Athletes of the Week Dec. 13

Nick Cruz

Nick Cruz, a 23-year-old local runner living in Milford, placed fifth overall in the Rehoboth Seashore Marathon Dec. 7 with a time of 2:40:53. It was just his first marathon. Nick’s 13.1-mile split was 1:12:10, as he ran a 5:31 mile pace. His final pace for the full-distance 26.2 marathon was 6:08 per mile. Nick is a real estate agent for Ocean Atlantic and studied at Stony Brook University, where he earned a degree in psychology. He was a 5K and 10K specialist in college. Nick is a former assistant cross country and track coach at Marist College. He is also working part time at the running store in Rehoboth. “He trained mostly on a treadmill and never saw the course until he ran it, and he still ran 2:40,” said fellow runner Martin Rodriguez.

Martin Rodriguez

Martin, 37, of Selbyville is a scientific, relentless and dedicated-to-training long distance runner. He ran a personal best 2:49:44 Dec. 7 at the Rehoboth Seashore Marathon to place ninth overall. Martin’s half marathon time was 1:24:28. His final pace of 6:29 per mile was consistent throughout the race. Martin helped coach cross country last fall at Sussex Tech, and this winter he is working with the Cape indoor program with coach Tim Bamforth. Martin, along with his friend Francisco Puac (2:50:59), qualified for the 2021 Boston Marathon. “Martin was born to be a runner and coach,” said Tim Bamforth. “He understands personal training for himself and how to teach it, and the athletes respond to him.”

Holly Smith

Holly Smith ran 3:01:45 Dec. 7 in the Rehoboth Marathon, the second year in a row the 35-year-old missed breaking three hours by a little over a minute. “I really don’t care. I just had so much fun out there today,” Holly said moments after her race. Holly ran 1:29:24 for the first half. She won the 35-39 women’s age group. Her final pace was 6:56 per mile. She was also third out of 383 women who ran the full marathon. Holly was coached for this marathon by Gar Bercury, 46, who himself set a personal record in the half marathon with a time of 1:18:31, which is 5:58 per mile. Holly is also a former RBP, yeah, you know me! Her soccer guy husband Brandon ran the Rehoboth Marathon in 3:34.

Andrew Workman

This Delmarva Christian senior has been a four-year starter on the hardwood for the Royals and reached a career 1,000 points in the victory over Holly Grove Dec. 11. He has averaged 17 points per game throughout his tenure for the Royals. "I couldn't ask for a better player and kid to coach," said Royals head coach Micah Twedell. "He is the most selfless kid I've coached. He's usually the last player in the gym." Andrew is also a pitcher and plays third base on the Royals’ baseball team, and he is the spiritual committee leader for the Delmarva Christian student leadership council. When not on the hardwood or in class, you can usually find him with friends or in the gym working on his game. He hopes to attend Lancaster Bible College and become a minister upon graduation.