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Rehoboth marathon goes off without a hitch in the giddy-up

3,000 runners get out and back safe and satisfied
“I must be in the front row.” Front runners in the first 50 meters are often the first back to the finish line. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Dave Frederick
December 5, 2016
Jim Diego sings his 17th national anthem followed by a marathon. He will set a record never to be broken. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, and Bill Brooks have their hands over their hearts during the singing of the national anthem. Lopez was the official starter. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Jeff Young from Wayne, Pa., wins the half marathon in 1:16, running a pace of 5:49 per mile. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Ron Decarlo and Melissa Cummings. Cummings was the first woman in the half in 1:24:32. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Linda Foerster logs a time of 2:34.52 for the half, while Bobby Longenecker wins the marathon in 2:38:26, a 6:03 per mile pace. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Martin Rodriguez breaks three hours and qualifies for Boston with a 2:58:05, as Mary Roth finished her half in 2:59. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Marathon winner Bobby Longenecker of Lititz, Pa., grabs some hydration from Sussex Tech student Graham Spellman on the Junction and Breakwater Trail. DAN COOK PHOTO
Matthew Dunn of Trappe, Md., runs along the Junction and Breakwater trail. He finished the marathon with a 3:03:01. DAN COOK PHOTO
Kerry Shanley of Marshfield, Mass., runs to first place in the marathon female division with a time of 3:05:02. DAN COOK PHOTO
Brendon Flannagan of Rockville, Md., takes some nourishment on the way to his 25th-place finish of 3:06:56.6. DAN COOK PHOTO
Matthew Dunn of Trappe, Md., gets hydrated. He finished the marathon with a 3:03:01. DAN COOK PHOTO
Brett Long of Rochester, N.Y., ran to a third-place finish with a 2:40:30.5. DAN COOK PHOTO
Martin Rodriguez of Selbyville ran a 2:58:05.2 marathon, putting him in 14th place. DAN COOK PHOTO
Andrea Kramer of Washington Boro, Pa., leads a pack through the scenic Junction and Breakwater Trail. She placed first in the female half marathon 45-49 age group with a race of 1:37:43.3. DAN COOK PHOTO
Kerry Shanley is the first woman in the marathon with a time of 3:05. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Mathew Burdette is a wingman for Athletes Serving Athletes. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO
Trevor Albert, 3:48, is pretty happy to finish. DAVE FREDERICK PHOTO

Runners across the time zones of talent and training ran the Rehoboth half and full marathons Dec. 3, leaving the “Sun Also Rises” backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean at 7 a.m. Those last to cross the starting line were walking and talking and some were slurping coffee while others texted faraway friends, “I’m off! You can follow me on your GPS as it’s coordinated to mine.”  

Jim Diego started the race in motion with a perfectly pitched tenor voice, singing the national anthem. He was smooth as a slack tide. Diego’s goal was to sing then run a marathon in every state in the country. Rehoboth was his 17th state in a quest to chase down a record no one else is pursuing.  

There were 1,547 finishers for the half marathon. The top five men were Jeff Young in 1:16:07, Chris Garges in 1:20:02, Mike Sewell in 1:21:42, Brian Weitz in 1:22:13 and Brian Welch in 1:22:15.

The five women atop the leaderboard were Melissa Cummings in 1:24:32, Lauren Cancelliere in 1:26:09, Calesse Cardosi in 1:26:52, Erin Corcoran in 1:26:56 and Cindy Conant in 1:31:23.

The full marathon had 876 finishers, with 16 men breaking the magical three-hour standard.

Bobby Longenecker, 27, from Lititz, Pa., was overall winner in 2:38:26. He was followed by Lowell Ladd in 2:39:47, Brett Long in 2:40:30, Matt Roberts in 2:44:19 and Mike Carriglitto in 2:46:24.

The only Delaware man to break three hours was Martin Rodriguez of Sebyville in 2:58:05. Paul Montini, his training partner, finished the course in 3:08:23.

Matt Dunn of Trappe logged a time of 3:03:01, while Lance Skinner of Milford ran 3:03:15.

The top five women in the marathon were Kerry Shanley, 30, from Marshville, Maine, in 3:05:02. Following her on the leaderboard were Kristin Herring in 3:18:23, Shannon Cruz in 3:18:43, Carissa Liebowitz in 3:19:21 and Cassy Crouse in 3:20:37.

The fastest time by a Delaware woman was Susan Dunn of Laurel in 3:37:54. Also from Delaware and breaking four hours were Amanda Seiwell in 3:42, Leeann Seiwell in 3:42, Tacy Powers in 3:50:29, Susan Zeller in 3:51:56 and Meghan Grimm in 3:53:49.

Runner Alisa Drelick finished her 101st marathon at Rehoboth. “Her friends told us about it, so we had a life preserver made for her,” said Mary Beth Evans, race director. “I met someone that had finished 250 marathons, but I don't remember his name. There were a fair amount of people that were well over 100 marathons.”

Complete results can be found at novatimingsystems.com.

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