Athletes of the Week Aug. 28

Ryan Borden 

This 17-year-old from Chantilly, Va., entering his senior year at Freedom High, ran away with the Dewey Beach Patrol 5K Aug. 22 in 16:08. Ryan said he doubts there will be a cross country season this fall in Virginia, but he is running and training for a club this upcoming fall season. Ryan owns a personal best 4:19 mile. “I’m training to break 4:10 this spring,” he said. “I just run cross country to keep up my strength.” Ryan has that whippet-fast look, and an outgoing, engaging, confident personality. Jessica Borden, 16, Ryan’s sister, ran 22:23 in the same race. Greg Borden, 13, ran 23:31, while dad Roy, 46, ran 23:37. Ryan ran a personal best indoor time of 4:23 Feb. 29 at the Class 5 State Indoor Championships.

Will Harris

Will is a 34-year-old all-natural athlete who competes in strong man competitions. Will is the head strength coach at Rehoboth Beach Barbell Club. He recently won his sixth strongest man title in the 200-pound weight class. He is a graduate of All Hallows Academy in the Bronx. At the recent Delaware’s Strongest 12 competition, Will pressed a 180-pound circus dumbbell, deadlifted 560 pounds for multiple reps, carried a 275-pound Husafell stone for 350 feet, threw five sandbags ranging from 20 to 40 pounds over a 15-foot bar, and loaded a 275-pound keg over a 52-inch bar for multiple reps. Will said, “As a natural athlete competing in a non-tested sport, proper nutrition plays a huge role in my ability to be competitive against athletes who have an advantage from using PEDs. I still enjoy pizza and ice cream like everyone else, but I have to pay much more attention to how it affects my training and recovery ability. Thankfully, in almost 10 years of training competitively, I have never had any injuries. I’m a firm believer in listening to your body, leaving something in the tank every training day, and treating restorative work with just as much importance as lifting.”

David Lewis

David is one of a few Cape male athletes who were part of two state championship teams during his senior year of high school in 1978. David was a top 7 runner on Cape’s 1977 state championship cross country team that won the school’s very first Division II cross country state championship. Later that spring, David was a distance runner on Cape’s Division II outdoor state title track team in a meet contested on Cape’s home track. David is best remembered for his effort in a dual meet at Dover, as the Vikings needed his third-place finish in the 3,200 meters – at that time one point – to earn a dramatic 71-70 win on the Senators’ home track. David wanted to drop out after his shoe came halfway off on lap two of the eight-lap race, and that was the cinder track days. But “The Drake” hung tough and etched himself forever into Cape track history. Cape won the meet’s last event, the mile relay, with a team of Curtis Johnson, Tracy Felton, Warren Perry and Glen Smith. 

Rick Poppleton

Rick lives in Seabreeze and rides his bike to the starting line of Dewey Beach races. The 67-year-old usually wins his age group and never appears to be racing, rather just joyfully running. Rick owns the Ten Sisters 60-64 age-group 5K course record at the Rusty Rudder (20:30) and the 65-69 age-group record at Northbeach (21:44). “He was famous for a beer stop at his house at mile 9 on the old Bottle & Cork 10-mile course,” said Wayne Kursh of Races2Run. “He is very good friends with ultra-distance runner Mike Wardian.” Rick won his age group at the Aug. 22 Dewey Beach Patrol 5K in 22:41. Jen Perry of the running community summed up Poppleton, “Rick is a beast! Great runner and fantastic guy.”