Run for Coach Nic 5K set for March 9

The inaugural Run for Coach Nic 5K will be held in honor of coach Lou Nicoletti, a longtime cross country and track & field coach in Delaware, who is currently at Harbor Healthcare in Lewes due to the effects of a brain tumor he suffered. Coach Nic spent more than 40 years coaching runners, and he built programs at Delcastle and Sussex Tech into distance powerhouses. Hundreds of young runners are better people because of the lessons taught by Coach Nic. 

This event has been organized by his cross country and track & field family, led by coach Dontez Collins and wife Shaila. The 5K run and walk will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 9, at the Sussex Tech cross country course, a 3.1-mile course designed by Coach Nic. Proceeds of the event will benefit the cross country and track & field teams, as well as the inaugural Lou Nicoletti Scholarship to be presented to a senior track & field/cross country athlete at the annual end-of-year sports awards ceremony.

Registration will be $22 through Thursday, March 7, and $25 on race day from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. T-shirts are guaranteed to those who preregister, along with water and refreshments at the finish. Awards will be presented to the male and female overall and master champions, as well as the top three finishers in eight age groups from 13 and under to 70 and over. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Dontez Collins at Sussex Tech or emailing him at dontez.collins@sussexvt.k12.de.us. Race information can be found by going to seashorestriders.com.

19th Cape Triathlon set June 9

The Seashore Striders will host the 19th annual Cape Henlopen Triathlon Sunday, June 9, at the main beach of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes beginning at 7:30 a.m. The triathlon event will consist of a quarter-mile swim, a 9.67-mile bike and a 5K run, while the duathlon event will consist of a two-mile run, a 9.67-mile bike and a 5K run. The triathlon will feature overall, masters, age-group, clydesdale, athena and novice divisions, while the duathlon will feature overall, masters and age-group divisions. More information can be found by going to seashorestriders.com.

Biking on the edge – Part II

Many of you have been following my son’s bike accident that happened Jan. 29 in Tampa, Fla., and sending me a lot of nice messages. I appreciate all the support from the Cape area I call home. I thought I would give my readers an update on the post-accident fun we are having in sunny Tampa. The first week after the accident, things were going well; Jake was just very sore with a few broken bones. It was about a week later on Feb. 6 when a pain, similar to a side stitch, would not go away and it was painful to take deep breaths. Jake was off to the ER again and was coughing up blood throughout the night. Jake spent three days in the hospital with lots of blood drawn to go with several CT scans of the lungs.

The result was a small blood clot in the pulmonary artery that was at the edge of the lining of the lung. Most blood clots come from the legs, but this particular clot came from the arm and shoulder region where the accident impact happened. The good news is that it could have been much worse, and the clot could have moved to the heart area. The bad news is that Jake has to deal with six months of taking a blood thinner medication. Over time, the body will absorb the clot; it will disappear, and the damaged part of the lung will rebuild and repair itself. No biking, other than an indoor trainer, until the fall. Swimming and running are OK once the broken bones are healed. The triathlon career will have to continue at a future date. Until then, it is on hold.

I learned a lot about blood clots this week, more than I really want to know, and learned also that the medical field is a huge operation with the University of South Florida and the connection to the Tampa hospitals. There are doctors, interns and students all over the area in beautiful state-of-the-art facilities doing what they do best, giving patients the best care possible. Thank you, Dr. Kevin O’Brien, internist at USF, for being at our side along this unexpected journey in Tampa. Thank you also to our caring community in Lewes as well as a supportive school district family of mine called Cape Henlopen.