Beebe Heroes 5K draws record numbers

The fourth annual Beebe Heroes 5K was held July 9 in Lewes hosted by Irish Eyes, and when the dust settled, the race had attracted 262 runners, 53 walkers and 15 kiddie dashers for a new event record of 330 participants.  

“Thank you to the community, our sponsors and volunteers, Irish Eyes and the Seashore Striders team for making this event happen,” said Tom Protack, Beebe Medical Foundation president, before the start.

Dylan Smiley, 25, of Rehoboth Beach wasted little time moving to the front and staying there, as he averaged 5:06 per mile to record a time of 15:53 on the hot and humid Cedar Street out-and-back course. The female title went to 14-year-old Graycie Lucas of Edmond, Okla., who ran a good time of 19:10 to average a 6:09 mile pace. Local regular Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville took the male masters title and second overall with an 18:02 performance, while Allison Sauntry of Edgewater, Md., took the female masters title in 20:35. 

Age-group champions and their performances are as follows: Ruby Leps, 8, of Lewes, girls’ 9-and-under, 25:59; Atticus Mingo of Pittsburgh, Pa., boys’ 10-13, 22:20; former Seashore Strider Lorelai Freese of Fairfax, Va., girls’ 10-13, 20:47; Colter Sienkiewicz of Livingston, Mont., male 14-19, 18:17, third overall; Olivia Montini of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., female 14-19, 19:33; Terry Pettyjohn of Milford, male 20-24, 20:11; Ruth Topping of Lewes, female 20-24, 25:21; Steve Eshelman of Millsboro, male 25-29, 19:30; Rebekah Yanacek of Milford, female 25-29, 28:32; Eric Schuler of Laurel, Md., male 30-34, 19:07; Crystal Perkins of Hartly, female 30-34, 25:21; Morgan Applegate of Spotsylvania, Va., male 35-39, 35:31; Melissa Wiley of Ocean City, Md., female 35-39, 20:54; Elliot Parsons of West Chester, Pa., male 40-44, 20:19; Eugenija King of New Castle, female 40-44, 23:52; Matt Sparacino of Harrington, male 45-49, 18:38; Teresa Hutsell of Lewes, female 45-49, 21:51; Michael Sewell of Lewes, male 50-54, 19:19; Alysia Puma of Flemington, N.J., female 50-54, 22:24; Paul Montini of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., male 55-59, 19:39; Mardiny Ung of Elizabethtown, Pa., female 55-59, 23:53; John Costello of Milton, male 60-64, 20:01; Lori Holdsworth of Lewes, female 60-64, 25:36; Michael Mitchell of Lewes, male 65-69, 26:29; Joy Biser of Millsboro, female 65-69, 29:21; Rick Poppleton of Alexandria, Va., male 70-74, 22:05; Mary Kessler of Harbeson, last summer’s Striders Runner of the Year, female 70-74, 27:18; and Jules Woodall of Lewes, male 75-59, 31:52.  

Remembering Bill Degnan 

The 25th annual Bill Degnan 5K will be held Sunday, July 16, on the Cape Henlopen High School campus in Lewes. The course will begin on the track, and follow and out-and-back 5K course on campus taking in a combination of track, road and grass. Degnan was the Division I Coach of the Year after winning the Division I track & field state championship in 1986. Bill and I were coaching together in the 1995-96 indoor season when he died unexpectedly in early January during the season. Bill was a husband, teacher, coach and friend, and was one of the most popular teachers in the Cape Henlopen family. Not a day that goes by that I do not think of coach Bill Degnan. Join us as we remember Bill through a 5K at Cape High, and as I do each year, I encourage all winners of the Bill Degnan Faith in Human Spirit Scholarship to come out and participate. This year’s scholarship winners, Alexa Dougherty and Trey Leggins, will be our starters.