Rehoboth Marathon countdown: three weeks ’til takeoff

Runners of all shapes, sizes, and ability levels from more than half the states in the country will merge to Rehoboth Beach Saturday, Dec. 7, to take part in the annual Rehoboth Seashore Marathon & Half Marathon, as 1,900 participants are registered as of this week. The Rehoboth Beach Running Company and the Seashore Striders produce the event, which has become one of the largest downstate, bringing nearly 5,000 people and much revenue to the off-season December weekend. Look for more updates in the next three weeks...stay tuned!

Marathon course review: Runners will leave the Bandstand at 7 a.m. and complete five miles in town before heading to the Junction-Breakwater Trail for miles 6-9 and into the Hawkseye development, using the bike lane toward the main entrance. Once on Gills Neck Road, runners will remain on the right side, passing the Wolfe Runne and Wolfe Pointe developments all the way to the Lewes drawbridge while DelDOT officials and Delaware State Police will control traffic on Gills Neck with a travel lane in the middle of the road. The course then heads toward Cape Henlopen State Park by way of Savannah Road and Cape Henlopen Drive.  Runners will loop the state park on the bike trail through the campground, Fort Miles, and up to the Point before heading out of the park and back onto Cape Henlopen Drive. From the entrance, runners will loop through Lewes Beach and back to Gills Neck Road, Junction-Breakwater Trail and onto Rehoboth Avenue for a straight shot to the cheering crowd at the Rehoboth Beach Running Company.

State XC championships on tap for Nov. 9

The cross country season will wrap up this Saturday at Killens Pond State Park in Felton when hundreds of Delaware high school runners will compete over 3.1 miles of grass, woods, trails, and rolling hills with hopes of a new personal best.

Henlopen Conference champ Caesar Rodney and runner-up Sussex Tech will shoot for a top-five finish among upstate powerhouse teams like Salesianum, Newark and Charter, to name a few. Henlopen individual champion David Hall will hope to continue his championship run and close out the season as the leader. The Cape girls are peaking at the right time and running in a tight pack, which is good news when running in a large race, as they shoot for personal bests led by Maddie MacElrevey, who finished seventh at the conference meet. The championships will kick off with the Division II girls beginning at 1 p.m.

Striders compete at Middle School States

A small group of Seashore Striders took part in the Delaware Middle School Championships in Wilmington Nov. 2, held before the New Castle County Championships. Eighth-grader Logan Shuttleworth finished ninth to lead the way on the 2.25-mile course in 14:29. Sixth-grader Helena Helou finished 13th in 14:49, while fifth-grader Emma Barthelmess was 16th in 14:58. Sixth-grader Lindsey Guida was 35th in 16:29, while sixth-grader Rose Minni was 41st in 16:52. Sixth-grader Sky Dunmyer was 56th in 17:38, while fifth-grader Emily Moody was 82nd in 19:47. Seventh-grader Brock Diaz was 18th overall in 14:14 to lead the Strider boys.

Next stop for the purple and gold is the East Regional Championships to be held at historic Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, Pa., Sunday, Nov. 10.

Mariner’s Bethel Trail Run

More than 300 runners and walkers turned out for the Mariner's Bethel 5K and 7-Mile trail runs Nov. 3 at Camp Barnes in Bethany. The race features a beautiful course through Assawoman Wildlife Refuge and finishes up with a spread of homemade food that quickly becomes the highlight of the day. “We take pride in putting on a quality local event on a beautiful course with many hardworking volunteers and plenty of post-race food,” said organizer Bill Lord. “No one leaves hungry at our event.”

Speaking of hungry runners, the youth Seashore Striders are peaking at the right time as 10-year-old Emma Barthelmess of Bethany Beach won the overall female title, while Martin Rodriguez-Ibarra of Selbyville won the 5K overall male title. Enos Benbow of Georgetown easily won the 7-Miler in 39:34, while Jen Cawthern of Rehoboth Beach ran away with the female overall title in 48:57. Monique Bamforth of Lewes won the female masters title, while Eric Beam of Ocean View won the male masters title in the 5K. Chris Stanley of Fruitland, Md., won the male masters in 45:20, while Helen Morrow of Millsboro won the female masters in the 7-Mile event.

Upcoming races

8 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 17, Third Colonel’s Challenge 5K & 12K, Preston, Md.

9 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 30, Fourth Huffin’ for Pumpkin Pie 5K, Grove Park, Rehoboth Beach.

9 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 1, 11th Sea Colony Turkey Trot 5K, Freeman Fitness Center, Bethany Beach.

7 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 7, Sixth Rehoboth Beach Marathon & Half Marathon, Rehoboth Beach Running Company, Rehoboth Beach.