Heading west to Colorado

I write this column from the City of Pittsburgh, the Steel City, home of the Steelers, on our way to Fort Collins, Colo., to deliver my son Jake to a master’s program at Colorado State University, where he will study public health and join the CSU Triathlon Team. I keep in contact with some of my Colorado runners, so I know Jake will be in good hands with Eric Albright, Rick Hughes and David Hill in the area. With his two bikes – road and time trial – and his running shoes and goggles, he should have everything he needs. Special thanks to Fredman, who found Jen Harpel on Facebook, who hooked us up with a Class B Sprinter RV so we could make the trip. I’m hoping I don’t end up at Wally World. Stay tuned! 

Mt. Everest vs. Cape-to-Cape swim

Recent USF graduate Jake Bamforth completed two challenges this spring during our coronavirus shutdown. In April, he cycled the elevation height of Mt. Everest on a hill in Clermont, Fla., by repeating the climb 135 times, taking him 16 straight hours to complete. “It took us four minutes to climb up and only 50 seconds on the way down,” said Jake. Only three riders from Florida have ever completed an Everest Challenge.

Just last week, he completed a swim from Cape May to Cape Henlopen that was 14.2 miles in choppy waters, taking him 6:36:07 to complete – the fastest in history. Only five swimmers have ever successfully completed the swim.

When I asked him which of the two was more difficult, he quickly said, “Both of the challenges were physically and mentally challenging in different ways. The Everest bike was much harder physically on my whole body, and the swim was a bit harder mentally. Swimming point to point was a challenge, but you’re going somewhere, while the Everest was so much longer, and sleep and fatigue became an issue.”

Jake will be living at 5,000 feet of elevation and training between 5,000 and 8,000 feet with Fort Collins, Boulder and Pikes Peak in his backyard, so only time will tell what his next challenge will be.  

Go Fast Camp canceled

The 2020 Go Fast Elite Running Camp and Go Fast Youth Running Camp are canceled due to the current level of COVID-19 in Delaware. According to coach and founder Derek Shockro: “The goal was to hold a safe and fun camp for everyone involved, and I am not able to provide that environment. I held out as long as I could, but the situation has not moved in a positive direction where the Go Fast curriculum could be safely implemented.”

Go Fast is allowing campers two options as a refund: 1. Receive a full refund (minus the processing charges); 2. Receive credit for the 2021 Go Fast Running Camp. Please send coach Shockro a private email as to how you would like your funds processed.

Run for JJ 5K

The Run for JJ 5K, home of the Delaware State 5K Record, will be held virtually this Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26. The race has the title of having the fastest 5K ever run in Delaware, as Kenyan Nelson Kiplagat turned in a time of 13:52 in 2007. For 10 straight years, from 2000-10, the Seashore Striders hosted international teams of runners, which produced some of the fastest 5K times in the region, ranging from 13:52 to 14:30 consistently on the men’s side and 16:30 to 17:20 on the women’s side. Runners can register this year by going to seashorestriders.com. Sling backpack bags will be given to the first 84 registered participants as the event swag this week. The event is hosted by Stuart Kingston and is the eighth race of the Seashore Striders Championship Series. 

Dam Mill 5K

The ninth stop for the Seashore Striders will be the oldest 5K race in the state, the Dam Mill 5K Run. The race is normally hosted in Millsboro out of Cupola Park on what may be the fastest course in the state. A shady out-and-back course has always greeted the runners. A decision on packet pickup will be announced soon on the Seashore Striders site. Swag for the event is the popular sleeveless T-shirts. This year’s event will benefit the Millsboro Fire Department, led by Hall of Famer and Race Organizer John Hall.

Summer Championship Series

Runners can check the statistics of the Summer Championship Series by going to www.seashorestriders.com.  There are three 5K races left in the series, which means that runners with only one 5K to their credit have been dropped off the list. The list is updated every Monday by Tim Young, and if you like stats, which I do, Tim has more information on the Championship Series than you can read. We have a chance to reach 100 qualifiers of the series, which for being in a worldwide partial shutdown is impressive to have so many supporters.