Ellis Gaulden named Boys’ Indoor State Coach of the Year

Cape Henlopen boys’ indoor track & field coach Ellis Gaulden was named Delaware Boys’ Coach of the Year March 9 at the Delaware Indoor All-State Banquet in Wilmington. Gaulden, a former 7-foot-0 high jumper at UConn, guided the Vikings to the runner-up position behind Sallies and used team depth to spread out and score in nearly every event without having an individual champion. Coach Rob Perciful pointed out to me the other day that Cape Henlopen is sure to be the only high school in the state that has four coaches currently coaching together who have won the State Coach of Year. Perciful earned the honor in 1992, while I won the award in 1993. Coach Matt Lindell won the honor for cross country, and now coach Ellis has won for indoor track & field. Congratulations to coach Ellis. I’m sure there will be many more honors to come. 

Herron breaks Guinness World Record 

The Guinness World Records celebrated International Women’s Day with the announcement of the fastest 100 ultra-distance miles on the female side by Camille Herron in Henderson, Nev., with a time of 12 hours, 41 minutes, 11 seconds. The 40-year-old only started running ultra-distance races in 2015 at age 33 and is already an ultra-distance superstar. Herron beat her previous time at the USA Track and Field 100-mile Championships last month to achieve this Guinness World Record title. With an elevation gain of 3,058 feet and the bright Las Vegas sun, Herron says this record was more difficult to achieve than when she first set the record in 2017. She recalls “going into beast mode” to complete the final 40 miles of the race. She describes crossing the finish with feelings of relief, elation, joy and grit! With only a 15-second stop to recharge and no bathroom breaks for the duration of the race, Herron’s physical ability was on full display. However, there is also a mental obstacle to running for such long periods. To describe this, Herron calls herself “a combination between Forrest Gump and Ted Lasso!” She can be extremely fatigued, but still runs with a smile on her face. She says, “I feel like I’m doing what I’m born to do [when I am running]!” 

Her competitive running debut took place during junior high. Running marathons for the next 10 years, Herron qualified for three U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and competed on the 2011 U.S. Pan American Team. Herron builds her stamina by running 100 to 130 miles per week. Her rigorous training schedule includes 12 runs per week, meaning she has close to 100,000 lifetime miles! 

When it comes to inspiration, women have always played an important role in Herron's running career. Crediting her endurance and quiet tenacity to her mother who was an active participant in sports before Title IX, Herron says her mother was her first athletic inspiration. Herron is also inspired by female Globetrotter Lynette Woodard and several female distance runners. Lately, she’s mentally channeling American long distance runner Keira D’Amato. 

Herron is passionate about being a leader in her sport. She was recently recognized as the 2021 Women’s Long Distance Running Contributor of the Year for her commitment to giving back to the sport. She also is an advocate for equal pay and sponsor support for women. Recently, she donated her prize money to Native Women Runners, an organization that supports the Native women running community. She continues to raise the bar for what women can do and inspires many to pursue running. Her advice to her younger self is that “Life is going to be hard! Keep picking yourself up. Don’t give up on achieving all your goals and dreams!” 

Finish chute

Beacon Middle has landed Solomon Cox as the head coach of the track & field program. He will be assisted by longtime Sussex Central track & field coach and Seashore Striders youth coach Jen Cawthern. Cox is a 2017 graduate of Goldey-Beacom, where he majored in sports management and ran cross country. I was teammates with Solomon's dad Peter, the mayor of the Coolspring Hurdlers. Peter holds the record in the unofficial 400-meter dash with a broom in his hand of 52.9 seconds. Former Salisbury University middle distance standout Jim Sumstine will coach the Mariner team.

Congratulations to Sussex Academy’s Sadie Tunnell for her first-team all-state honor in the 400-meter dash for the indoor season.

Delaware graduate Ben Bamforth has moved from middle school indoor head coach to high school outdoor assistant coach at the Friends School in Wilmington. University of South Florida graduate Jake Bamforth of Fort Collins, Colo., will race in the 2022 College National Triathlon Championships in Buford, Ga., Thursday and Friday, March 31 and April 1. Jake will race in three different events in just over 24 hours. Jake earned his pro card last fall, but will race as an amateur at this event.

The Cape Vikings have more than 100 athletes out for spring track & field on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. They will open up at the Cambridge Invitational Friday, March 25, in Cambridge, Md.

The St. Patrick’s Day 5K/1-Mile Walk with a 200-meter kiddie dash will happen in Denton, Md., at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 12, while the local Lucky Leprechaun 5K will return to Milton with host Irish Eyes kicking off the fun day with a 3.1-mile course through town at 11 a.m. Packet pickup will be from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, March 12, at Irish Eyes in Milton.