Leps duo competes at Alvernia indoor meet

Brother-sister running duo Ruby and Whit Leps represented the Seashore Striders last week in their first indoor track meet at Alvernia University in Pennsylvania. The USATF Mid-Atlantic Meet brought kids from all over the East Coast to race. Ruby won bronze in the 400 meters and was fourth in the 200-meter dash. Whit won the bravery award of the meet after falling during the 400 meters, but still managing to get up and beat two 11-year-old runners. Congrats to our local Leps.

Seashore Half Marathon 

The Seashore Half Marathon and 5K is open for registration and will start from Irish Eyes in Lewes at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 4. The event is a fun one to train for, happening just before the hot summer months of June, July and August. Last year, 197 competitors turned out for the event, which comprised a half-marathon, 5K and relay. The race is 15 weeks away, so if you can attain a 10-miler by week 13, you are good to go. To register, go to seashorestriders.com.

Long runs

Looking for some miles on the weekends? Go to the Seashore Striders website and select “weekend long runs,” where you can take part in just about any pace that suits you. The runs happen year-round, changing each week to keep them interesting. They can be held in downtown Dewey Beach, Tower Road, Grove Park, Gordons Pond, Deauville Beach, Cape Henlopen State Park’s Herring Point, Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal, downtown Lewes or Cape Henlopen High School. All runs begin at 8 a.m. Remember, it is so much easier to run with folks than to log miles alone.

Inaugural Open Space 5K

Join the Seashore Striders for a new and exciting event in Lewes, as we are teaming up with the Open Space Alliance campaign for a 5K run/walk and 1-mile fun walk for a great fundraising cause. The Open Space Alliance campaign is working to maintain the Fourth Street Preserve in its natural state with public access and walking trails. This event is chaired by my friend Jim Ford III, former mayor of Lewes. Jim’s daughter Maren ran for the Seashore Striders; we ran every trail there is around town. Now, we are hoping to save some open space in town. This race is set up as a live event as well as a virtual event in case you are out of town for the weekend. Folks can also just donate to the cause and stay in their slippers. This is a way to support the cause in a town that needs more open space. See you on the starting line. Go to seashorestriders.com to get registered.

Conference championships

The Henlopen Conference Championships were held Jan. 18 on the 165-meter oval in Snow Hill, Md. Cape took the largest team of running, jumping and throwing athletes with 165 participants, who were expected to spread out across the board better than any team in the Henlopen Conference. Sussex Academy also boasted some standout athletes vying for conference titles. See full results in next week’s column.