Mother Nature wreaks havoc on running events

Mother Nature is making the indoor track & field season a challenging affair, as weather has been in the 20s for the past week and currently a nor’easter blizzard is moving up the coast where it will throw anywhere from a dusting to a heavy bit of snow on Delmarva. The weekly Snow Hill Invitational was canceled a few hours before buses were to leave Wednesday.

There are two Snow Hill Invitationals left in the season followed by the Henlopen Conference Championships that will be held Thursday, Jan. 25, also at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill, Md. The meet will feature Cape, Sussex Tech, Dover, Smyrna, Seaford, Lake Forest and Caesar Rodney, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Race into the New Year

The 15th annual Race into the New Year 5K was held in 22-degree temperatures in Rehoboth Beach Dec. 31. A total of 135 runners toed the frozen starting line, down from the 160 that registered for the event. Most of the runners were bundled up from head to toe trying not to expose any part of their body to the elements. 

“Heading north on Ocean Drive to the turnaround, the wind was in our face, and the 22-degree temperatures felt more like 10 degrees,” said runner Martin Rodriguez. 

The volunteers at registration worked hard to get race numbers and T-shirts handed out and to sign up the race-day runners, but they also worked twice as hard trying to stay warm for the 90-minute registration window.

Jeff Young of Bryn Mawr, Pa., captured the male championship in 17:02, while Joey Andrisani of Wilmington was second in 17:19.  Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville was third in 18:37, while Matthew Dunn of Trappe, Md., was fourth in 18:55. Rounding out the top five finishers was master Paul Montini of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., in a time of 19:54.

Cindy Conant, 56, of Kensington, Md., won the female overall title in 20:04. 

TK 10 coming in March

The Tim Kennard 10-Miler will move from the beginning of March to the end of March, and it will again be held at Salisbury University. The Sunday, March 25 event will take off at 9 a.m., and it always attracts a nice field from all parts of Delmarva.

Tim Kennard, 48 years old, and father of a 7-year-old son, passed away March 11, 2004. He fought a courageous battle against kidney cancer. His family and fellow running friends miss Tim. This run/walk is in his honor, with proceeds going, as Tim requested, to help children and animals. This year, the proceeds will help: Coastal Hospice, specifically for pediatric cases and programs for grieving children who have lost a sibling or parent to cancer; the Salisbury Horizons Student Enrichment Program, which provides support, education and hope to children from economically disadvantaged families; Coalition of Caring, a fund for our animal friends in need; and VSCOA PAWS, which is the first program of its kind to train disabled homeless veterans to train homeless rescue dogs to become service dogs. Go to seashorestriders.com to get registered and start training now.

Tri/Bi/Tri Mini Series

In 2018, the Seashore Striders will produce a triathlon and a biathlon, and assist in the operation of another triathlon. The Striders have bought the rights to the longtime Cape Triathlon that was produced in the past by Piranha Sports. The event will be held on its normal date of June 10 at Cape Henlopen State Park. The Dave Reynolds Biathlon will again be held during the Fourth of July celebration in Rehoboth Beach, and it will consist of a half-mile swim followed by a 5K run. Lastly, the Striders will assist in the operation of the Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon, which will consist of a half-mile swim, a 16-mile bike and a 3.5-mile run. The event production goal is to provide local athletes three quality sprint events perfect for the first-timer or the even the seasoned veteran. Providing a safe and fun event where each participant can have a positive experience in the race is what we hope to achieve. Athletes who complete all three events in the mini series will receive a special award for their dedication to the events. All three events will have registration links open in the next week, so check our site, seashorestriders.com, to get registered.