21:15. Joan Hunter of Philadelphia won the female masters in 21:50.
A few of the highlights of the morning were the keg sprint races, the recyclable costume contest, the brewery tours, the drawing for the two new bikes which the winners happily jumped on and rode out of the tent, the hundreds of hot breakfast wraps, and of course the Dogfish beer. Congratulations to all the slightly off-centered runners and walkers at the dash!
Corn to Run 5K
Enos Benbow of Georgetown and Pat Boettcher of Newark emerged from the cornfield and rounded the final turn in a sprint to the line as Boettcher broke the tape in 16:14.6 with Benbow a lean behind in 16:15.1 at the second annual Corn to Run 5K Sept. 28 at the East Coast Garden Center in Millsboro.
Two hundred thirty-three finishers crossed the line, which is 100 more finishers than last year, to kick off the East Coast Garden Center's Fall Festival. Jen Cawthern, 39, of Rehoboth Beach won the female overall title in 19:55, while 13-year-old Logan Shuttleworth of the Seashore Striders was second in 20:30. Chris Stanley of Fruitland, Md., won the male masters in 18:40, while Mardiny Ung of Elizabethtown, Pa., won the female masters in 21:42. The participants enjoyed a first-class festival hosted by East Coast Garden Center with hayrides, games for kids and adults, line dancing, free food, and free 16-Mile beer.
Upcoming races
5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, Sixth Dolphin Dash 5K Run/Walk for Betty, Shields Elementary School, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com.
Noon, Saturday, Oct. 5, Third Dewey Goes Pink at The Starboard 5K, Dewey Beach, www.races2run.com.
9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, Second Run for the House at Irish Eyes, Irish Eyes, Lewes, www.races2run.com.
9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, Raven Classic 5K Run/Walk, Sussex Tech High School, Georgetown, www.seashorestriders.com.
