Seashore Striders Summer Racing Series wraps up this weekend

The 2019 Seashore Striders Summer Racing Series will conclude Saturday, Aug. 3, in Dewey Beach with the 11th annual Run for the Paws 5K. The event will begin at 8 a.m. from Dewey Beach Lions Club on Dagsworthy Avenue. Late registration and race-day pickup begin at 7 a.m. Runners also have an opportunity to pick up packets and register from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 2, at Bluecoast Seaford Grill on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach.

As the championship series winds down this Saturday, several age-group leaders should bounce around. Runners who qualify for the championship series had a requirement to complete five of the 11 5K events and one of the two five-mile events that made up the series. Here is a look at the age groups on both male and female sides of the action.

9-and-under - Young Erin Noonan needs a race, but should qualify and win the age group unchallenged, while Landon Bratz leads the boys over Robbie Myers and Hunter Thomas.

10-13 - Talented Faith Mitchell had little trouble with a perfect score of six points over Lily Noonan and Maya Yngve, who both still need a 5K to qualify. Bennett Brumbley should handle the win in this age group, as he has a perfect score heading into the final week.

14-19 - Olivia Montini easily won the age group with seven points over Sussex Academy runner Sadie Tunnell, who calculated 20 points and still needs a race. Caleb Bradley ran all 12 races, and it will help him in the final standings, as a tough DJ Farren is in second with only six races. With an age-group win, Farren will improve by two points, but will still come up short behind Bradley’s eight-point total.

20-24 - Keren Rams scored 14 points for the series win, since she went unchallenged. As did Reginaldo Hernandez, who won the male side.

25-29 - No qualifiers on the female side of the action, but Steve Eshelman went unchallenged to win the male side.

30-34 - Elizabeth Gerritt leads the way, but watch out for Kelly Tingle, who needs just one race to qualify and move into the lead. In this age group, it’s Michael Marciano leading Beau Croll, but watch out for series leader Francisco Puac, who needs one race to qualify. If Puac wins his age group, he will move into the lead. If he gets beat, well, then it turns interesting. 

35-39 - Eugenija King leads today, but Abby Andrews needs just one race and should move into the lead and win the age group. Martin Rodriguez leads with six points as he tries to hold off buddy Enos Benbow, who needs one race to qualify.

40-44 - Susan Dunn is the class of the age group over Heather Marvin and Amanda Alexander in second and third. Jason Langley has a one-point lead over John Blackford. If both race this weekend, Blackford will need to win the age group to force a tie.

45-49 - Becky Montini with six points will try to hold off Jen Perry with seven points to win the series. Perry will have to beat Montini head to head. Mike Sewell dominates the age group with seven points, as Bill Pilkington and Breck Vanderwende sit in second and third place.

50-54 - Mardiny Ung has a four-point lead over Jackie Quigley and should hang on for the win. Paul Montini put together one of his best racing summers and easily leads the age group with six points over Chris Stanley and Clyde John Yanacek.

55-59 - Nina Smeltzer will try to hold off Margaret Colvin, as she has six points to Colvin’s seven. Both have won all their 5K races, with the difference being that Colvin was second at the Masser 5-Miler and Smeltzer ran many more races throughout the summer and won the second five-miler. Bill Holdsworth looks to win the age group with the lead over Tim Young and Peter Tracey.

60-64 - Joy Biser leads the way with Connie Marshall in second going into the final week. Brian Johnston with seven points is the class of the age group with the lead over Alan Quillen, Robert Fitzgerald and Donald Cowie.

65-69 - Dianna Golden leads the way with six points, with Linda Ridenour a close second with seven points. Ridenour would have to beat Golden to force a tie in the standings. In a class by himself, Rick Poppleton is the male leader and will not be challenged.

 70-74 - JoAnn Szczepkowski leads the way and should have no trouble getting the win in the series. Jules Woodall leads the way with seven points over Tim Abbott and Woody Disharoon. Way down on the list is Ron Niblett, who should move into the top five with a qualifying race this weekend.

75-79 - Sherri Wright will hold on for the win over Sandra Gossman in this age group. Jim Batts will win the age group as it stands, with William McArthur and Paul Kiefer in second and third place, respectively.

80-and-over - Jamie Wollard will hold off Marge Warshauer for the series win in our oldest age group. Jack Huxtable has a slight lead over Jack Noel and John Neal, and it will take a serious magic trick by Noel at this weekend’s 5K to tie a tough Huxtable.