Hot middle school meet set for May 6 at Cape

My traveling race crew visited beautiful Oxford, Md., April 30 to produce the 11th Annual Oxford Day 10K Run. Doris Hicks, Amy Lindsey, Emily Ritter, Laura Raven, and Jake Bamforth joined me as we were put up in a guesthouse on the water Friday night and hosted 175 runners in the 6.2-mile race around Oxford Saturday morning. Following the start of the 10K, a field of 400 took off in the 5K walk, and more than 100 participants showed up with their dogs to take part in the annual dog walk. The event supported breast cancer patients and their families through Susan G. Komen for the Cure Maryland affiliates. There were custom pink ribbons presented to the winners of the 10K. A great event on the Eastern Shore in Oxford.

Seaford Run-A-Thon
The new seven-event Seaford Run-A-Thon series will begin this Saturday, May 7, at the Vince Morris Trail off Woodland Ferry Road with the first Vince Morris 5K Run. The series schedule continues as follows: Sunday, May 8 - Dr. Bett's 5K at the Vince Morris Trail; Saturday, May 21 - Trinity’s Touch-a-Truck promoting Save a Life Charity; Saturday, May 28 - Firdavsi Ice Cream 5K; Saturday, June 4 - Keyshawn Purnell 5K Walk/Run; Monday, July 4 - Fourth of July 5K; Saturday, July 30 - Bethel Ice Cream 5K.

Middle school mile
The middle school 1,600 meters, better known as the metric mile, is one of the premier events in a track & field meet and usually run by athletes who train the hardest on any track team.

Since I am a former 4:26 high school miler and a 5:06 middle school miler, the event is by far my favorite to watch.

This Friday evening, May 6, at the annual Cape Invitational in Lewes, meet director George Pepper is expecting at least 10 teams with each team allowed to enter three athletes for a total of 30 boys and 30 girls racing the four-lap event. On the girls’ side, Beacon’s Madison MacElrevey finished in the top three last year, won last year’s Jim Blades Mile and has not been beaten this season, racing at the six-minute mark.

The boys’ mile should be one of the meet’s highlights as competition in the event has greatly increased in the last two years. Jake Bamforth of Beacon has not been beaten this season, as well as Chipman’s tough Robbie Westoff.

Throw in a gutsy Milford miler, talented Dover and Selbyville milers, and several other boys with sub-5:25 credentials and we may see the best boys’ mile in the last 10 years. The Beacon record was 5:25 at the beginning of the season; it has been broken four times and is listed at 5:14 currently.

A 5:25 this Friday evening might not even place in the top six the way this is shaping up. Come out to Cape starting at 4:15 p.m. and watch these young kids with loads of talent.

Triple Crown at White Clay
One of the popular events in the northern half of the state, the Trail Dawgs Triple Crown, was held April 30 at White Clay Creek State Park near Newark. Cape runners Chris Bisaha, Phil Williamson and Mark Bisaha completed the half marathon, one of four races that day.

Vinnie V scoring points
Local Vinnie Vasquez helped his team, the Moravian College Greyhounds, win the team title at the Landmark Outdoor Track & Field Championships, competing and scoring in the long jump, triple jump, and both hurdle races.

According to Vinnie’s coach, Walt Wandall, he played a big part as Moravian won the championship this year, its fourth title in four years, by only 6 points. “Vinnie is the kind of guy you win championships with because he works hard and picks up the points in many places,” Wandall said.

Paul Staso completes PACE Trek
Several years ago I was very involved with helping in the lodging department as friend Paul Staso, who was running across the country, finished his adventure at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes after parading through a crowd of cheering students outside Shields Elementary School. On May 1, Paul completed PACE Trek 2011 - the acronym stands for Promoting Active Children Everywhere - covering 506 miles in 17 days of running.

The course began at the Grand Canyon, traversed the Mojave Desert, and finished at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, Calif.  Paul became the first person to run that route solo and unsupported. It was an incredibly difficult trek and one that Paul will be healing from for a couple of weeks.

There are still many student teams logging miles for PACE Trek 2011 because several schools had spring break during the event.

Currently, school teams from nine countries have recorded 53,475 miles at the www.pacetrek.com/mojave website. Congratulations, Paul, and sit down and take a load off for a few minutes!

Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 7 - Roady 5K Run, Delaware Tech, Georgetown, 9 a.m.
Sunday, May 8 - 3rd Mother’s Day Remembrance 5K, Cape High, Lewes, 9 a.m.
Saturday, May 14 - 7th Surf Bagel 5K & 10K; Cape High, Lewes, 9 a.m.
Sunday, May 15 - 2nd Donkey Dash 5K Run, Woodbridge Athletic Complex, Bridgeville, 10 a.m.

For more information, visit www.seashorestriders.com.